Chapter 10
After we headed back to Bellport, Liz showed me our town's bay and marina. Sounded like nothing special, but it was pretty impressive to me.
A small canal cut into the land from the ocean, curving around through the hilly town until it ended in a bay of calmer waters. The portion of the bay Liz took me to was pretty popular. Against the steep hillside, there was more than just docks and boats. The marina actually was attached to a boardwalk that followed the curve of the shore. There were a few trinket shops, an ice cream parlor, the marina store office, and a few restaurants along the wood walkway that faced the docks and the bay. Next time I see Jamie, I was going to give him shit for not showing me this place first. He planned on showing me a fucking junk yard first over this!
Seeing how jazzed I was over this small area seemed to make Liz's day. She was proud to be able to make me happy. How could I not be though? Yes, this sounds cheesy and shit, but today allowed us to be more open, more fun, more carefree with each other. It went beyond our usual basic conversations too. By the time we stopped into a pizzeria along the boardwalk, we were entering ex-boyfriend territory.
"When did you guys break up? How long ago was this?" I asked with a laugh,
"Last fall. I only dated him for three months," she said, taking a delicate bite of her pizza.
"Wait, so this guy tried not only to move in with you, but he wanted to bring his four best friends with him? After dating for only three months?" I grinned.
"Right, isn't that insane? 'Sure people I hardly know, move right on in! Welcome home party of five.' Can you believe that?"
"David would have killed you," I said, taking another bite.
"Killed me and all five new roommates," she scoffed, gazing out the front window.
Liz and I were sitting at a high-top table next to the entrance, allowing us to gaze out the front window to the boardwalk and a few boats that docked. "You sure know how to pick them. I see that hasn't changed," I teased, referring to all of the mistakes she used to bring home. I couldn't have been no older than seven, but it's hard to forget a guy who ate dog treats to impress people (though that was kind of badass).
"I might know how to pick 'em, but at least I don't pass on them," she joked back.
"Doesn't that just mean I'm the one with standards?"
"No, that means you're a big wuss. You've only ever had one boyfriend and it was the most boring love story of all time," she laughed, tossing back a single pepperoni.
It sure was. His name was Derrick and it was 8th grade. We sat next to each other in science. We went to the movies, held hands for a week, then he broke up with me and held Stacy's hand the next week. Riveting, right?
"Yes, I've only ever had one very uninteresting boyfriend. And?"
"And why don't you put yourself out there more? Show an interest?"
"Maybe guys should be more interesting," I chuckled. It was so strange talking about this stuff with her. We never really would – or rather she never showed an interest. So hearing a note of actual curiosity in her tone, it was weird but... nice.
"You need to start showing those suckers off," she said, jutting a finger at my chest.
"Yeah?" I laughed. "The second I show a little ankle, guys become pigs."
"Jos, look beyond the sea of pigs. You're telling me no respectable man has ever just asked you out?"
"Sure, nice guys have asked me out. I've even been on a few dates before, but they never worked out. Plus, I'm selective I guess," I said, finishing my second slice of the meat-lovers we shared.
"Well, you could snag quite a guy if you keep your options open. And if you decide to wax those bushes above your eyes," she teased. "I'll schedule you an appointment with my eyebrow guy."
"You have an eyebrow guy? No thanks."
The glass door a few feet behind Liz opened. Thank god I was done eating otherwise I probably would have choked. The man that walked in... when I saw him... my stomach sank. Unlike the other times, I was sure of it now. I was positive he was following me.
Blonde hair damp from the misty rain, Peter was wearing jeans and a mesh black zip-up. He was half-way to the ordering counter against the back wall when he looked over and 'just so happen to notice me.' And by the way (and guys, let me really stress this): when he saw me, not an ounce of surprise crossed him – until my sister turned to see what transfixed me.
The moment she saw him, the moment his act began. His eyebrows rose and he smiled in surprise. "Oh wow, hey Josephine," he chuckled, coming over to our table. "Funny seeing you here."
"Yeah. Funny," I breathed, gripping the edge of my chair.
My world felt even smaller now thanks to this intrusion – hell, this violation. Like I was living in a fish bowl where I could always be seen. What did he want? Did he follow us all day to know we were here? I was so pissed, so disturbed. I was considering calling the cops right then and there.
Liz flashed me an exciting glint, bubbling with amusement thanks to what we were ironically just talking about. "Jos, is this a... friend of yours?"
I glanced back up to him. "I wouldn't say that."
She couldn't have thrown her hand towards him any faster. "Well it's nice to meet you. I'm her sister, Liz."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Peter. I think Josephine mentioned you before. Said you were going on an exciting trip if I recall right?" he said politely, shaking her hand. You know, because he was such a nice and chipper fella!
