Page 25 of Grey
Wariness crept in, but she shook the feeling off.
But as the morning progressed, that feeling kept coming back. She’d be among the shelves putting books away and feel like someone was watching her. She never saw anyone out of the ordinary, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.
When she came back to the front desk after her break, she happened to look out the glass doors and saw that same green sedan, but this time it was parked on the street and not in the parking lot.
Her pulse quickened. Even with the glass doors and distance separating her from the sedan, she felt vulnerable and exposed.
Her phone buzzed in her skirt pocket, and she pulled it out as she hurried to go behind the desk.
Grey’s name flashed on the screen and she felt relieved.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey, sweetheart. I wanted to check in and see how your day is going. I miss you like crazy.”
“You’re so sweet.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice immediately deepening with concern.
She looked around; Mrs. Fielder was off shelving books and a few patrons were milling around the shelves. Keeping her voice low, she said, “I feel like I’m being watched, it’s the strangest thing.” She told him about the feeling she had in the library and also seeing the same sedan three different times.
There was a long pause, and Grey said, “Don’t go outside again, and don’t panic. I’ll be there as soon as I can and will hang out until you’re finished for the day.”
“Do you think something’s wrong?”
“I think if your gut is telling you you’re being watched, then I need to be there to keep you safe. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, thanks.”
The call ended and she put her phone back in her pocket, wondering if she was overreacting. But Grey telling her to trusther gut reinforced her feeling that something was wrong and she should be careful.
Sitting behind the desk, she looked around the library and told herself that she wasn’t alone in the building and she was safe there. But she sure as heck would feel safer with Grey around.
Far shorter than it should have taken Grey to get there, he walked into the library and smiled at her. “Ford is here too,” he said.
“Oh, why?”
He rested his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. “Because we don’t go anywhere alone. He’s going to hang out until the library is closed. He’s in the truck scrolling social media.”
“The library doesn’t close for two more hours.”
“It’s okay, this is what we do for family. I’m going to take a stroll around inside and then outside as well. The green sedan is gone from the street and it’s not in the parking lot, just so you know.”
She nodded. “That’s good to hear.”
He nodded and walked away, and she didn’t see him again for almost an hour. Then he stayed at a table near the front desk and kept an eye on things, and she found his presence to be a big comfort.
When the last patron was gone and the work was done for the day, she introduced him to Mrs. Fielder.
“You’re the reason she’s been smiling so much lately,” she said with a knowing wink.
Grey grinned. “I sure hope so. She makes me smile too.”
“Oh, young love. Well, I can relive all that in my romance novels. You two have a good night, I’ll see you tomorrow, Tatum.”
“Have a nice night.”
Tatum turned off the lights and locked up, and then she got into the truck and greeted Ford.
