One moment, I was telling myself I needed to stay away from Parker, and the next I was making out with him in his car. I wanted to blame mercury being in retrograde or delirium from the pound of greasy food we consumed for my actions, but I couldn’t. The moment he asked me to let him in, I wanted to say yes. I didn’t want to fight my feelings. I just wanted to be. There was no way I could be just friends with him when every time he walked into the room, I wanted to be at his side.
Parker was an addiction that I couldn’t kick. Whenever we were in a room together, some part of us was always touching. He was still busy doing whatever his father had wanted him to do, but at night, when he returned to the pool house, he made sure I knew he was mine.
I craved the forehead kisses that he gave me in the morning before leaving for work and the, “I’m thinking of you,” text messages he sent during the day. At night, we still slept in our own rooms, but in the dark, when I was alone, I imagined that I was with him. It was getting harder and harder not to ask him to stay. That wasn’t something I was sure I was ready for yet.
I had just arrived at the office fifteen minutes early, thanks to William, and my desk was full of the most gorgeous chrysanthemums. As I reached for my phone, a text came through. I smiled, knowing that William must have let Parker know I made it to work on time.
[Unknown]: Knock Knock
My knees went weak as I stared at the message.
Two swift knocks at the door came in succession, causing me to shriek.
The door opened quickly to reveal Sheriff Strauss with his hand on his holster.
My heart hammered in my chest as I stood there, too stunned to speak.
“Oh, sweetheart, you gave me quite the fright. I thought something nefarious was going on behind this door,” He said with a hearty laugh, his hand patting the gun on his waist.
I struggled to find the humor when I could still hear my heart thumping in my ears.
Releasing an audible breath, I pasted a smile on my face even though tension radiated through my body. The sight of Sheriff Strauss reaching for his gun left me shaken. I hid my trembling hands below the desk.
“Good morning, sheriff. What brings you by so early?”
It was 7:30 in the morning, and the club technically didn’t open until 8 AM. I came in early because I had been working on a new membership reach campaign and was pitching my ideas to the board later at 9.
“Early riser. I heard through the grapevine that you were starting here and thought I’d come see how you were settling in. Here I thought you were just passing through,” he said as he took in my office that the twins had loosely decorated.
There was a photo of the twins and me at La Selva, a small paperweight Statue of Liberty, and some of my past designs framed on the wall. The flowers were the latest addition.
“It looks like you’re adjusting to the community well, though.” He finished.
I wasn’t sure where this conversation was going or why he cared whether I stayed or moved on from Oakland Ridge.
“Yes. I’m very grateful to Thomas for offering me such a great job. It’s very kind of you to stop by and see how I’m settling in. Are you sure there wasn’t anything I could help you with?”
“Oh no, I’m alright. I look forward to getting to know you some more.” He wore a smirk on his face as he gave me a dramatic bow at the waist before walking out. “Don’t be a stranger now.”
I stood there in confusion before taking a seat behind my desk.
My phone pinged again, and I flinched at the sound.
When I looked at my phone, there were two more messages from an unknown number and one from Parker.
[Unknown]: Miss me?
[Unknown]: He won’t be able to protect you.
I felt flushed. If I weren’t already sitting down, I may have fallen over.
[Parker]: I hope you like your surprise, baby girl
It was hard for me to feel anything but apprehension at this moment. I was still so focused on the text messages that I didn’t waste another thought on Sheriff Strauss.
Remember what Dr. Beck told you to do.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath through my nose, and released it through my mouth.
