Page 61 of Noel Secrets
“Says you, but … thanks.”
There was a definite edge in her friend’s voice now. Several times, men Gillian was dating had met Addie for the first time, hit on her, found a way to get her alone, and asked her out. She had told them no and told Gillian the truth, as a friend would. Those guys were jerks, but it had hurt Gillian and she hated that.
“Hold on one sec,” Gillian said. “My mother.”
“Oh, sure.”
The phone muted, and a second later there was a loud rap on the exterior storm door. Addie straightened, clinging to the phone. She didn’t get many visitors out here, especially in the winter. Her work was in the city and most of her friends and dates were there. Even the church crowd in Yarmouth was cut in half in the wintertime. She used to invite dates out to The Cape for beach time, but the older she got the more reluctant she was to let men know where she lived. She’d had a few incidents of men not wanting to take no for an answer. Jamison attacking her this fall had been the last straw. She used to trust everyone, but now she was leery.
She unfolded herself from the couch and pushed the blanket off, creeping through the small living area to the house’s only exterior door. Cradling the phone in her neck, she willed Gillian to get back on the line. For some reason she didn’t want to open that door alone.
The wind howled outside, and the storm door banged open and slammed against the exterior siding.
Addie cried out, clinging to her wooden front door handle. She turned on the porch light, looked through the peep hole, and could see … nothing. There was nobody out there.
“Addie?” Gillian’s voice in her ear. “You there?”
“Jill … somebody pounded on the door and then the storm door banged open and nobody’s out there.”
“O-kay,” Gillian drawled. “Maybe someone left you some cookies and forgot to latch the door properly.”
“Or maybe they’re going to jump scare me. What if … Jamison?”
Gillian laughed. “Last I heard, Jamison was in custody and awaiting trial.”
Addie shuddered. Gillian was right. Jamison was the top reason she was being so cautious with Price and why she didn’t tell men where she lived anymore. He’d been charming and fun, until he hadn’t. She had actually let down her guard and trusted him. Until the night he forced himself on her. She’d fought him, hollered for help, and because it was summer and the windows were open, a neighbor had called the police. Jamison had run off when he heard the sirens. She was grateful he hadn’t been able to take advantage of her, but it was terrifying to have someone she thought she trusted accost her and make her fight to preserve her virtue.
“Open the door so you can see what they left. It’s probably your latest Amazon order.”
Her friend’s tone of voice made it obvious Addie was overreacting to a simple knock on the door.
“They have been delivering late sometimes with the holidays coming.”
“Exactly.”
“You’re right. I’ll open the door.”
Addie had no idea why she was trembling. It was probably an Amazon package. But she hadn’t seen any headlights. Where was the box truck that delivered the package?
She turned the deadbolt and pulled open the door before she could second guess the wisdom of it. The wind whipped her hair into her face and stung at the exposed skin of her face and hands. She looked around but saw no one. The storm door banged against the wall again and she jumped. Whoever knocked must have left it open.
Looking down, she prayed for a package.
A small mailing envelope lay on the doorstep.
“A package, Gillian. It’s a package.”
Gillian laughed. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
“Sorry to freak out.”
“No worries. I don’t know why you love living clear out there.”
Addie grabbed the storm door and wrenched it from the wind’s grasp, slamming it closed and latching it. She shut the wood front door and deadbolted it. Carrying the envelope to the nearby counter, she found a knife to slice it open. There was nothing on the outside. No return address, nor her name and address. Strange.
“I love it here,” she insisted to her friend.
“I know, I know. Are you coming into the city tomorrow?”
