Page 68 of Smoldering Nights
Noah wasn’t just a guy with a crush.He wasn’t a random deliveryman.He was the grandson of a man who’d once owned her shop, a man who apparently died still bitter over losing it.The thought made her stomach twist.
He thought it was stolen.And now, Noah thought she was the thief.She remembered very little about her dad mentioning the former owner.There were a couple of times he came home upset from town meetings and mentioned Clarence as a troublemaker.But that was usually short-lived.He had a business to run, and there was always something to do.She worked in the greenhouse from the time she was little until she left for college.She fancied that she'd work in a big floral shop and be the head designer.All that taught her was that backstabbing worked for some, not for her.She refused to get ahead by stepping on someone else.When her father asked her to come home and run the shop, she'd been mulling it over when the car accident happened, and he and her mother were killed.Then it was either sell the shop or make it more prosperous than it had ever been, maybe add on products or enlarge the gift shop.She was on track for that, too, until all of this.Now her business took a dip, and she’d have to work extra hard to get back the customers that she’d lost during this time.
Mitch moved quietly around the kitchen, making fresh coffee, checking the security feeds again.Always vigilant.Always steady.She didn’t know how he stayed so composed, especially with the pressure mounting the way it was.
She turned away from the window and sat at the table, running her finger along the edge of her mug.“So all this time… he was building some twisted story in his head.Turning my family into the villains.”
Mitch nodded without turning.“Delusions like that don’t need facts.They just need time to fester.And Noah had years.”
She swallowed.“I keep thinking about all the times I saw him around town.At the coffee shop.Farmers’ market.I never thought anything of it.”
“That’s how he stayed close.Blended in.That’s how obsession works, it builds slowly, then gets loud all at once.”
She drew in a shaky breath.“And I became the loud part.”
Before Mitch could answer, his phone buzzed again.He grabbed it from the counter, scanned the screen, then answered with a sharp, “Yeah?”
Izzy held her breath.
He listened for a moment, his jaw setting.“You’re kidding.That’s huge.Forward it now.”
He hung up and looked at her, eyes sharp.“They’re in the storage unit.Fielding found files, clippings about your dad.Old newspaper articles about the sale of Petal Pushers.And a corkboard full of photos.You.The shop.Your car.Even one of you and me at Mae’s.”
A chill skittered down her spine.“He’s been watching me for months.”
Mitch nodded.“Maybe longer.Jayson’s going through the rest, but it’s enough to prove a pattern.We’re closer than ever now.We just need to locate him.”
She stood slowly.“What if he comes here?”
“He won’t,” Mitch said quickly.“He doesn’t know about this place.”
But her doubt lingered.She knew how obsessed people could always find what they wanted.“I don’t want you to be caught off guard.”
“I won’t be.”He crossed to her, cupped her face gently.“But just in case, I want you to carry this.”
He reached into the top drawer and handed her a small canister of pepper spray.Her fingers closed around it shakily.
“I hate that I even need this,” she whispered.
“I know.”He kissed her forehead.“But it’s temporary.We’re almost there.”
Izzy looked into his eyes and nodded.She believed him.Because if she didn’t believe in Mitch, in the strength he’d given her to stand up instead of hide, then she’d fall apart.
She wasn’t going to let Noah win.
A ping came from Mitch’s laptop.Another message.
He turned back to it, frowning.“New lead.A hiker spotted someone near the quarry trail just after dawn.Matched Noah’s build and jacket description.”
Izzy stood taller.“Then he’s close.”
“Yes.Too close.”
Mitch tapped out a quick reply, then turned back to her.“Jayson and Fielding are mobilizing teams.If they get a visual, they’ll move in.”
Izzy exhaled slowly.“And until then?”
“Until then,” Mitch said, reaching for her hand, “we stay alert.And we stay ready.”
