When Sparks Fly (61 page)

XOXO.

Your Ever Devoted Admirer

After reading the letter I have to take a seat. I can’t believe I have a stalker. There is not another way to look at it. This creeper is following me around taking pictures and now sending me unwanted gifts. Drew takes the letter from my hands before giving it to Leo to bag with the other crap this psycho sent. When Leo is finished, Drew motions to the back of the store and I see Sam coming out from the backroom. I had completely forgotten he and everyone else are still here in the store. Drew makes Sam promise to stay with me and to get me home. I could probably drive myself, but I would prefer to not be alone tonight.

Before leaving the store, Leo comes up to me. “Ivy, here is my card. I wrote my cell phone number on the back. If you get anything else or need anything at all give me a call. It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night it is.” He tells me.

I thank him with a hug and let Sam take me home. Amy says she will lock up the bakery behind her when she leaves.

What a hell of a way to spend the grand opening and first day of In the Mix being open to customers.

Sam decides that for the next few days he is going to be my roommate. He wants to keep me safe, and I honestly don’t have it in me to argue with him. Hopefully this is just a onetime incident, but knowing what I do about crazy stalkers I have a dreadful feeling that this is just the beginning.

‡
Chapter Three

July 3, 2014

One week later

Sam and Derrik have been staying with me on and off all week. They don’t like leaving me alone. I love the two of them dearly, but sometimes a girl just needs a break. Tonight is a much needed night of binge eating and relaxing. Yes, my doors and windows are locked up tight. The creeper who has been stalking me has struck again since last week’s incident. Things have been crazier at the bakery especially with tomorrow being the Fourth of July. Everyone has been getting their last minute items together, so I haven’t been able to watch more carefully to see if anyone stands out. Tuesday, the guy left another envelope, with a note and a picture of me working at the bakery, taped to my car window. The moment I saw it hanging there I pulled out my phone and gave Leo a call. I hate bothering people, but in that moment I was glad I had someone I could call who could help. He rushed over and collected the horrid things.

Deciding to catch up on my reading, I sit on the couch to get comfortable. No sooner than I turn my Kindle on, the doorbell starts ringing.

Ding Dong. Ding Dong.

“I’ll be right there.” I shout to whoever is ringing my doorbell.
Sam, Derrick, and Emily have to either work or have made other plans for tonight; so who in the world could be at my door?
When I look through the peep hole on my door, I can’t believe my eyes. Opening the door, I can’t contain the huge Cheshire cat grin from spreading across my face. “Detective, whatever it is that you’re here for I can promise you I didn’t do it.”

Laughing, his returning smile makes my insides start to flutter. Damn, this man is gorgeous. “Are you sure about that, ma’am? You see I have these handcuffs here,” he moves his gaze from my face to the handcuffs attached to his waist band then slowly with a devilish grin rakes his eyes over my wrists then moves up to my chest before returning it to my face before continuing, “and they are begging me to use them. And, you sweet thing just scream trouble.”

OH MY GOD!!!!! Did he really just insinuate what I think he did? Great. Now my mind is going to be on him using his handcuffs on me. Did it get hot in here or did my air just cut off? Because all of a sudden the temperature in here seems to rise, it is now extremely hot in here.

“What brings you out and about detective?” I ask him, more than a little curious to see him here.

He smiles and gestures to the door. “Emily wanted me to check up on you. Are you going to invite me inside, sweetheart?”

Shit.
“Of course. Come on inside.” I tell him stepping out of the doorway so he could enter.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been by sooner. I know it has almost been a week, but I have been checking around. Leo didn’t find any finger prints on the pictures, so whoever sent them to you has been really careful, which is rather disturbing.” He tells me before entering the house.

“Yeah, that’s putting it lightly. Did Leo tell you I called him with another letter? The creep left it taped to my car. It’s starting to scare me.” I tell him.

He pulls me into a hug, and for once the sparks between us dim in comparison to the comfort I’m feeling from being in his arms during this time. I know the moment he pulls away the fear will start creeping back in to my thoughts, but for now I’m enjoying not being afraid.

“Um… I’m also here for my own reasons.” He pauses for a minute almost seeming to second guess what he is about to do before he continues with what he was starting to say. “I have to know why you’re not still married. What happened between you and your ex-husband?” He asks me with a serious look on his face. “I’m sorry. The detective in me has a very curious instinct. Feel free to tell me to mind my own damn business, but it has been driving me crazy to know that I should have possibly come back sooner.”

“Before we get into this conversation do you want any sweet tea or something else?” I ask him.

He looks thoughtful for a minute then his face lights up. “Do you have any brownies?”

This makes me smile. “No, but I have the ingredients to bake them. Give me five minutes, and I will have them in the oven cooking.” I tell him then make my way into the kitchen to get started making the brownies.

I get the ingredients mixed together and in the oven in exactly five minutes. I put the dirty mixing bowl in the sink and opted to clean it later. I make my way back into the living room to find him relaxing on my couch.

When he sees me walk back into the room, I see a sinfully sexy smile cross his face. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I have missed your brownies. I still remember you and Emily in the kitchen at all hours of the night making some kind of concoction or another. Although back then it would take forever. I also knew to never eat anything unless you made.” He tells me while laughing.