"Again. I don't remember telling you about her trip," I mumbled.
My unwelcoming attitude caused her to nonchalantly kick me under the table while upholding a smile to him. "Yeah, I was on a business trip in Florida up until yesterday. I'm guessing you're the guy she's been telling me all about?"
"You talk about me, huh?"
"Um, no! Liz, I don't remember telling you a thing about him either." Ugh, why did she have to say that?! She was my sister, not my wing-man. I never mentioned him before to her! Great, now she was lying just like Peter. Guess that was a hobby around here!
"Don't act all innocent, Jos," Liz teased.
I lightly kicked her back because I did not appreciate what she was trying to do. Of course, she couldn't help herself since she saw this as a potential romantic opportunity for me. Especially after it was established that I didn't have many of those. If only she knew what a a creep he was....
For her sake, I was on the brink of blurting out that this asshole was stalking me. For Peter's egotistical sake, I was ready to declare that Liz was lying and that I absolutely did not obsess and talk about him. However, before I could exposed it all for my sake, Peter surprised me.
"I am sorry for interrupting you both. I'm actually picking up my order then will be on my way, but I'm happy I ran into you, Josephine. I've wanted to ask you something." Turning more to me, his brown eyes met mine. "Would you like to come over for dinner sometime?"
Dinner? Um... what?!
I was stunned. This Oscar-worthy performance must have been pulled from the deepest depths of his ass. I didn't know where that came from, what he was up to, or how in the world he expected me to say yes. Did he forget we basically hated each other? Did he expect me to play along and be as fake and cordial as he was being? Not to mention, wasn't this asshole married? I guess I shouldn't be shocked. He didn't seem to give a shit about anyone aside from himself.
Liz was also stunned, but more because we were literally just talking about this. Before I could reject the shit out of him, she mumbled, "What are the chances of that?"
"You want me to have dinner with you?" For what? So the next day he could pretend like it never happened?
"I would be honored. If you would like," he said more gently, searching my eyes.
Oh 'I would be honored' my ass! Bravo, Peter. It was a wonderful and convincing show – all because Liz was here. He had some angle or motive because I didn't trust his offer one damn bit. Or hell, maybe he asked just to simply fuck with my head and leave me flustered because he loved getting under my skin! If Liz didn't just point out (ironically) my unwillingness to date, I would have publicly bitched him out.
"Can I speak to you outside?" I muttered, getting out of my seat and marching outside into the misty breeze before he could answer.
He followed behind as I moved away from the windows and under the overhang of a small candy shop next door. The boardwalk was damp, the sky gloomy, and there weren't too many people out and about. Good. Nobody else he needed to perform his act for.
Tucking a few dancing frizzy curls behind my ear, I spun around to face him. "Why are you acting like you want to have dinner with me?"
That fake niceness was gone from his face, but his eyes weren't as cold as they usually are. "It's not a trick. I just wanted to have you over for dinner," he said simply.
"Why? You don't like me," I scoffed, shaking my head.
He looked out towards the bay with amusement. "Just answer the question. Would you like to have dinner with me? I would cook – and I don't even like to cook."
I crossed my arms. "You're telling me you suddenly have the time of day for me and find my company pleasant? You're also much older than me. And— I just... I don't—"
"I'm guessing you don't get invitations like this often. It's not a date, it's just dinner. If you don't want to, all you have to say is no."
"I have a hard time believing it's as easy as saying no considering you like to follow me."
The overcast sky highlighted his tightening stubbly jaw and he looked out to the bay with annoyance. Focusing back on me, his voice turned husky as he stepped closer. "If I stop following you around, you'll have more problems than you can imagine. Now, you could save me an annoying amount of cooking if you just say no at this point."
My brows jumped. Finally... he admitted something. He admitted that he was following me. I didn't know what his angle was with dinner, but I might not get any more answers if I don't accept his offer. The guy wasn't infatuated with me, he didn't mean me any harm either (he had enough chances to anyway). So, instead of freaking out, instead of calling the cops... his creepy admission had the opposite effect.
"Yeah, fine. I'll have dinner with you," I half shrugged, as if it was simple and no big deal.
He probably didn't expect his confirmation of being a stalker to be what sold me on dinner. Taken aback, his lips spread into a small and amusing smile. "Alright. How does this Thursday sound?"
"Well, I get out of work at six that night. Could probably be there by seven."
"I'll see you then."
