Nick? You’re not supposed to talk to me. Restraining order, remember?” Although that didn’t stop him the last time, did it?
“I just wanted to make sure you got my note.”
Her hands shook and she gripped the phone tighter. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
She was about to hang up when he said, “Don’t you want to know how I know about your little affair? Truly you should be more discreet. A coworker of mine saw you 63
Ashlynn Pearce
at the Rockfish Bar and Sea Grill. How could you? Do you have any idea how badly this hurts me?”
“Nick, get out of my life. I don’t care what you think. We’re divorced, remember?”
Bile rose in her throat and she really wondered what she ever saw in the man.
“Just a little misunderstanding. You will see my way of things soon.”
Becca couldn’t listen anymore and she slammed the phone down and looked at Matty who had his arms crossed over his chest, his lips slashed in an angry line.
“He is vile.”
“Yeah.” She couldn’t agree more. Grabbing the vase of flowers, she stalked to the back room where there was a large wastebasket and dropped them in. The vase shattered, but what she really wanted to do was run each rose through the shredder.
Shaking, she walked back to her cubicle and slid into her chair. A steaming cup of coffee sat on her desk.
“Drink it. Then call the cops,” Matty said from behind the wall.
“Thanks.” The aroma tickled her nose and when she took a sip it had a bitter bite.
She stared at her PC screen, took a deep breath and called the cops. She was to report any contact he made with her, and even if they wouldn’t necessarily do anything about it, at least they would have a report of it.
And because of Nick’s stunt, she decided to go to Tulsa this weekend. To hell with waiting. She wanted to see Jake. As Summer had said, she wanted to recognize what it was supposed to feel like with a guy. She’d had one taste…and it wasn’t enough.
Over the next several days, her plan was only reinforced. Notes stuck in her door, on her car, phone calls with eerie messages—all from Nick. It seemed he was following her. Knowing every move she made, everything she did. Summer had even given her a metal baseball bat to keep in her apartment, because Becca wouldn’t take the gun she offered. It kept her on edge and the only time she felt relaxed was when she talked to Jake, which had only been twice this week. She didn’t tell him about Nick or what he was doing. She just wanted to forget about it. Jake was good at that, making her forget everything but the sound of his voice.
So when she stepped off the plane in Tulsa, Oklahoma she was a bundle of nerves.
He was supposed to meet her at baggage claim. Seeing her bag coming up the conveyer belt, she reached to grab it when someone reached over and snagged it. She looked up into the smiling face of Tony.
“So glad to see you, Becca.” She returned his smile and searched behind him for Jake. “He’s not here,” Tony said. “And he wanted me to tell you he was sorry.
Something came up and he couldn’t make it here on time. So I’m in charge of taking you to him.”
Disappointment and doubt settled in her chest.
“Hey, it’s cool.” Tony’s reassurance didn’t do anything for her.
“It’s fine,” she replied not meaning it.
64
Rough Edges
He laughed and shook his head. “Come on. I’ll tell you about it on the way to his place.”
She followed him and when they stepped outside heat hit her in the face. She inhaled only to realize the air was so thick it stuck in her throat. She was only too happy to get into his bright blue, four-door truck. “Nice,” she said and glanced at the gray cloth interior.
“Thanks,” he said as he put it in drive. “But I’m sure you don’t want to talk about my truck. Jake,” he spun the wheel to make a left turn and glanced at her, “didn’t want me to tell you, but I don’t care what he wants. You need to know. He had
“I just wanted to make sure you got my note.”
Her hands shook and she gripped the phone tighter. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
She was about to hang up when he said, “Don’t you want to know how I know about your little affair? Truly you should be more discreet. A coworker of mine saw you 63
Ashlynn Pearce
at the Rockfish Bar and Sea Grill. How could you? Do you have any idea how badly this hurts me?”
“Nick, get out of my life. I don’t care what you think. We’re divorced, remember?”
Bile rose in her throat and she really wondered what she ever saw in the man.
“Just a little misunderstanding. You will see my way of things soon.”
Becca couldn’t listen anymore and she slammed the phone down and looked at Matty who had his arms crossed over his chest, his lips slashed in an angry line.
“He is vile.”
“Yeah.” She couldn’t agree more. Grabbing the vase of flowers, she stalked to the back room where there was a large wastebasket and dropped them in. The vase shattered, but what she really wanted to do was run each rose through the shredder.
Shaking, she walked back to her cubicle and slid into her chair. A steaming cup of coffee sat on her desk.
“Drink it. Then call the cops,” Matty said from behind the wall.
“Thanks.” The aroma tickled her nose and when she took a sip it had a bitter bite.
She stared at her PC screen, took a deep breath and called the cops. She was to report any contact he made with her, and even if they wouldn’t necessarily do anything about it, at least they would have a report of it.
And because of Nick’s stunt, she decided to go to Tulsa this weekend. To hell with waiting. She wanted to see Jake. As Summer had said, she wanted to recognize what it was supposed to feel like with a guy. She’d had one taste…and it wasn’t enough.
Over the next several days, her plan was only reinforced. Notes stuck in her door, on her car, phone calls with eerie messages—all from Nick. It seemed he was following her. Knowing every move she made, everything she did. Summer had even given her a metal baseball bat to keep in her apartment, because Becca wouldn’t take the gun she offered. It kept her on edge and the only time she felt relaxed was when she talked to Jake, which had only been twice this week. She didn’t tell him about Nick or what he was doing. She just wanted to forget about it. Jake was good at that, making her forget everything but the sound of his voice.
So when she stepped off the plane in Tulsa, Oklahoma she was a bundle of nerves.
He was supposed to meet her at baggage claim. Seeing her bag coming up the conveyer belt, she reached to grab it when someone reached over and snagged it. She looked up into the smiling face of Tony.
“So glad to see you, Becca.” She returned his smile and searched behind him for Jake. “He’s not here,” Tony said. “And he wanted me to tell you he was sorry.
Something came up and he couldn’t make it here on time. So I’m in charge of taking you to him.”
Disappointment and doubt settled in her chest.
“Hey, it’s cool.” Tony’s reassurance didn’t do anything for her.
“It’s fine,” she replied not meaning it.
64
Rough Edges
He laughed and shook his head. “Come on. I’ll tell you about it on the way to his place.”
She followed him and when they stepped outside heat hit her in the face. She inhaled only to realize the air was so thick it stuck in her throat. She was only too happy to get into his bright blue, four-door truck. “Nice,” she said and glanced at the gray cloth interior.
“Thanks,” he said as he put it in drive. “But I’m sure you don’t want to talk about my truck. Jake,” he spun the wheel to make a left turn and glanced at her, “didn’t want me to tell you, but I don’t care what he wants. You need to know. He had
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