Page 43 of Love's Bloom
He tipped his head. “Okay, see you then.”
As they studied each other, Misty liked David’s attention and felt a pull of attraction to him. When she was stronger emotionally, she wanted to see where a relationship with him could go. Until then, she hoped he understood.
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Misty walked to her front door, and as she took her time to unlock it, she heard Sugar barking on the other side.
When she opened the door, Sugar wiggled her tail so hard she fell on the floor.
Laughing, Misty bent down to help her and was rewarded with yips of welcome and kisses on the cheek.
“Okay, let’s see how you did,” said Misty, walking inside.
In the kitchen, where Sugar’s bed had been tucked into a corner, the bed now sat in a patch of light by the sliding door.
“Clever dog,” said Misty, opening the sliding door to let Sugar outside.
Misty watched the dog run across the lawn and then through the woods and sighed with gratitude. Sugar was a nice addition.
Her cell phone rang.
She checked the unknown Florida number, and a feeling of dread overcame her. At the thought it might be Vince, nausea rolled over her in a giant wave. Misty gripped the counter and held on. When she could lift her head, she drew a deep breath to calm herself. She’d blocked Vince’s number and those of his friends and changed her cell phone number. But in today’s world of computerized information, anyone had an excellent chance of being found.
The phone stopped ringing and then began again.
Hands trembling, she checked caller ID.Crystal.
“H-h-hello,” she answered, unable to control her shaking voice.
“Hi, Misty. What’s wrong?” asked Crystal.
“I just had an earlier phone call. I didn’t recognize the number, but it came from Florida, and I thought it might be Vince.”
“Oh, Misty. I don’t like the sound of that. What can I do to help?”
“I’ve got a dog, I’m taking self-defense lessons, I have pepper spray and a whistle. I don’t know what else I can do.”
“I have an idea. I’ll talk to you later.” Crystal hung up.
Misty plopped down in a kitchen chair and rubbed Sugar’s ears. Still unable to shake her bad feelings, Misty went to check the rest of the rooms inside the house.
A short while later, the doorbell rang.
She went to answer it and was surprised to see a workman there.
“You Misty Owen?” he asked.
“Yes, what can I help you with?” she asked, holding onto Sugar’s collar. Her friendly dog was growling.
He indicated the red truck behind him. “Sorry it’s so late. I was making another call in town and was asked to stop by. I’m Jim from AAA Security. I’m here to discuss a security system.”
“But I didn’t request one,” she said.
“No, but Dr. Emmett Chambers did,” explained the man. “May I come in and take a look around?” He handed her the order.
Misty checked the truck and the badge on the man’s work shirt and called Crystal.
“It’s true. We did order it for you,” said Crystal.
