Page 46 of The Jellybean Dilemma

Unsurprisingly, I slept poorly that night. But when someone tapped on my door the next morning, I was shocked to see it was after ten. “Come in,” I said, clipping the words because I expected Greg.

Mandy appeared instead, carrying a mug. “Greg thought you might like some coffee. Sorry you had a headache this morning.” She shot me a sympathetic look. “He also said you need to get dressed. Our family friend just arrived, and Greg wants you to meet him. They’ll be up in fifteen minutes. Yoga pants are fine.” She paused, oozing concern. “I just want you to know that Wayne’s a good guy, okay?” With a pat on my arm, she set the mug down and left the room.

What’s that all about?

It didn’t take long to get dressed, and I sipped my coffee in the sitting room while I waited. I caught up on my group chat with Gina and Avery, then scrolled through some of my feeds until Greg opened the door, peering in.

“Oh, good, you’re up.” He stepped inside. An officer in blue walked in behind him, and Greg raked a hand through his hair. “This is Officer Wayne Merriman of the State Police. He’s a friend.”

I gaped at them, having the sense of mind to put my coffee down before I dumped it in my lap.

The tan-skinned officer pulled up a chair in front of me, and said gently, “Ms. Elgin, Greg here filled me in on your situation.”

My glare could have withered flowers, but Greg just gave me a sad smile.

“I assure you I will keep this quiet and am only here to help.”

Greg sighed. He perched on the sofa with a safe distance between us. “Please, Rhonda, let him help. No one should be exposed to something like that. It’s harassment.”

The knowledge that he was right weighed on me. I was beyond tired of Kevin’s involvement in my life. Tired of the pictures, dirty words and borderline threats. Most of all, I was tired of dealing with this alone. If Greg and Mandy vouched for this officer, that was good enough for me.

I opened up my phone, swiping to the folder of screenshots and saved photos. “His name is Kevin Ferguson, my ex-fiancé.” I told him the whole story.

Officer Wayne frowned. “All these photos seem to be similar. Do you know why?”

I shifted in my seat. The truth was uncomfortable, but it needed to be said. I steeled myself, raising my chin and making sure all my shields were in place. “I’m not known for my ability to orgasm during intimacy. In fact, it’s only happened once.”

When I said the last part, I stared straight at Greg, who blanched then hung his head. Good. “Kevin seemed to take that personally, as an affront to his sexual prowess. He keeps sending me these to prove how good a lover he is, and what I missed out on.” I shivered at his twisted mindset.

The officer’s frown deepened. “I see. Well, you can either stop down to the office to make a copy or—”

I shook my head. “There’s no need. I have them backed up on my laptop and can make you an encrypted USB drive right now if you don’t mind waiting.” I returned a few minutes later with a tiny black stick. “If you give me your business card, I’ll email you the password. Thank you for your time and your discretion.”

Greg opened the door for him. “Thanks, Wayne. I appreciate it.” Once the officer was gone, he turned back to me. “Jel—”

“Don’t you dare!” I stood up, my finger in his face. “You don’t get to call me that anymore. I meant what I said, Greg. This”—I pointed between us—“whatever fucked up thing this was, is over.”

I took a calming breath, forcing myself to put on a pleasant expression. How many times have I pretended over the years? I can do it again. I can do it now. I donned my charitable smile. “Thank you for bringing Officer Wayne here. It was long past time I handled this situation with Kevin. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have your sister’s shower to get ready for.” I glided by him to my room.

Thankfully, I had a lot to do for the shower, including going early with Julie to decorate. Unfortunately, Greg came along because we needed someone tall. I just kept busy directing people.

When Mandy asked if Greg and I had fought, I stuck as close to the truth as possible. “My ex-fiancé sent me some upsetting pictures, and I’m a little overwhelmed. Sorry if I’m not as talkative as usual.”

Her brow furrowed. “But everything’s okay with you and Greg, right?”

“Oh, he was kind enough to introduce me to Officer Wayne and help me with the situation. I’m just a little off with the whole thing, so he’s giving me my space.”

She seemed to buy that. “Well, if you need to talk…”

“Actually, what I need is to keep busy,” I said lightly, “so this is perfect. Any word from Erin?”

Her face fell, and she sighed. “It’s not looking good. The storm seems to have settled over Minneapolis, and she’s not sure she’ll be able to make it.”

Oh, how awful. I patted her arm. “Don’t give up hope yet.”

The shower progressed beautifully, and it gave me two hours of reasons to ignore Greg. Everyone loved the favor bags. Mandy wouldn’t stop gushing over them. It was a good thing I’d gotten a few extra since several aunts showed up at the last minute. And not much food was left afterward.

That night I helped Mandy write out thank you cards, because it was better to just get it over with. We watched The Holiday on TV while we worked. When Home Alone came on, we didn’t bother changing the channel. We were so busy chatting, the TV was relegated to background noise. When she excused herself to the bathroom, I found myself focusing on the movie.

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