Tim handed a cup of hot tea to Jess and sat down on the couch, placing his own tea on the coffee table in front of them. He looked at Jess intently, but did not say anything for a few minutes. Jess did not encourage conversation either; she wanted to rest and enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Her nerves were shot and she just wanted to sip her tea. The person had actually been in her house. She could not shake this idea or the feeling. She had not called Alex yet, but she wanted to. She was wrestling with taking him up on his offer to move in with him until this person was apprehended, but the stubborn Jessica Bilson deep inside of her would just not allow her to roll over and give up. She was not wired that way. It just wasn’t going to happen.

Finally Tim spoke.

“Are you OK?”

Jess smiled her best phony smile and nodded yes.

“Good. I understand the shock you’ve been through, but you are safe now.”

“I don’t feel safe. This person broke into my home and waited for me. They could have killed me.”

“But they didn’t,” Tim said.

“Maybe they don’t mean me any real harm then? Is that what you are saying?”

Tim took a sip of his tea and set it back down.

“Not exactly. You can’t get a false sense of security and think that because this person didn’t hurt you now that they won’t hurt you later. They might just be toying with you.”

“What am I going to do? Why can’t you catch this freak?”

“We are doing all we can. I just checked the station about the results of the Veronica Daniels investigation. It turns out that someone did hack her PC and used her IP address to send those messages. She didn’t do it.”

Jess felt tears welling up in her eyes and she struggled hard to swallow them back down, turning her head away as a few lonely tears escaped her clutches and rolled down her face. She hated to display this weak side of her to anybody and she hated to give in to her vulnerability like this. It was sad and pathetic. If her dad saw her crying like a little girl right now she knew the lecture he would give her.

“It’s OK. We will find out who is doing this.”

Tim took her hand in his and held it gently. His touch felt good and reassuring. She looked at him and saw a gentle soulfulness in his eyes that she had not seen yet. It was a nice change on him and she saw for the first time what a good man he really was. He was a good cop and he was a good friend to have.

He reached up with his left hand and, using just one finger, wiped a tear away from her eye as it rolled down her cheek, catching it just under her cheek bone. His thick, strong finger elicited several responses in her all at once and they added up to a feeling of comfort she had been lacking lately. No matter how tough she pretended to be when it was all said and done deep beneath the surface she had a vulnerable spot. And this person had tapped into it by terrorizing her. She felt like a victim for the first time and it enraged her. She was not going to go down without a fight. She wanted to find this person and do violent things to them. She was not a violent person, but when push came to shove she came to destroy.

“I know. It’s just that something like this tends to rock your world in a very uncomfortable way,” Jess replied.

“I know that. You going to move in with Alex? You told me that he had suggested it before. Might not be a bad idea in the meantime.”

“No. I’m not going to let them have this victory. I will not be pushed out of my house.”

“I understand, but I would at least suggest installing a security system. I have a friend in the business that can get you a great deal if you tell him I sent you.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Jess had actually never thought of getting a system installed. She lived in a safe neighborhood and she just didn’t feel it was warranted.

She would call them first thing in the morning.

“Did you call Alex at least? Did you tell him what happened?”

Jess wasn’t sure why Tim was so preoccupied with Alex all of a sudden, but she paid it no mind.

“No, I didn’t want to freak him out. He would insist I come over and spend the night and he would insist I move in.”

“Well, might not be a bad idea to spend the night there at least. That way you could get some sleep. I doubt you will sleep here now tonight,” Tim said.

“Well, if you don’t mind hanging out with me I’d like to stay here tonight. I’m enjoying just sitting here. Just keep the tea coming.”

Tim smiled.

“That sounds like a plan,” he said.

* * *

Jess awoke sometime just after dawn with the bright sunshine glaring on her face. The warmth felt great for a moment until she opened her eyes and the blinding light began to burn her retinas. She squinted, shutting her eyes as tightly as she could and rolled up off the couch to a sitting up position.

