Chapter Twenty

Scarlett

I was beginning to feel like I was a prisoner in my own house. I had nowhere to go and didn’t want to go outside and risk running into Cameron. I’d seen him in his backyard yesterday when I’d gotten home. I hadn’t wanted to interrupt him. They had all looked to be having a good time, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and relaxing. I’d felt like an outsider.

I was sitting on the couch, watching some horrible reality show and generally basking in my own misery, when my phone rang.

“Hello,” I said on an unenthusiastic sigh.

“Scarlett, it’s Cesar from the studio.”

I reached for the remote and shut off the TV. “Yes?” I said, trying not to sound too anxious.

“I’m sorry for the delay, again. I know we’re not giving you a very good impression of our business, but I assure you this isn’t the norm. We are taking on new artists, and things are picking up around here.”

“It’s okay. Really, I understand,” I told him.

He was my potential employer. I wasn’t going to critique his office management skills. I was pretty sure that would seal my fate and I would continue to be jobless.

“Thank you for your understanding. We’d like to offer you the position if you’re still interested.”

His words took me by surprise. I’d been expecting the same old line about not having enough experience. I had heard it enough times to know the drill. My degree meant nothing. The fact that I was twenty-six and the only job experience I had was my parents’ winery didn’t exactly look great either. Everyone thought I was a spoiled brat who was too lazy to go out and get a real job.

I pushed aside all the negative thoughts and embraced the moment. I squeezed my eyes and pumped my fist in the air in excitement.

“Miss Morgan? Are you there?” Cesar asked.

“Yes!” I cleared my throat. “Sorry. I mean, yes, I am definitely interested.”

“Great. We’ll need you to go for a drug test and fill out some paperwork for a background check. It’s just standard procedure,” he assured me.

“No problem. I can do that today.”

He laughed. “We’ll set you up for tomorrow. Can you come by and pick up the paperwork you need?”

“Absolutely,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.

“Once the background check clears and assuming the drug test is negative, we’d like you to start next Monday. Does that work for you?”

“Absolutely!” I said again, feeling like an idiot with limited vocabulary.

The man had taken me by surprise and quite literally left me speechless. My first job was a big deal. He gave me the information for the drug-testing facility, and we hung up. I leapt off the couch and jumped up and down, squealing a few times before I took a deep breath and dialed my mom’s number.

“I got a job!” I yelled into the phone when my mother picked up.

Her screaming on the other end made me laugh. I knew where I got my enthusiastic personality from. With my mom on the other end of the phone, I walked to the mailbox. I wasn’t expecting any personal mail, but I needed to get outside and move. I was too excited to stay cooped up in the house. I felt like shouting from the rooftops.

“Honey, your dad wants to talk to you,” my mom said.

My dad got on the phone and was just as thrilled as my mother had been.

“We’ll send you some of our old stock to celebrate with,” he said with a great deal of pride.

“That sounds good, Dad. I’ll look for it.”

The wine my dad held back was some of the best. I was looking forward to celebrating with the winery’s good stuff. I would invite Cameron over for dinner. Or maybe I would have to go to his house for dinner. Either way, I was excited to share some of the family’s wine with him.

“The security guy is going to be out there next week. How’s everything going?”

“It’s fine, Dad. Everything’s been quiet since I’ve been back,” I assured him.

With the phone cradled between my ear and shoulder, I opened the mail and pulled out the stack of pizza coupons and other local ads. It sucked not being able to get mail at my address. It seemed pointless not to. Isaac already knew where I lived.

“Dad, I’m going to cancel that PO box,” I blurted out.

“What? Why?”

“He already knows where I live, and it’ll just be more convenient to be able to get my mail here,” I reasoned.

I heard him sigh and knew I had convinced him. “All right. We’ll keep the utilities in our name.”

“Thank you, Dad. Really. I appreciate all you’re doing for me,” I told him, hoping he understood how important it was to me.

We said our good-byes, and I hung up the phone. I started walking back to the house, feeling a little bouncy while I still rode the high of my good news. I noticed a police car slowly coming down the road and paused to look. It was Cameron behind the wheel. He rolled down the window and stopped beside me.

“Hi,” he said in a friendly manner that was unlike him.

Cameron was either hot or cold. The guy saying hi like I was a simple acquaintance was the cold Cam. Hot Cam would have been devouring me with his eyes talking in a husky voice. We hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but I had come to know him well enough.

“Hi,” I said coolly and kept walking.

He kept pace alongside me in the car before he pulled into his driveway and got out. He walked to meet me on the sidewalk. I had hoped to escape to the house without having to go through the awkward conversation he seemed desperate to have.

