I rolled my eyes. She and my dad were the definition of morning people. They’d absolutely be up. Jamie, on the other hand, I’d have to hit with a pillow.
Walking onto the community college campus was a crazy feeling. I hadn’t stepped foot on it since I graduated, and now here I was being trusted to guard it. I wasn’t necessarily scared of something actually happening, it was more of a fear of disappointing people.
When people put their faith in me, I wanted to show them they were right to. I was motivated and determined, and when I set a goal, I accomplished it. But I didn’t feel any of that confidence with this job, and that’s what stressed me the most.
Reaching for the handle to the building, I yanked. No go. I pushed. No go. Confused, I stood there frowning hard enough to create new wrinkles before I stomped around the building looking for another entrance. Nothing.
I didn’t have the guard office’s number, just Jim’s cell. Rob had given me his, too, but I’d flipped off the email and refused to save it like the petty bitch I was.
Stepping back up to the door, I gave three hard raps on the glass pane and looked around, fidgeting. After what seemed like ten minutes and several more knocks, the door finally flew open.
The man standing on the other side was dressed identical to me, but he definitely pulled it off better. He gave off a Hollywood bootcamp sergeant vibe, except for the ten-watt smile he was currently giving me.
“You must be Madison. I hope you haven’t been standing here long. I’ve been sitting in the office waiting for you to give me a call that you’d arrived.” He stepped to the side to let me pass.
“No, sir, just a few minutes. I don’t actually have the office number, so I knocked a bunch.” I offered a small laugh, “I’ll happily take that number now though.”
It didn’t take long for me to begin to feel more comfortable with the job. My trainer seemed to understand my apprehension and knew what to say or do to show me how I could accomplish a task.
My primary job would be to drive the perimeter of the campus in the company suburban and then park and begin the on-foot patrol. He walked me through each building, showing me where lights were and explaining what all I’d need to check. Once that was all done, I was free to sit in the office until the next round of surveillance was due.
Overall, it had significantly helped ease my fears and made me feel way more prepared and capable. I was still nervous about how I’d handle anyone who got pushy about being on campus, but I supposed I’d cross that bridge if I ever came to it.
By the time I got home, I was dragging. I’d already started wearing down by the end of the six hours, and that was before I’d gone to my parents’ place. Waitressing involved a decent amount of walking, some nights an insane amount. But patrolling around, into, and through every building on a college campus, numerous times, involved a lot of walking and a lot of stairs.
Then when I’d swung by to see Jamie, he’d asked me to throw his new boomerang around with him. By the time we’d moseyed back inside to annihilate some chocolate chip cookies, my feet and legs were aching.
So now here I was, sitting in the driveway, wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep, fully aware I’d feel even worse when I woke up tomorrow. But I needed to move, I only had maybe five minutes to change and reverse back out.
Dragging my sorry ass out of the vehicle, I was audibly groaning and mumbling when the feeling of being watched hit me. The hairs on my neck raised, and the air around me seemed to almost condense, pressing down on me. I already knew who it was. The only person who had a stare intense enough to feel from a distance.
Garrett had the hood of his Nova propped up and was leaned over it, a rag thrown across his shoulder. He was sporting his usual jeans with a white long-sleeve. The sleeves were rolled up, and his muscles flexed as he extended his arms on either side of him and rested his weight.