“It’s true though.”
“And you tracked me down to warn me,” he says dully.
“Well, I didn’t track you down, exactly…”
“Then how…” He narrows his eyes at me. Something finally hits him, and his head snaps back as if I punched him. “That stupid app I put on my phone! Are you still using that?”
Before I can answer, he pulls his phone from his pocket and loads the app. I get a sinking feeling in my chest. “Joel…”
“You are!” When he looks up again, his face is full of disgust. “I can’t believe you! You’re stalking me using this app?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
He stands up so abruptly, his chair nearly overturns. “I’m deleting it from my phone. I should have done it a year ago.”
“Okay,” I say in a tiny voice.
“And you,” he says, his voice dripping with venom. “You need serious psychological help. We have been broken up for a year. A year. I was trying to be nice, but enough. Enough. You need to get the fuck over it already.”
“That’s not what this is about.” I stand up too, trying to reach for his arm but he shrugs me off. “I’m worried about you. You could be in danger…”
“Please,” he says, “just stay away from me. Okay?”
He pulls on his coat. I feel utterly helpless as I watch him leave. He doesn’t believe a word I say. There’s no way to convince him his life could be in danger.
“Just ask her,” I plead with him. “Ask her about her debt. You’ll know she’s lying.”
He shakes his head at me. He’s not going to ask her. He’s too infatuated.
As he walks away, I realize there’s a chance this could be the last time I ever see him.
Unless I do something about it.
Chapter 42: The New Girl
As Cassie unlocks the door to her apartment, she hopes Joel is happy with eating leftovers for dinner. She’s exhausted from work today, including an unexpected errand she had to run during her lunch break. She definitely doesn’t feel like cooking. And there’s nothing wrong with the Chinese food from last night. Everyone knows Chinese food is better the second day.
Her phone buzzes in her purse. She pulls it out and sees a text message from Joel:
On my way! Will be there in 10.
She smiles. Maybe he isn’t her Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights but he’s a great guy and she likes him a lot. That’s enough.
Cassie tosses her purse on the table by her front door. She does this every night of the week, but tonight, something is different. She hears a crash.
A blue ceramic vase toppled to the floor when she put her purse on the table. It’s lying in pieces all over the hardwood floor. Cassie winces, not eager to clean up the mess. The pieces have gone absolutely everywhere.
But that’s not the worst part.
Cassie doesn’t keep that vase on the table by the door. She’s ninety-nine percent sure that vase is always on top of the short bookcase. And it’s not like she’s got a roommate here who might have moved it.
So why is the vase now by the door?
She stares at the pieces of the vase, her brow furrowed. Maybe Joel moved it. She doesn’t have a roommate, but he’s here so often, he may as well be. She’s not sure why he’d do such a thing, but who knows? Certainly, it’s the most likely explanation. The only other explanation is…
Someone else was in her apartment.