“How’s it going?” he asked in an easy voice, but it wasn’t the same familiar way I had come to appreciate.

“Good,” I replied, feigning interest in the mail I was carrying. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day?”

“I’m on lunch. I needed to come home and throw another load in the washer,” he said, clearly uncomfortable.

I could tell he was lying. “Are you checking up on me?” I asked with a smile, pretending not to know he was bullshitting me.

He smiled. “Maybe. Is that okay?”

“Yes. Thank you. I really appreciate it. I’m sure the entire neighborhood appreciates you keeping a close eye on things around here.”

“Have you heard anything more from him?” he asked, warming up a little more.

“Nope. Not a peep,” I said, not hiding my relief. “I’m sure he was running on liquid courage that night. He isn’t usually so aggressive. I mean, to me, yes, but not to other guys.”

“Good,” he said, nodding his head. “No phone calls or anything?”

“Nothing. He’s probably back home. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I’m keeping my doors locked and the music down,” I assured him, not interested in another lecture.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I saw you come home yesterday. You weren’t aware of your surroundings. Just now as well.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked irritably.

“You were looking down at the mail. Before that, you were on your phone. I watched you for several minutes, and you didn’t even know I was there,” he said in a tone that made me want to hit him.

I rolled my eyes. “Big deal. I was on the phone with my dad. I told you, Isaac is back home. If he wanted to talk to me, he would have made it clear he was here. Maybe you didn’t notice, but he isn’t exactly subtle,” I said with sarcasm.

“I understand that, but you know the man is a threat. I want you to be safe, Scarlett. Just being a little more aware is all it takes. It gives you time to run or fight back. I don’t want him to catch you off guard.”

“Fine. Whatever. If that’s all, I have phone calls to make.”

We stood there staring at each other in awkward silence.

His shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude. I don’t mean to be. I’m worried about you.”

With just those simple words, he managed to defuse my anger. “It’s okay. I know you’re trying to keep me safe. Thank you.”

He smiled. “It’s a cop thing. Actually, no, it’s a Marine thing.”

“Do you want to grab some lunch together? I haven’t eaten yet,” I blurted out, hoping we could forget all about the awkwardness from earlier and pick up our old relationship.

It had been brief, but I’d really liked hanging out with him. I wanted things to go back to the way they had been before Isaac had butted his big ugly head in.

I saw Cameron actually cringe and immediately jerked away as if I had been slapped. His reaction to my invitation physically hurt.

He looked down at his shiny black shoes. “I’m sorry. I have to get back on patrol. I just came by to throw that laundry in and grab a quick sandwich. Maybe another time.”

“Sure. Okay. No problem. Don’t let me hold you back. I’ll see you around,” I said, turning and heading toward my house.

I wanted to put as much distance between us as possible. I felt like a leper. He didn’t want anything to do with me. Isaac had won again. Cameron was pulling away from me like I had some horrifying, contagious disease. I would never be able to have a normal relationship. It was a somber thought that deflated my earlier happiness.

“Scarlett, I’m sorry. I’m just real short on time,” he said. “Please don’t be mad.”

I waved a hand. “It’s fine. You’re busy. Take care,” I said and kept walking.

I didn’t bother looking back. I walked into the house and slammed the door behind me. I didn’t need Cameron. I’d moved here with no friends. I had accepted it then, and I could deal with it now. I was going to be starting a new job and would make friends there—friends who were closer to my own age and shared my own interests. Cameron could go back to his perfect little life.

I tossed the mail on the table and flopped back on the couch and called Hannah.

When she answered, I dove right into my news for the day.

“Well, Isaac wins again,” I blurted out.

“What did he do?”

“Cameron wants nothing to do with me,” I wailed.

“What? He isn’t actually afraid of Isaac, is he?” she asked with astonishment in her voice.

I let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. I don’t think he is afraid of him. He’s afraid for his daughter, and I don’t blame him for that. Isaac is a loose cannon.”

“Isaac is such a punk,” she growled. “I really, really hate that guy.”

“He is, but that isn’t the only reason I called.”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“I got a job.”

“What!”

“Yep. At the music studio I told you about. I start next week.”

“That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you. Good job, Scarlett. I knew you would kick ass.”

“Thank you. I’ll let you get back to work.”

“I’ll call you tonight when I get off. We need to make plans to celebrate.”

I hung up and felt a little better. I was starting my new life, and it looked like I would be doing it alone. That was fine. I could do that. I was a lion. Hear me roar.