Finding Abigail (25 page)

Noah was
spinning one of my beer caps on top of the table. “It’s up to Anna, since she’s
the guest.” He glanced at me. “What do you think, do you want to stay?”

I’m not sure if
it was because I had gone so long without socializing or it was the
environment, but I felt really relaxed. Not just with the group I was with, but
with the whole town. I hadn’t felt that way in so long, it was a feeling I
could get used to.

And I loved
fireworks. The last time I watched them was at the park in my mother’s
neighborhood. Haley was wrapped around me like a backpack, terrified of the
noise. “Sure.” I lifted my soda can to my mouth and paused. “So Sam, what do
you do?” He was sitting across from me, and I was enjoying everyone’s company.
Although it could have been the beer making me feel all loose and friendly.

“I’m a cop.”

I choked on my
soda. “A cop, here? Isn’t Shimmer Lake too small for a police station?”

“I work in
Martin, about half an hour south of here.”

I was suddenly
very nervous. I bent my head, trying to hide my face just in case Nick had my
picture spread at every police department in the country. Of course since Sam
had spent the day with me, it was too late. But it didn’t matter; the relaxing,
comfortableness I was feeling had disappeared. “Noah, I just remembered, I have
a phone call to make.” I turned to him, lifting my leg up over the bench.
“Would you mind driving me home?”

“Are you sure?
The fireworks are usually pretty good,” he asked, exchanging confused looks
with Kathy and Sam.

I stood up, a
knot of nerves forming in the pit of my stomach. My hands threaten to shake; I
wished I had pockets to hide them in. “I’m sure, but you can come back after
you drop me off or I could call a cab. I don’t want to put you out.” I was
extremely anxious to get away.

They all smiled
at me. “No cabs around here, but I’ll take you home. It’s no problem.” Noah
stood up and started weaving around the people lounging on blankets, heading to
his car.

I followed.
“Thank you both, I had a great time,” I called over my shoulder.

“Come by the
diner some time,” Kathy yelled.

“I will.”

“Are you going
to tell me who you’re running from?” Noah asked. His voice was gentle, not
wanting to scare me like he had when we first met. We were parked in his
driveway. This time the ride was not as quiet. I kept him talking, asking about
the people from the picnic. I kept the conversation where I wanted because I
knew he would ask me why I wanted to leave.

Fear shot
through me. “I’m not running from anyone.” I opened my door and got out, making
my way to the cottage to let myself in.

Noah followed
me in and closed the door. He folded his arms in front of him as he leaned
against the arm chair. “Then why did you look terrified after you found out Sam
was a cop? You couldn’t get away fast enough.”

I stepped up to
the window, staring out at the lake, not wanting to make eye contact with him.
The buzz of fear lingered in my chest. The wind was picking up, creating waves
in the lake. They crashed against the dock, spraying water onto the top.

“I don’t know
what you’re talking about. I just remembered I had to get home. My mom is
supposed to call at eight, and I didn’t want to miss it.” I finally turned
around to face him.

He sat down on
the sofa, picked up the remote for the TV, and turned it on. A loud surge of
clapping rang out of the speakers as
Wheel of Fortune
appeared on the
screen.

“What are you
doing?” I asked, wishing that he would leave.

“Well, it’s
seven forty-five now,” he explained, glancing down at his watch. “So I figured
I’d wait for you to get your phone call, and then I could take you back for the
fireworks. They don’t start until about nine anyway.” He smiled at me again,
his eyes soft, his face relaxed. He wanted to know what was going on but I
could also tell he was taking extra care not to scare me. It almost worked. I
knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but his constant questions were making me anxious.

“I’m kind of
tired. I thought I’d go to bed after I got off the phone. My mom and I talk a
long time anyway. I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

He put his feet
up on the coffee table, his arms behind his head. The bottom of his sandals
were dirty. “I don’t mind, really. I have a sister, I know how women can talk.”

Ugh, how was I
supposed to get rid of him? And now I’d have to clean the coffee table. “I am
tired though, I’d really just like to relax and go to bed early.”