She just realized that her head had been lying on Tim’s shoulder. She thought he was asleep as well until he moved his head slowly looking at her with eyes that were wide awake. He had stayed awake all night and looked after her and he had not bothered to move her head from his shoulder. She wondered what that actually meant as she moved closer to the edge of the couch. She certainly didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. She was finding herself more and more attracted to him all the time, but she knew that it was not meant to be. She had made a choice to be with Alex and when she really searched her heart she found that he was the one she wanted to be with. This had just confirmed the whole thing for her. It all looked so simple now. The choice really wasn’t a choice at all and she hoped she had not led Tim on in any way. He really was a great guy.

“You OK?” Tim asked.

Jess smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah, I guess I’m still a little shaken up,” Jess said.

“That’s understandable. But you are safe now.”

“Thanks. Sorry about lying on your shoulder. I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“That’s no problem,” Tim said. He leaned closer to Jess.

He reached out and touched her hand softly, holding her hand in his. She slowly turned her head, locking eyes on him. He was so beautiful that she could hardly think right then, but as he leaned forward to kiss her the senses snapped back into being and she realized what was happening.

Jess turned her head and stood up leaving Tim puckering and leaning in awkwardly. He didn’t seem to feel awkward though. He smiled and gave her a puzzled look.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked.

“This can’t happen.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Us—we can’t be together that way. I’m involved.”

“With Alex—I know.”

“Well, then you should understand why we can’t pursue this.”

Tim leaned back and thought a moment before speaking.

“You know what I see when I look at you? A beautiful woman who is not happy. You think you are happy with a guy like Alex because he offers security and you know what he’s all about; you know what to expect from him. But then you meet a guy like me and you don’t know what to expect. I’m not nearly as cookie cutter perfect and that scares you. You don’t’ frighten easily, but this has you scared.”

“Maybe it does. But I know what I want and I can’t do this.”

“Don’t let go of something that could be amazing because you are unable to conquer your fears.”

Jess was getting a little steamed at being told who she was and what she wanted.

“I know what I want. I have made a decision. You and I cannot be together that way. It won’t happen, no matter what you say. I’m sorry.”

Tim stood up and carried his cup of tea to the kitchen.

He grabbed his jacket and started to head out the door.

“I’ll leave a few units stationed outside your home and to tail you to work. I’m going to be in the office most of the day following up any possible leads on this. We will find out who is behind it. Just have a bit of faith in us.”

With that he walked out the door casually as if the previous conversation had never happened. Jess had never met a man who was so sure of himself that he literally could not be rejected. She supposed she should be glad that he wasn’t going to get all “drama queen” on this thing, but she couldn’t help but feel a little insulted because he wasn’t more upset over the rejection she had just delivered. She never wanted to hurt anybody, but it kind of made her wonder how much he cared if he didn’t care ultimately about being brushed off. Or maybe he figured that it would work out eventually and he had no reason to push it. If that was the case then he knew more about things than she did.

Jess got dressed and went to work. That was about the only thing she could do; she had to keep everything as normal as she possibly could. She would not let someone force her into a corner or isolate her from her life. That was exactly what this pervert wanted and she was going to be damned if she would allow them to win.

Alex called her into his office when she arrived at work. As soon as she walked through the door he wrapped his arms around her. It felt amazing to be held and comforted, even though she had not told him about what had happened the night before. She wondered if he had found out some other way. Had Tim told him just to make her mad and mess with her head? She pushed that ridiculous thought out of her head instantly.

“Are you OK, babe?” Alex asked.

His voice was more comforting and reassuring than she had ever heard it and Jess had to wonder what was up. There had to be something going on that he was not telling her.

“I’m fine. Are you OK?” Jess asked.

“Yeah, I’m great. I just didn’t get a chance to talk with you last night. I was here at the office late catching up on some stuff. I just didn’t want you to feel like I was ignoring you or anything.”

“No, it’s OK. I needed some time alone to just clear my head.”

“I’ll bet. The stress has to be getting to you. I’m amazed at how well you are holding up.”

“I’m managing just fine, honey,” Jess said. She was not sure that she had ever called Alex “honey” before. It felt good and somehow reassuring. He smiled at the word. Were they becoming one of those lame couples she wondered? It was funny if they were, actually. Deep down she had always wanted to be a part of something cheesy. She read her Danielle Steel just like every other girl in the world.

