Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
She looked at me a moment. “Well, I was hoping we could have some alone time, but if you think that would interrupt your plans…” There was a hint of spite in her voice.
I nodded, but didn’t take the bait. I couldn’t give her what she needed today. I wanted to be alone to decompress. Every muscle in my body was tight, wrought with stress. “We can catch up tomorrow,” I suggested.
She looked away, and I knew I’d messed things up. Not sure I’d be able to come back from what I’d pulled this weekend. But until I could get past all this, I couldn’t be the person Leah needed me to be anyway. All I could think about now was Blair.
Chapter 22
* * *
TATE
Two weeks after the wedding, I still hadn’t heard from Blair, and my relationship with Leah was practically nonexistent. I’d made up one excuse after another to avoid seeing her.
Blair had said she needed time before talking to me. But I’d hoped she’d reach out while Taylor was away so we could safely meet in person. My life felt like it was on hold until I could see her again. One day, since she still hadn’t reached out, I decided to do a little investigating.
Investigating is the gentler term for stalking.
Now that I knew her last name, it was easy to find out where she lived. She’d told me she lived about an hour from Boston, and the address I found online corroborated that.
To justify driving to Blair’s neighborhood, I did actually wait until I needed to visit a worksite out that way, north of the city, to give an estimate. I hoped this trip could be my way of finding out what her life was like without having to push her for answers. The more I could quietly discover on my own, the better. It would keep me occupied while I waited for her call and also help prepare me mentally.
After my visit to the jobsite, I’d driven by what I assumed was her house three times this afternoon, and so far, I’d seen nothing of interest. There wasn’t even a car parked in the driveway, and it didn’t seem like anyone was home. Just my luck. Perhaps it was the time of day—the middle of the afternoon. She was probably at work.
Taylor was due back in a few days, so I didn’t have all that much time. I had no idea how often he ventured out this way to see her, but if he was in town at all, it would be too risky for me to show up here.
Since there was nothing to see as of now, I decided to grab a quick bite and drive by one more time before I made the half-hour trip home. I’d been renting a house near where Taylor lived until I could find a place to buy.
The next time I returned to Blair’s house, there was a car parked in the driveway. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Was it her car or her significant other’s? I had no idea if she lived here alone.
I parked around the corner, but at an angle where I could still see her house—as stalkers do. It was about four PM, and I told myself I’d stay until five. After opening the sandwich I’d bought at a drive-thru, I played some music to pass the time.
Just as I’d begun to worry I might doze off, I jumped at the sight of someone exiting her house. I squinted. It was her. Blair’s long blonde hair shifted in the wind, and she held the hand of a little boy. What the… I leaned in as she placed him in the backseat of the car and walked around to the driver’s side.
As she drove off, I scrambled to turn on the ignition and follow her. I slapped on sunglasses, hoping for a bit of disguise in case I caught up to her and she happened to look in the rearview mirror. She didn’t know what kind of truck I drove, though, I reminded myself.
When I spotted her car in front of me on the main road, I took a deep breath in and calmly followed. Maybe she was a nanny dropping this boy off somewhere. I needed to not draw any conclusions. Yet my heart pounded as various possibilities ran through my mind, the most far-fetched of which was unthinkable.
Blair slowed and pulled into a playground, and I continued past and parked in a spot far from the entrance. It had been a beautiful sunny day today, but the late afternoon light had mellowed. From a distance, I watched her help the kid out of the car before she walked with him over to the jungle gym in the middle of the play area.
Well, sitting in a playground parking lot hadn’t been on my itinerary today. I needed binoculars so I could get a close-up look. That would’ve officially sealed the stalker deal, I supposed. The longer I sat here, the more wrong I felt about spying. But now that the kid had further sparked my curiosity, there was no way I could leave.