He shook his
head and chuckled. “You really aren’t going to tell me the truth, are you?”

“I am,” I
replied, falling into the chair next to the couch.

He stood up. “Fine,
but I want you to know you can trust me. I told you I would never hurt you and
I won’t let anyone else either. My grandmother asked me to protect you. And I
take that seriously. How can I do that when you won’t tell me the truth?” His
voice was filled with emotion. He truly just wanted to help me. But I couldn’t
let him in. Giving up, he nodded to me as he let himself out of the door. A few
seconds later I heard his car start and drive away.
Thank God
.

What was Sylvia
thinking? Didn’t she know how nosy her grandson is? I really didn’t know what I
was going to do about him. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I’d lie, but I
couldn’t think of one to make up. The truth was, I did run from Sam, and now
I’d have to avoid him, which was going to be hard because I really liked his
wife, and I hoped we could be friends. After spending time with people I liked
and enjoyed being around, I couldn’t go back to being a recluse as planned. I
craved human contact too much.

I sat in the
window seat watching the fireworks. I was tempted to go out on the patio and
watch them, but I was afraid of running into Noah. I was not in the mood to be
interrogated again tonight. He was right, though, the fireworks show was
beautiful; they went all out for such a small town. Despite the beauty, I
couldn’t help flash to a fireworks show so long ago at Disney World with my
parents. It was their first trip as a couple and they had taken us. The park
ended every night with an amazing fireworks show. My mood threatened to plummet
at the thought of my mother. I missed her so much, my chest ached and tears
flooded my eyes.

Since it was
late when it ended, I decided to go to bed before Noah got home.

Arrangement

The smell of
bacon broke through the grogginess of my mind. The urge to ignore the tempting
aroma was strong. I was tired and needed to hold on the inky blackness of sleep
that helped me forget…something. Something that caused me pain. Maybe the
bruise on my left thigh Nick gave me because I didn’t wash his uniform
correctly. No, that wasn’t it. It was something that made my heart hurt, when I
thought of…something. I needed to stop these thoughts and go back to sleep
where there was no pain. But the smell was so strong, it pulled me further from
the peaceful darkness.

Who would make
me bacon? Nick never cooked unless he felt guilty, and that wasn’t very often.
Maybe he felt bad about the sprained wrist he gave me. Yeah, and bacon would
make me forgive him—in his mind maybe. Too bad, I wasn’t going to give him the
satisfaction. I rolled around on the soft mattress, getting comfortable, not
the least bit interested in easing his conscience, if in fact he had one.

My eyes snapped
open as I sat up suddenly.

I was wide
awake now and realized the smell of bacon was not a dream. Reality was coming
back to me in a wave of overwhelming ache. The something that I wanted to
forget was that I was here in Shimmer Lake, and not with my family. Knowing I
couldn’t see them was what was causing my heart to hurt. Except I wasn’t alone
like I was supposed to be; someone was in the cottage cooking. Nick had found
me, but why would he be cooking?

I slowly
climbed out of bed, pulled on my robe, and grabbed the baseball bat out of my
closet. The wood was smooth in my hand. It was the closest thing to a weapon I
could find. I still didn’t have the courage to get the gun I told myself to
buy.

With the bat
raised above my head, I tiptoed out of the room. My heart was racing with
panic. The floorboards creaked under my feet, making my racing heart jump into
my throat. I froze, listening for danger. But the only sounds I could hear were
the odd clink of silverware and the low hum of the radio.

As I moved
closer, new smells added to the bacon—melted butter and coffee. Someone was
definitely here, the question was…who? When I peeked out of the doorway, I saw
Noah standing in front of the stove, flipping bacon. There was music playing
softly, and he hummed along to the tune. I hid the bat behind the door, then
pulling my robe tighter, I sauntered out into the kitchen. “What are you
doing?”

He turned his
head, flashing a grin before adding eggs to an empty pan. “I’m making
breakfast. How do you like your eggs?” he asked, ignoring my words.