“Well, I think I should take you somewhere this weekend to celebrate.”

“That’s not necessary. I would rather stay in this weekend and just relax. I’ve got a bit of work to do, but other than that it feels like a Netflix and chill kind of weekend,” Jess said.

“OK, well that’s cool,” Alex replied. He really didn’t seem to care that she wanted to relax that weekend, which was a relief.

“It’s been a while since we did anything like that. Let’s just be lazy and grab some pizza, beers, and watch good TV,” Jess said. She pulled Alex close and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

“That does sound like fun, baby. It has been a long time since I did that.”

Jess kissed him again, more gingerly and more passionately.

* * *

The rest of that Friday went according to schedule. Jess met with her new clients on the new case she had been assigned and she was relieved to find that it appeared they were actually innocent of any wrong doing and the evidence was not going to be strong enough to land a conviction. That made her job a lot easier and the clients were not lying through their teeth so she didn’t expect any slip ups or weird occurrences to throw a wrench into things.

She finished up the day, went home and got ready to go to the track. She found that the running was starting to become enough of a routine that she didn’t really even have to think about it or psych herself into doing it. It just felt right and that her day wasn’t complete without doing it. She was even getting used to doing it twice a day. Now that she was doing this it seemed to amplify the effects and she felt twice as energized and totally stress free. Even though she had been scared out of her mind with the whole stalker business, she was feeling pretty encouraged right now. She wanted to find this person and look them in the eye, even if she had to take them down herself.

She waved to the police patrol as they parked across the street from her home. She wasn’t familiar with the new guy, and she found herself missing Tim. She wondered if she had pissed him off that badly or if he really was working hard on breaking some leads on her case. She imagined it was a combination of both. Unless he had really found something. In that case she would take his absence as a good thing.

She had just taken off her business clothes and was admiring herself in the mirror when her phone rang. She saw it was Tim and answered it quickly.

“Hey,” Jess answered.

“Hey, I’ve got big news.”

“What? You found them?”

Tim paused a moment before answering.

“Yes,” he said.

“That’s fantastic! Who is it? How did you find them?”

“The perpetrator is a woman named Sharon Williams.”

“I don’t know anyone by that name. Why would she want to threaten me?”

“Sharon was an intern at the firm of Mathers and Clark a few years ago. She had a brief affair with Alex. They went out a few times and she wanted more of a commitment, but he wasn’t having any of it, I guess. She began driving away clients and basically trying to hurt Alex’s name, so she was let go. She has been keeping an eye on Alex ever since then and for whatever reason she chose you as her target of rage. She is a sadistic freak, basically.”

“Wow, so she was really going to kill me?”

“My guess is that eventually she would have worked herself up into enough of a frenzy that your life would have been in danger.”

Jess sat down on the bed. She wanted to cry as she heard the words coming from Tim’s mouth. The thought that someone out there actually wanted to kill her made her want to crawl under the bed. She took a few deep breaths.

“How did you catch her?”

“Well, last night when she entered your house she did it as the shift changed between me and the officer who was taking my place when I went to follow you to the track. The moron left his car unattended while he went behind a tree to urinate. When we reviewed the camera footage from the dashboard camera we saw a shadowy figure enter the house by picking the lock. She was dressed all in black, but not wearing a mask. I guess she didn’t want to draw attention to herself if a neighbor happened to be watching. Anyway, her face was reflected in the living room glass window on the front of your house. We were able to use face recognition software and track her down that way. She has a few priors from when she was a teenager so she was in our database.”

“Wow, so it is finally over.”

“Yeah, you can rest easy now.”

“Thanks Tim. Thanks for everything,” Jess said.

“You’re more than welcome. This might sound weird, but I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too. And I’m sorry,” Jess said.

“Don’t be. You and Alex take good care of each other, but if it doesn’t work out you know where to find me. I’d like to invite you for a cup of coffee if that ever happens.”

“OK, that sounds great.”

“Bye, Jess.”

“Bye.”

* * *

Jess stepped out of her house and waved goodbye to the police cruiser that had been parked there as it drove off down the street. She felt a weight rising up off her shoulders and she noticed for the first time in weeks how beautiful everything was. The weather was starting to warm up and she was going to enjoy as much of everything as she possibly could.

