Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I blink in surprise, but when I think about it, it’s not a bad idea. Not bad at all. Maybe I’ll suggest we have lunch at home tomorrow, and I’ll surprise him.
I don’t even have a chance to check my list for what’s next when my phone makes the noise it makes when my house alarm goes off.
Scowling, I pull the phone out of my pocket and stare at the screen. Yep, the alarms are going off, and it says that someone was on my porch.
Immediately, I call Chase.
“Hi, sugar,” he says in my ear. “What’s that noise?”
“My phone. My house alarm is going off, Chase. And the app says someone was at my door.”
“I’m headed there now.” I hear him flip on the siren. “You stay at work, Summer.”
“Like hell, something’s happening at my house.”
“Please, stay where you are.” His voice has that edge now, just like that night when we came upon the accident. “I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”
He hangs up, and I blow out a breath. “I do not want to stay here.”
“It’s your house,” Sharla points out and shrugs a shoulder. “You have the right to go.”
“But you might be in Chase’s way, especially if something nefarious is going on,” Ida adds, shaking her head.
“Nefarious?” I laugh, shaking my head. “I doubt it. I’m going to go check it out. I never agreed to stay here.”
“He’s going to be mad,” Ida whispers, but I grab my keys and bag and head out to the car.
There are three squad cars in front of my house when I pull up, and Chase’s eyes find mine when I jump out of my vehicle.
“I told you—”
“It’s my house,” I remind him. “And I’m not in danger because you’re here. What’s going on?”
His mouth flattens in temper, and he looks away from me, shakes his head, and then props his hands on his hips.
“Chase? What the hell is going on?”
“Someone threw a rock through your living room window,” he says. “It shattered the glass.”
“What?” I move to walk to the house, but he stops me. “Chase, this is bullshit. Let me in there.”
“It’s a crime scene,” he says, holding me where I am on the sidewalk. “You can’t go in there, Summer, not until we investigate what happened.”
“Chase.” I stare up at him, feeling completely helpless as my hands start to shake. “Someone shattered my window. On purpose.”
“It’s definitely on purpose.”
I search his hazel eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“There was a note attached to the rock.” He rubs his hand over his mouth. “Summer, I don’t think—”
“What did it say?”
“Summer.”
“What did the fucking note say?”
He swears under his breath and shuffles his feet. “It just called you a fucking whore.”
I take a step backward and feel like someone kicked me in the stomach. “Like the spray paint on the house. What the hell did I do to someone to deserve this?”
“You didn’t do anything,” he rushes to assure me, but I shake my head.
“Obviously, I did. If someone is doing all of this, I must have hurt them in some way, or I did something—”
“This isn’t your fault,” he assures me, taking my shoulders in his hands. “You didn’t ask for this, babe. Let me take care of this. I’ll handle it. If you don’t want to go back to work, grab Lily and go to my place, and I’ll meet you there later.”
I nod and take a long, shaky breath. “You go back to work. I think I will go back to the shop and keep my mind busy for a while.”
“I’m sorry, Summer.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
When I get back to my store, I fill the others in on what’s going on, and we spend at least an hour speculating on who could be behind this.
“It’s not random kids,” Ida says, shaking her head.
“I don’t know anyone who has any kind of a grudge against me,” I tell them, worrying my lower lip between my teeth.
“Except Evan,” Sharla reminds me. I had to tell them all what happened last week because they asked what happened at dinner. “He was mad, and maybe he’s the one doing it.”
“I ran into him literally minutes before my phone went off,” I remind her. “He can’t be in two places at once. Besides, he was headed in the opposite direction, toward the courthouse.”
“Yeah, and he’s not the type to throw rocks through windows,” Sharla concedes. “You’re right. I don’t know, but it’s scary. I’m glad you’re not staying there right now.”
“Me, too.” I don’t know what I’d do without Chase. “I think the adrenaline is wearing off. It made me sweat.”
“I’d be bawling my eyes out,” Sharla says.
“I think I’m getting used to it. Isn’t that horrible?”
“Yes, it is horrible,” Ida says sternly. “And I plan to ask Chase what he’s going to do about it. This has to stop.”