A Year Later
Kelli
Despite her father’s assurance way back that the text messages she’d continued to receive after her weekend with Isaiah were all bluffs, Kelli refused to chance it. They’d never taken credit for Isaiah’s accident, but it just felt too coincidental, since she hadn’t received a text from them in days. Then the morning of his accident she got another photo text. While the photo didn’t include any texting, it was the same one they’d used that first time when they’d said it’d be a shame if something were to happen to his handsome face.
Kelli had gone cold when she heard the news reports about the fallen firefighters. Without even knowing the names of the victims, her gut had told her it was him. When it was finally confirmed that he’d been one of the ones injured, it had been beyond devastating. Then it was reported that there was a possibility of head or spinal injuries. Kelli had been inconsolable, and of course, he hadn’t returned any of her calls or texts.
By the time Nathan had shown up at her salon the following week, she at least knew the injuries were nowhere near as serious as they first thought. Only she still couldn’t shake the feelings of guilt that she’d dragged him into her mess. She had to know if she’d been to blame for his accident.
While she hadn’t been able to confirm at the ESPY’s that she wasn’t to blame for his accident, her going there had confirmed something else. Kelli felt for Isaiah what she’d been waiting to feel her whole life. The devastation of knowing there was nothing she could do about it was by far the biggest blow her heart had ever taken. Kelli couldn’t decide which felt worse, knowing there was zero chance of her and Isaiah reconnecting or feeling what she’d felt when she heard about his accident. But both these things were the deciding factors to why she was here now.
She needed to get away from La Jolla, far away from Isaiah, because she didn’t trust herself not to contact him. Though she was done trying to do so via Nathan, she knew her heart would continue to beg her to reach out to Isaiah in some way. As much as she wanted to give into her heart, she’d never forgive herself if doing so put him in danger. So her father had been beyond happy when she agreed to his urging to go away for a while.
At first, she’d stayed at different hotels, but after a few months of moving around, not having a permanent place, it got old. Her dad finally figured out how to get Kelli her own place without anyone being able to track her down. Going from the buzz of a busy city to the tranquility of a sleepy little town where everybody knew everyone, was going to take some getting used to, especially since Kelli was supposed to be lying low.
The little house her father had paid for in cash under her great aunt’s name just outside of town was adorable. Her closest neighbor was about two miles away, so privacy wasn’t an issue. Her father had asked her to just sit tight and only go into town when she needed to, such as buying groceries and the like, but Kelli refused to live like a hermit or a prisoner. This little town was so far out in the middle of nowhere she was certain she was safe.
After months of agonizing boredom, she hadn’t been able to help herself when she’d walked into the local dairy farm store one day and saw the “help wanted” sign on the window. She was willing to do just about anything to get herself out of that lonely little house and into town a few more times out of the week than the one time she rode in now for groceries. But she drew the line at milking cows, so she made sure to ask.
The older lady behind the counter, Mrs. Vanoy, had scrutinized Kelli over good and well before informing her they needed an extra hand to help around the storefront about twice a week. She also informed her it would only be temporary until her pregnant daughter-in-law was able to get back to work once she had her baby in a month or so. The job would only be for two maybe three months tops.
“That sounds perfect,” Kelli had said, taking the application and letting her know she’d be back with it once it was filled out.
That very afternoon Kelli returned to the store, fearing someone else might beat her to the job, and Mrs. Vanoy once again studied her up and down. Kelli was aware she likely didn’t look like someone who’d live in a small town, much less someone who’d want to work at a dinky little store. She made a mental note to tone down the hair and makeup next time she came into town. Her dad had warned her enough, every time she spoke with him, about making sure she blended in and not called attention to herself.
Luckily, she got the call a couple of days later, and she was now an official employee of Vanoy & Sons Dairy Farm. She ventured into town three times a week now, helped stock shelves, occasionally manned the register, and kept the place tidy. It wasn’t a glamorous life, but it sure as heck beat sitting on the porch of her little place, getting excited every time a car passed by. She even wore her hair in a braid whenever she went into town now and kept the makeup to nothing more than lip gloss and a little eyeliner so that she’d better fit in with the more demure townsfolk.
Everything was going just fine, and Kelli was settling in better than she ever imagined she would, until she got home one evening, turned on her prepaid phone, and got the call from her father.
“You got a job?” Her father’s voice boomed in her ear as soon as she answered.
She squeezed her eyes shut, wondering how he’d found out. “Dad, I used the fake ID and social security number you got me. No one will track me down here.”
“Do you know the lengths I’ve gone to, to make sure nobody finds you? Do you—?”
The loud and demanding knock on the door nearly made her drop her phone. Not once in the over six months she’d been living there had anyone besides the UPS guy knocked on her door. “There’s someone banging at my door,” she whispered frantically as she rushed to her bedroom to retrieve the gun she’d vowed never to use.
Whoever was at her door banged again with even more urgency, and she really did drop the phone this time. She doubted her father had heard anything she’d said because he was too busy still ranting about her job. Even as her phone fell on the bed speaker up, she could still hear him going on and on.
She reached for the box under her bed and pulled it out, even as she heard the front door forced open. “Oh my God!” she gasped as she opened the box and pulled the gun out, nearly dropping it with her shaky hands.
The door of her bedroom flung open and she pointed her gun.