Never Look Back (Coming Home Book 2) (11 page)

I have no choice but to end the call. I will not put myself through this tonight.

I go to the kitchen to grab a glass of water hoping to settle my nerves. Oh, how I wish I could talk to Todd. He would know the words to say to comfort me. But there’s no way I can call him now. I can’t bring myself to talk to him this late at night.

I place my glass in the kitchen sink and turn to walk back to the living room. Out of the corner of my eye, I am almost positive I see a ray of light coming from outside. Could I be seeing things? Surely I’m just being paranoid.

Oh my goodness. What if Brian is outside and he has found me? What if he was outside watching me while we argued on the phone? No, this can’t be happening.

I run to the front door and double check to make sure it’s locked. I also do a quick check of the windows and let all the blinds down. There’s no way he can find me here.

I sit on the edge of the couch gripping the phone in my hand. Should I call someone? Who?

I switch off the TV and the silence quickly fills the house. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared before in my life. I keep checking the time on my phone until fifteen minutes have passed. All kinds of thoughts run through my head, I just wish I knew what to do.

Suddenly, the light on my phone lights up and a phone number that has my old phone exchange comes across the screen. My heart rate quickly increases. The number looks familiar but I’m unable to place it. Then, it hits me. The number is one of the lines from the hotel. The call ends, but just as soon as my phone has had time to turn dark, it lights up again with the same number. I just can’t bring myself to answer it. How do I know it’s not Brian?

I need to talk to Rebecca to find out how Brian got ahold of her phone, and my gut tells me this could be her calling me. But, on the other hand, how do I know it’s not Brian calling me from the hotel?

This time, the caller leaves a voicemail. I hesitate before listening to the message, not sure if I really want to know who the caller is.

I give in and dial voicemail.

“Jen, it’s me Rebecca. I need to talk to you. When you get this message, please call me at the hotel. Do not call my cell phone. You see, Brian took my phone tonight and I’m afraid he may try to call you. Call me as soon as you get this message.”

I let out a big sigh of relief. Yes, I’m relieved to know Rebecca has remained loyal to me. And, I’m also somewhat relieved knowing that Brian is trying to pull a fast one over on me. There’s no way he could have Rebecca’s phone tonight and also be here. There’s just not enough time to allow him to drive all the way here.

Without wasting any more time, I immediately call Rebecca back on the hotel extension. She picks up on the first ring.

“Jen, oh my gosh, please tell me that douche hasn’t tried calling you!”

I take a deep breath, relieved to hear my friend’s voice. “I was so scared. I thought something had happened to you. Then, I thought I saw lights outside. I thought maybe he had found me.”

“Slow down sweetie. You’re going to be okay.” Rebecca assures me. “That ass hole freaked me out tonight but he’s not going to pull a fast one on me or you.”

“You think he freaked you out? What do you think I’m feeling right about now?”

“I can only imagine and I hate you’re having to go through this. That’s why I wanted to call you as soon as possible to tell you what happened. I need some advice though about what I should do.” Rebecca says.

“How did he get your phone?” I ask not sure if I really want to hear his latest attempt to get at me.

“It’s the strangest thing. I had a guest who kept calling the front desk requesting extra towels. I politely told them I would be there shortly. You know how it gets sometimes between checking in guests and the phone ringing.” Rebecca continues. “So, I looked up and there he was. At first he was calm. Then he said he needed to talk to me about you. He claimed you had come back home to work things out with him and he needed advice so he wouldn’t screw up again. At first I was believing him. But something told me he was up to no good.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I’m almost in tears, shocked to believe the lengths Brian would go to just to find me.

“I just had that feeling he was lying. I should know better anyways. There’s no way you would be back with him without my knowing it. Anyways, the stupid phone rang again and instead of taking the call, I ran out the door to take the towels down to the room. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he set up the whole thing just to distract me. I came back in and found him coming out from behind the desk. He dropped my phone trying to put it in his pocket and when he bent to pick it up, a guest was coming in the door at the same time so he bumped into them. The guy fell on the floor and I had no choice but to tend to him instead of chasing after Brian.”

“Why me, Rebecca? What did I do to deserve this?” I manage to say the words in between sobs. “I just don’t understand.”

“I hate this is so upsetting for you and there’s nothing I can do to make it any better.” Rebecca tries to comfort me.

“I know. Sometimes I just want to give up.”

“Don’t you dare give up! You are one hundred percent in control of this. You’ve come too far.”

Beep, beep.

I look down at my phone and sure enough, Brian is calling me again from Rebecca’s phone.

“He’s doing it again. He’s calling my phone.” I tell her.

“Just don’t look at it. He’ll stop eventually.”

“That’s easy for you to say. In the beginning, there were many nights he would call me all night long. If he wasn’t calling, then he was texting. I eventually had to turn the phone off just to get some rest. It got better. But it looks like I’m going to have to take action against him. Now that he’s been served divorce papers, I can have his phone turned off.”

“Do you think I need to have my phone turned off too?” Rebecca asks. “A few weeks ago, I got a strange feeling so I went through and deleted all of my texts to you. Ever since then, I clear them all out immediately after we finish. It’s like I knew something like this was going to happen.”