She jogged to the track and had herself a great workout.

The next day she was lazing on the couch at Alex’s mansion. He had the most comfortable sofa she had ever had the privilege of parking her butt on. It sank down with you as you sat down and molded to every subtle nuance of your body offering just the right amount of support. Once you were in there, you never wanted to get out of it. It was really that amazing.

Alex lay beside her with his shoulder underneath her head. She loved to lie against him and just relax. His body was so warm and inviting that she could just use him as a human pillow for hours and she often did after sex, but even without the sex it was amazing.

They agreed to watch several goofy movies that neither had ever seen before. Jess had to admit to herself that it felt weird to not be stressed about something and even weirder to be wasting a Saturday on meaningless drivel and not getting up off the couch. She had not done this since college, but she was glad she was enjoying it. She was learning that as an overachiever she needed to stop and smell the coffee once in a while. The experience of the past several weeks had taught her that it was the little things in life that you had to take time out to enjoy or else you would miss them completely. She loved her job and she loved the fact that she was moving up in the company. Her superiors had almost assured her of this based on her work and it was refreshing knowing that she was working towards something specific with every case that she won.

Alex got off the couch and grabbed another couple of beers for the two of them. Jess grabbed the bottle and took a huge gulp. It felt good to just let loose and let the beer do its thing as she poured it down her gullet. She realized she was not being very lady like, but she figured she was allowed to let go of that stuffy stereotype every now and then. Alex seemed to find it charming.

“So, how does it feel to be officially stalker free?” Alex asked.

“Pretty good,” Jess replied.

“Just pretty good? I figured it would feel amazing,” Alex said.

“Well, it does, but I like to be modest about things,“ Jess joked.

“Well, modesty does suit you just fine. You should try it more often.”

Jess slapped his arm playfully. “Jerk.”

Alex laughed good-naturedly.

“So, you don’t have any more psycho women you have pissed off recently do you? Any other stalkers in the midst I should know about?”

Alex shook his head.

“I don’t believe so.”

“Well, you had better hope not. I’m not going through that again. If another psycho woman wants you that badly then she can just have you.”

“Oh, I see how it is.”

“I can’t imagine you didn’t think of her when you were going through the lists of potential people that could have been stalking me,” Jess said.

“I thought she was in an institution or something. That was the last I heard of her.”

“Well, apparently she got out. You still might have mentioned it.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you,” Alex said.

“How?”

“I’ll pay for the pizza next time,” Alex replied.

“What do you mean next time? Did you use my credit card for this?” Jess asked.

“Sort of.”

Jess burst out laughing. “I’m going to kill you!”

“Now, who is the pscyho?”

Jess wrapped her fingers around Alex’s neck and pretended to strangle him before pulling him close for a kiss.

Jess often found herself thinking about the past several weeks and how everything had played out. Her feelings and loyalties had been tested by three different men but she had chosen Alex over the others. And she was proud of that choice. It was true that your heart would never steer you wrong and so far she was living proof of that.

The next night Alex asked Jess to go out to a nice dinner aboard his yacht. She had never been on a yacht before and she was flabbergasted at how romantic and amazing it had been. Alex had a great meal catered onboard before they drifted off into the bay. Jess had never really acquired an affinity for boats or the water, but she was starting to feel pretty special drifting slowly along on Alex’s yacht. The food was amazing and Alex couldn’t have handpicked a more perfect night. The evening was warm, ushering the first remnants of spring and the sky was clear with a huge full moon shining down on them.

After the main course followed by the most amazing Tiramisu she had ever eaten Alex surprised her yet again. The man was always keeping her on her toes and tonight he didn’t disappoint as he asked her to close her eyes. When she opened them Alex was on one knee with the biggest diamond ring she had ever seen held out in front of her. He asked her to marry him and Jess immediately said yes.

She said yes before she even knew that the answer would be yes.

As Alex scooped her up in his arms and held her closely she found herself wishing that she had not waited so long to embrace this man in her life.

But she knew that time had a plan for everything.

And it was time for the next step.