This makes me laugh. I remember those nights. Emily and I usually got more on us than we did in the pans. “Okay, I’ll tell you my story, but just remember this gives me quid pro quo.” Taking a deep breath, I give him a brief smile before summing up my past with him in the shortest version possible. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you for a hundred percent fact. Don’t get me wrong Owen is a good man, but we are better off friends.” I pause and sigh then continue on explaining my past relationship. “I met Owen six months after I confessed my school girl feelings for you and rejected me.” I pause and shake my head thinking about the past. Sighing, I continue on with my story, “Owen and I were together for almost seven years. Hell I was still really young when I met him. He made me laugh and took my mind off of… well, you…We were on again and off again. After five years of dating he asked me to marry him. I figured it was about time anyway so I said yes. I should have taken that as a sign we weren’t meant to be.” I shift to where I am now sitting on the couch with my knees pulled up against my chest. “Over time I put on weight and he stayed the same size. When my weight was down everything seemed perfect. He was the perfect husband, lover, etc…, but when I packed on the extra weight it would seem like he would find reasons not to come home. He would get up go to work around six in the morning and get off around six in the evening. However, instead of coming straight home he would go to his buddy’s house or to one of their favorite hang outs. They would drink, play cards all night, or work on a case they were currently working on. Sometimes he never got home until day break of the next morning. The pattern started repeating itself one too many times for my liking. Then he started staying late at the office. After arguing for a few weeks straight and things remaining the same, I tried to make a peace offering. I started losing weight, eating right, and planned to surprise him with a trip. I got all dolled up and went to their favorite bar. They were there drinking, but he wasn’t alone. He was preoccupied with a tiny brunette who reminded me a lot of shorter version of the actress, Rachel Bilson. I filed for divorce the next day. Turns out he was okay with that in the long run. He is married again—to the gorgeous, skinny, brunette that is actually a few years younger than us.” I tell him grimly.

He looks at me with what to me looks like anger in his gaze. “You’re kidding right? No, I see it in your eyes that you’re not.” He shakes his head vigorously before making eye contact with me. “He is a fucking idiot. Excuse the language, but there is no other way to say it. You are absolutely beautiful on the inside and out. Any man alive would be lucky to have you and call you theirs. Hell, I should know. I was the first one after all, and I was an idiot to not tell you the truth back then.” He says to me still staring at me and I can see the sincerity in his eyes, but I can also see the regret there too.

His statement thaws my heart. “Thank you, Drew. That’s the first nice thing anyone other than family has said to me in a long time.” I tell him. Without thinking twice I lean forward to where he is sitting and place a soft, quick kiss to his lips. I can see he wants to kiss me again, but the oven’s timer chooses that moment to ding. “That would be your brownies, Mr. Detective, sir.” I tell him giving him a mock salute causing both of us to laugh.

I make a hasty retreat into the kitchen to remove the brownies from the oven.
Yeah, you tell yourself that’s the only reason. I can’t believe he is here and I just told him about my failed marriage. What the hell? Get a grip here, girl. He is hot and he is here flirting with you.

I fix us both a plate of brownies with ice cream and carry his to him in the living room where he is anxiously waiting. I watch mesmerized by the way he moves. He has a gracefulness to him even with his size that I envy. After we eat in companionable silence and are both finished, he takes both plates to the kitchen leaving me to follow after him. I watch while he proceeds to wash the dishes—the ones we just finished using and the ones I had previously used. I couldn’t resist just standing there any longer. There is just something about a man washing dishes without being asked to do so that is just one hundred percent sexy, but before I could act on my thoughts he starts talking.

“Listen, Ivy Anne, I think I owe you an explanation for the way I acted back then.” He says while drying off his hands before turning to meet my astonished look head on.

“It’s all water under the bridge.” I tell him acting like it’s not a big deal, but secretly hoping he will explain to me why he left and broke my heart in the process all those years ago.

He gives me a weak and sad smile. “You and I both know that is not the case. It may be in the past, but I want to give you my explanation. It also has a lot to do with why I have never been married or able to commit to anyone for longer than six months at a time.” He pauses to give me a smirk. “So, will you listen to my reasons?” he asks me.

“Yes, I would really like to hear your side of things and I guess you do kind of owe me since you know my pathetic failed marriage’s past story.” I tell him while shrugging my shoulders.

He places the dish rag back in the sink, dries his hands, and takes my hand in his to pull me back into the living room so we can talk. Once I’m seated across beside him on the loveseat, I watch while he takes a deep breath before he begins talking. “That night we were supposed to meet up, I was going to tell you how I felt. I had every intention of showing up, but Emily caught me before I walked out the door. She stopped me and gave me an ear full. She threatened me an inch from my life if I were to go near you. It didn’t matter I was her brother. You were her best friend and back then you and I both know I had a horrible reputation. She saw where you had texted me asking me to meet you and she was furious at me. She thought I was leading you on and going to treat you like I treated some of the girls I dated back then. I’m not proud of whom I was and I can’t change the past. However, I know without a doubt I would never have used you or mistreated you back then. You deserved better than the guy I was. To be honest with you, over these past years you are all I could think about. I have had Emily secretly keeping me updated with all the events in your life.” He pauses to give me a smile. “I know it’s a lot to take in and I still can’t believe this Owen guy you married. You are worth far more than any actress look-a-like. In the past, I should have grew a pair of steel balls and told you the truth regardless of what Emily said instead of not saying anything and just leaving. So, I owe you a huge apology and would love to make it up to you. Will you allow me to take you out on an official date?”