Page 21 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love
A small gift box sat in the center of her temporary desk.
Faith froze, her blood turning to ice. The trailer had been locked—she was certain of it. She’d checked twice before they left for the festival. Her eyes darted to the windows, all secure with no signs of forced entry.
With trembling fingers, she approached the package. It was wrapped in glossy black paper with a red ribbon, elegant and expensive looking. No card, no note.
She should call Jake. She should call the police. She should do anything except what she was about to do.
Faith untied the ribbon and carefully removed the wrapping paper. Inside the box, nestled on a bed of black velvet, lay a delicate silver charm bracelet. A single charm dangled from the links—a tiny silver heart.
Attached to the bracelet was a small card with a handwritten message:
So I can always be close to your heart. You looked beautiful tonight.
Faith dropped the bracelet as if it had burned her. The implications were clear—someone had been in her private space, someone who had seen her at the festival tonight.
She rushed to check the locks on the door and windows, drawing all the curtains with shaking hands. Only when she was certain everything was secure did she retrieve the bracelet from where it had fallen.
The workmanship was exquisite, the silver gleaming in the low light. It wasn’t a cheap trinket but an expensive piece from a high-end jeweler. Which meant her admirer wasn’t just persistent—he had resources.
Faith wrapped the bracelet in a tissue and tucked it into her desk drawer. Tomorrow she would take it to the police, report the break-in, show them the note she’d received earlier. She would take proper precautions, maybe even hire security.
But tonight, as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, she couldn’t shake the feeling of violation. Her private space had been invaded, her sense of security shattered. Somewhere out there, someone was watching, waiting, planning their next move.
Faith pulled the covers up to her chin, listening to the wind blow eerily through the tree branches. The memory of Jake’s kiss, which should have left her floating on air, now felt distant and overshadowed. For the first time since moving in, she wished she weren’t quite so alone.
CHAPTEREIGHT
“You’ve already hadcallers on hold for more than an hour tonight, and you haven’t even gone on the air yet,” Lucy said, her ever-present clipboard in her hands and five pencils stuck every which way in her hair. “You can thank that feature piece inCosmo—apparently being named The Voice of Love brings out all the crazies.”
Faith had forgotten about the magazine profile. Between the Halloween festival, her stalker’s unsettling gift, and Jake’s soul-melting kiss, the article had completely slipped her mind.
“I’ve pulled two interns to help me screen the calls,” Lucy continued. “You have a couple of repeats we’ll put through so you can hear their progress. Oh, and don’t drink the coffee. Miles Webber drank two cups and had to be taken to the ER with nausea. Probably melted his stomach lining. I swear the man lost twenty pounds in ten minutes. I’m thinking about taking some home with me in case I want to start a new diet.”
Faith let her friend’s words wash over her, used to Lucy’s constant rambling, and looked over her notes for the show. She would pick tonight to talk about the key ingredients to a successful relationship.
She chose her topics for every show weeks in advance so advertising would know how to market, and also so she could do a few promos for the upcoming week. She would pay any amount of money for someone to tear her notes to shreds and let her talk about something more mundane—like the importance of couples therapy.
“Well, let’s get started,” Faith said, already thinking of Jake, not that he’d ever really left her thoughts.
They’d barely crossed paths today—Jake had early meetings with suppliers, and she’d had back-to-back interviews with reporters wanting to feature her for their Women in Media specials. The timing had been both frustrating and a relief. Last night’s kiss beneath the maple tree still burned on her lips, a memory that refused to fade even as she’d tossed and turned all night, the silver charm bracelet hidden in her desk drawer a constant reminder that danger lurked even as romance bloomed. The brief separation had given her time to think, though thinking had only confused her more. The heart was a nuisance, and when her logical brain got involved it became an even bigger one.
“Hey, are you all right?” Lucy asked, concerned. “You seem a little down.”
“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
“I’ve never seen you tired. You’re the Energizer Bunny. There’s something else going on and don’t think I won’t figure it out. I’ve got the nose of a bloodhound.”
“Maybe I should say I’m not ready to talk about it instead.”
“That, I’ll accept. But I’ll ask again,” Lucy said, leaving the booth for her own desk on the other side of the glass enclosure.
“I’d expect nothing less,” Faith muttered, adjusting her headset and listening to the fade out of the upbeat music that always introduced her show. She took her cue from Lucy and wiped her palms on the fur-lined silk pants she wore. They felt like heaven, and she was glad the matching top wasn’t fur lined because she would’ve overheated. Texas wasn’t really the place to wear fur lined anything, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
“Welcome to Heart to Heart. This is Dr. Faith Hartwell, and tonight’s topic is something that affects us all.Relationships.
“What is the key ingredient to keep your relationship from falling apart? Is it one specific thing? Is love enough, or are there several ingredients that must be measured and combined before you have a healthy, lasting, loving relationship? And most importantly, where does trust fit into the mix? We’ll talk about the answers to those questions tonight, and I welcome you to call in and share your own experiences or ask questions.”
Faith settled into the comfort of familiarity. She’d never minded giving lectures, but there was something missing tonight. She read the words from the page, her voice compelling and clear, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was too busy keeping her mind and heart blocked off from listening to her own advice.
