Page 22 of Amore
While Luke was outside talking to the officers, I grabbed my phone and ordered everything we needed to make spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic bread. It was the only thing I knew how to make, and I knew all the ingredients by heart, which wasn’t much: ground beef, spaghetti sauce, noodles, and French bread. I already had butter, garlic, and spices.
Luke was still out with the officers as they walked around my house looking for something, so I opened up another app and ordered my favorite cheesecake to be delivered too. I couldn’t believe I had suggested we have dinner, let alone cook it together, but talking to Luke and having him want to protect me reminded me of the old days. The days before I’d screwed everything up.
Staring out the window, I remembered his words from the coffeehouse:“Not seeing you hurt me. I was so in love with you, Franks.”What would have happened if I hadn’t run away after that night? It wasn’t as though we could have dated because I went to New York while he had to stay in Tennessee and finish school since he was sixteen and still in high school.
But he wasn’t anymore.
Luke and the officers walked through my house, and then we sat down at my dining room table to talk about people who could know my alarm codes.
“The only person is my assistant, and now Luke,” I stated.
“Officer Davenport mentioned someone was following you earlier?” one officer asked. “Do you think it could be him?”
“I have no idea.”
“She didn’t lead him back here,” Luke mentioned.
“That’s good,” the officer said before handing me his card. “We’re going to canvass the area, talk to some of your neighbors, and patrol the area. Call us if anything else happens.”
“Will do.”
Luke walked the officers out, and I grabbed my phone from the kitchen island to send a text to my assistant but stopped.Couldit be Emily? She was the only person who knew my codes. She wouldn’t need to break into my house, lock Amore in my closet, and leave roses. If the roses were from a producer or something, she would have told me she was dropping them off—or done it when she picked me up at the park earlier. And she wouldn’t leave them on my bed.
Amore scratched at the back door to be let out.
“I know, buddy. Just wait another minute.” I stared at my dog, thankful he wasn’t hurt. Had he let someone come into our house and willingly gone into the closet? He was the most loveable dog I’d ever known, so it was possible. I needed to look into the protection training Luke mentioned and change my alarm codes. I also needed to get cameras installed.
But most of all, I needed to cry.
Tears streamed down my face and I crumpled to the kitchen floor as everything finally hit me. Being in the public eye, I knew I had haters, and I’d received threats before, but nothing came close to having someone bypass my alarm code and stalk through my home. Amore came to my side, nudging his head under my arm, and I wrapped him in my arms and cried into his fur.
“Whoa,” Luke said as he came back into my house. He rushed to my other side, wrapping an arm across my shoulders. “Hey, what happened?”
I looked up at him, giving him an are-you-kidding-me look.
He wrapped me in his arms. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll stay here tonight, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“What about tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that?” I sobbed.
“If I have to, I’ll get buddies of mine to stay out front.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Franks.” He cupped my cheek. “I’d do anything to protect you.”
I cried even harder, and I didn’t know why. Was it possible I still had feelings for Luke?
“Thank you,” I finally said as we pulled apart.
“First things first. Let’s change the code to your alarm.”
* * *
While Luke figuredout my alarm, I let Amore out into the backyard and then went to my bedroom. After cleaning up my tear-stained face, I looked at my bed where the roses had been. The officers had taken them for evidence, and having them not on my bed anymore, made me feel slightly better about the ordeal. But only a little because how could I feel good about someone violating me?
When I was younger and dreamed of becoming an actress, I didn’t realize how dangerous it could be with fans. Most of them were amazing, but some sent fan mail that bordered on creepy. I’d had a few people follow me as though I didn’t know they were there, but none of them had ever come into my house or known where I lived. Howdidthe person know where I lived?
Walking back into the living room, Luke was still on his phone. I went to mine, seeing I had a missed text from Emily.
