“Is she threatening?”
“No.”
“She’s stalked you in the past?” Ephram questioned.
“I had a restraining order against her which has since expired. Apparently, I need to get that done again,” I dryly mentioned.
Ephram sighed. “I’ll be there.”
Glenna waved enthusiastically at the phone. “Tell him hello for me.”
“I will not,” I said.
I hung up and shoved my phone back into my pocket, heart pounding harder than it had any right to. The streetlights flickered on, casting everything in a warm glow that felt wildly inappropriate for the moment.
“Why don’t you pack up,” I tried again. “We can talk later.”
She shook her head gently. “I don’t think that’s best.”
“Glenna.”
“You’re tired,” she said, patting my arm. “You need rest. I’ll watch over things.”
“I don’t need you to watch over things. I am managing,” I told her.
She smiled indulgently. “I’m not so sure about that. You have a lovely girlfriend, but you seem very tense. I know you didn’t like touring but is this what you want your life to be?”
A couple walked past, whispering. Someone lifted a phone. I turned slightly, angling my body so Glenna was blocked from view as much as possible, even though I knew that wouldn’t last.
“Glenna, I’m happy in Maple Ridge. You need to go home,” I told her.
“Home is with you,” she sweetly replied.
Ephram’s car pulled up ten minutes later, tires crunching over snow. He took in the scene in one sweeping glance. The tent in front of my shop and Glenna, mid-sentence about yarn weights.
“Oh,” he said. “It’s worse than I thought.”
“Hello, Officer,” Glenna said brightly. “I made him socks.”
Ephram looked at me. “Are you okay?.”
“I will be,” I said. “Once I callmy lawyer. I’m just hoping to get this documented so the judge will be on my side”
“Good plan,” he replied. “Let’s get her moved along for tonight.”
As Ephram stepped forward to begin what I assumed would be a very careful, very polite conversation, I leaned back against the shop door and exhaled.
I checked my phone one more time and wondered why Kitty hadn’t called to tell me about Dave.
Chapter Twenty-Two: A Setback
Kitty
By the time I made it back to the SnowDrop Inn, the vendor market felt like something that had happened to someone else.
My boots left damp crescents on the entry rug as I kicked them off and lined them up automatically out of habit. Everything in my body felt heavy in a way that had nothing to do with tired muscles and everything to do with the adrenaline finally letting go. The lobby was quieter than it had been all day, and I was grateful there was no one to deal with.
I set my bag on the desk and rubbed at my throat, wincing when the skin felt tender beneath my fingers. It had started as a scratch hours ago. I had ignored it because there was always something more urgent to focus on. Now it felt raw, like I had been shouting into the cold instead of organizing a town event.