Feeling
dumbstruck by the fact that he just let himself in, making himself at home, I
gaped at him, and the fear I felt turned to shock. “Noah, you can’t just barge
in here. How did you get in?”

He pulled a few
pieces of paper towel from the roll and placed them on a plate, then glanced at
me, his face showing a hint of amusement. “With my key. I had something to ask
you, so I thought I’d make you breakfast. I remember that you like to sleep in
so I didn’t want to knock. Tell me how you like your eggs or I’ll scramble them
whether you like it or not.”

A sigh of
exasperation snuck out of me. I felt like I was dealing with a child. The vow I
made to make friends did not include Noah coming into the cottage whenever he
wanted. But what could I do? He had a key, and if he was determined to use it,
he would. I had only known him for a month, and I was starting to realize that
he took his promise to his grandmother to protect me a little too far. “Over
easy.” I gave up for now, too tired to fight with him. I was happy to say I no
longer felt fear around him, just nervousness.

He smiled
again, this time showing a dimple on his right cheek. “Coming right up. You
want to make the toast?” He gestured with the spatula over his shoulder to the
toaster.

I sighed again,
reaching into the bread box. I put four slices in the toaster and pushed down
on the lever. “What are you doing here, really? Don’t you have a home?” The
frustration over his stubbornness was clear in my voice.

“Wow, you are
so welcoming. I’ve never had such a friendly neighbor before, you’re making me
blush.” He took a bite of bacon that was now lying on the paper towel, and
stared at me. “I’m here because I don’t have any bacon or eggs and I had a
craving.” He flipped a couple of eggs and took two plates down from the
cupboard. “Plus, I told my grandmother that I would look out for you, so I am.
And by doing what she wants, I get what I want, which is eggs. And I was
thinking, since you were beginning to branch out, we can keep each other
company. We both live alone, there’s no one else around here until next month.
What do you say? I hate eating by myself.”

My mind went
blank, confused by his words. “What, you want to eat together every day?”

“Well, not
every day, but whenever one of us feels like making a big meal and wants
company, why not?” He slid the eggs onto a plate and handed it to me. I took
it, and then buttered the toast that I pulled from the toaster. We moved over
to the table for our second meal together, or was it our third?

I waited for
the fear to come, and I was thankful that it didn’t. I was afraid that my trust
in this man would be short-lived. But despite my annoyance of him, I felt
comfortable. Over the last month Noah had managed to chip at the wall I had
built. I was still nervous, but that was okay, it was better than
heart-stopping fear. I almost felt normal again. “Well, I don’t cook, so it
won’t be me making any big meals.” I dipped my toast into my egg yolk. “Unless
you consider grilled cheese and canned soup a big meal?”

He laughed.
“No, I don’t. I love to cook, and I’m always making way too much for myself, so
whenever you want some good food, you’re welcome anytime.”

He was a good
cook. The few times he brought me food reminded me of my mom’s home-cooked
meals. I knew if I declined him he’d still bring me food, but all he was asking
for was company. For a good meal, I could do that. “You just want to cook for
me so I’ll tell you my secret.”

His eyes
widened. “Ha…you just admitted you had a secret.” He pointed his fork at me.

I smiled, the
urge to laugh bubbling inside me. “No, I meant that you think I have a secret,
and you’re only cooking for me so I’ll tell you. But you’re wasting your time.
There isn’t one.”

“We’ll see,” he
replied, taking a drink of his coffee. He looked up and winked at me. His words
were playful, not at all threatening as I had once thought over a month ago.

I hated that I
was enjoying his company. Talking to him was so much better than listening to
the hum of the refrigerator or the drone of the TV. I was lonely, and it had
nothing to do with his voice being so damn sexy, or the fact that his eyes were
so bright, I could stare at them for days. Shaking those unwanted thoughts
away, I leaned forward. “Well, cook all you want, you’re good at it. Maybe I’ll
make up a secret just to eat like this every day.”