“You don’t know how relieved that makes me feel to know you covered our tracks. What about Todd’s number? Did you have it programmed in?”

“I have it saved under the name Uncle John. Everyone has an Uncle John. He’ll never figure that one out.”

“Knowing how crazy he is, I wouldn’t put it past him to call everyone in your contacts list.” I try to make humor of this but it’s so sad to know the lengths someone will go to just to bother you. “Then again, nothing would surprise me with him. I have experienced more than I care to go through again.”

Beep. Beep.

I look down at my phone knowing it’s him again. Sure enough, he’s calling from his phone this time. Well, he’s about to discover how good a cell phone is with no service. I’ve had all I can take of him. It’s time to put an end to this.

“You just say the word and I’ll have the number deactivated.” Rebecca says. “Do you think I need to also call the cops and make a report?”

“There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight. I’m going to go ahead and contact the phone service tonight. Customer service should be available twenty-four hours. I’m also contacting my lawyer first thing in the morning.” I let out a yawn even though I know it’s going to be another long sleepless night for me. My nerves have calmed some just from talking with Rebecca, but I just want to put all of this behind me for good.

“You got it. I’m going to do the same then. Promise me you’ll try to get some sleep. Please?”

“You don’t know how much a full eight hours of sleep would mean to me. Thank goodness I’m able to take naps during the day. It’s the only way I make it.” I tell her. “I really wanted to see about finding part time work, but I’ve waited too late. No one is going to hire someone who’s about to have a baby in a couple of weeks. I wish I could see you so bad. You’ve missed out on my entire pregnancy because of that jerk.”

“You’ve had enough stress these last few months. Give yourself a break and enjoy your time before the baby gets here. Work can wait.” Rebecca can’t help but slightly giggle. “Besides, when that sweet baby girl gets here, all you’re going to want to do is hold her all day long.”

When I first took the plunge to leave Brian and come here, the only goal I had was to get away as quickly as possible. I needed a safe place to keep me and my baby out of harm’s way. I didn’t look long term, and even now I still don’t know where I’ll be months from now, but the feel of this place is comforting. I’m sure the friendship I’ve formed with Todd has a slight influence for feeling this way, but it seems like a genuinely nice place to live and raise a family.

If my parents lived in one place instead of on the road traveling all the time, I know I would, without a doubt, be living with them again and my dad would have already sent Brian on his way a long time ago. But my parents don’t need to be hindered because of my mistakes. They’ve worked all of their lives and deserve to enjoy their retirement. They are living their dream.

I make the call to the phone company and have Brian’s number turned off. The operator explains to me I’m still responsible for the line until the end of the contract even though the number is deactivated, but I tell them I’m perfectly fine with it. Anything to get some peace and quiet and a good night’s sleep. Within a half hour, my phone has stopped ringing and the texts have subsided as well from both numbers. I assume Rebecca must have made the phone call about her phone too. I go to the bedroom and crawl into bed. Eventually, I’ve got to fall asleep.

I remember looking over to the neon glow of the time being 1:47 a.m. I roll on my side, grip the extra pillow tight, and before long, I’m sound asleep.

I feel bad for not making it home early any this week and stopping by to check on Jennifer. She assured me she would let me know if there was anything she needed, but I also know she has a lot of pride and doesn’t like to ask for anything unless she absolutely has to. She knows I’m just about finished with school and everything is leading up to the final test I take to pass the state boards so even if she did need something, I seriously don’t think she would ask. Still, I should have at least made time for a quick visit. It’s bound to be lonely for her.

I noticed, when I got home earlier tonight, the light was on in the living room of the guest house and it stayed on until the early morning hours when I finally decided to rest my eyes from all of the extra studying I’ve been doing. Even though it’s not the first time I’ve noticed it, I don’t want her to think I’m spying on her if I bring it up either. She’s a grown woman about to become a mother and she’s doesn’t need anyone questioning her about leaving the lights being on. If she feels better leaving them on all night long, then she’s not doing any harm.

The thought did occur to me that maybe she needed the lights on in order to sleep, being in a strange place and all, maybe the light comforts her. Or, could it be she’s having trouble sleeping because she’s still afraid her ex-husband is going to find her? And if that’s the case, no one should have to live that way. I’ve reassured her numerous times that she is safe here, but unless I’ve experienced what she’s been through, I can’t possibly know what it’s like and how she must feel.

I considered sending her a text but if she had been sleeping with the lights on, I would hate for the text to have disturbed her.

When I finally closed my books and crawled in the bed, I tossed and turned while thoughts of her filled my head. I kept thinking about a conversation I had head earlier between me and my dad.

He and I have always had a bond between us that most guys my age would envy. He’s always complimented me on my decision making skills and how I’ve handled myself over the years. Just last week while putting in some hours at the pharmacy, he questioned me again about possible feelings I might be developing for Jennifer. I know he asked a while back and I blew him off, but is it that obvious now? He said he was proud of me for sticking by her and that my good deeds would not go unnoticed. The only thing I could say to him was I was thankful for the way he and my mom raised me. I’m not ready to admit to anyone that I’m falling for her.