I didn't know how to feel. It wasn't exactly good though. We both headed back inside; I sat back down with Liz and he spoke to the man at the counter who gave him his take-out pizza. Not sure how he was watching or following me, but he was damn good to have ordered a pizza ahead of time and use that as an excuse to come inside.
When he walked out and left, Liz smacked the table with a laugh. "That was amazing how that lined up with what we were talking about. So did you say yes?"
I took a sip of my water, resting my head against my palm. "Unfortunately."
"See, this is what I was talking about! Be happy about taking chances and putting yourself out there! Who even is he? How have you not mentioned someone that gorgeous?"
"What do you mean? I gushed on and on about him to you," I mumbled sarcastically.
"Hey, you weren't showing an interest, so I had to do it for you."
"Because there isn't an interest. Liz, he is a complete asshole and I don't like him," I sighed. "I feel stupid for saying yes."
"Seemed like a nice guy to me, but... a bit old for you actually," she said in a more thoughtful tone, as if that didn't cross her mind. Probably because she was too wrapped up in his good looks to realize it until now. "Jos, how old is he? He looked more around my age. If he's in his 30s, you're definitely not going to be seeing him. I was just excited someone asked you out, I didn't even think about it."
"Yeah clearly," I chuckled with a nod. "An elderly blind hobo could have asked me out and you would have happily given me away."
"Seriously, Jos. How old?" she asked. It was the first time hearing that 'mom' tone today.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Late 20s maybe? You are more than welcome to forbid me from having dinner with him," I said in a hopeful voice.
"That's much older than 18. Just be careful. Anyway, regardless, I'm excited for you."
That made one of us. Ugh, why didn't I just lie and say he was 40? She would have forced me to stay home and saved me the anxiety. Well, at least if I wind up dead on Thursday night, she'll know who to blame.
What kind of game was Peter playing? Was it a trap? Was he trying to make peace? Since he was following me for some reason, does he need something from me? I had no clue. He wasn't giving off dangerous or creepy vibes, but the thought of having dinner with him made me uneasy – even weirdly intrigued.
What if really was just dinner? That might be worse than him tricking me. I couldn't even imagine having a civil conversation with him. The thought made me almost cringe; it would be more awkward than our usual bickering. Regardless, I know I should be more scared. I was well aware I was going over there, on his terms, completely vulnerable to whatever ulterior motives he had. Oh man, what should I wear? Ugh, I really am nuts, aren't I?
After we headed home, I couldn't help myself and reached out to Jamie. Maybe he had some answers by now or maybe he could explain his brother's random invitation. Plus, I would go insane if I didn't do something to distract myself. I wasn't sure if I still should trust him or not, but for whatever reason, I felt I could.
I texted Jamie around 8:15, this time being more upfront with my intentions than before.
Would you be free tomorrow to hang out? Plus, your brother did something pretty out of character today (he 'happen' to run into me again). Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about it.
A message popped up two minutes later from him. I hope he wasn't too much of a dickhead. How about I bless you with my presence and swing by around noon tomorrow then?
Bless me, huh? And yeah, sounds good to me.
That was that. Simple as ever, right? We had concrete plans to hang out at noon. Jamie was always enthusiastic, always game to hang out, and always on time. Which made tomorrow around noon that much more peculiar. Jamie never came over.
Noon came and went without him pulling into the driveway. I figured he was just running late. People get stuck on the toilet or sleep-in sometimes, you know? But around 1:00, those possibilities didn't seem likely. I texted Jamie, waited for him to reply... but got nothing. By 2:30, I even tried calling him. Again, no answer. Maybe something else just came up? It was a rare sunny day, so I couldn't see him passing this up.
I wasn't a clingy person; let's get that straight right now folks. But Jamie was a self-proclaimed free spirit with all the time in the world to divulge in his social life. Him not showing up or at least calling to cancel seemed out of character. I would have just dropped it and went on with my day... if it wasn't for all the shady shit I've recently experienced. The guy responded always right away over text and was always so eager to hang out. It made me suspicious, even concerned for him.
I paced the living room, fingering my necklace in thought. I never realized this, but I had no idea where Jamie even lived, so it wasn't like I could go check on him. But I did know where his brother lived. Fuck. The last thing – the absolute last thing – I wanted was to deal with Peter. But I couldn't stop wondering why Jamie didn't show up. Was it one more thing they wanted to hide from me?
I was sick of wondering. Wearing a white tee tucked into my jeans, I quickly got ready, threw on my shoes, and headed out the door. Thankfully, I had a decent memory of Jamie taking me home the other day after I woke up on his brother's couch. Not five minutes down the road, I turned twice until I found the private road. Then, after several huge houses, I found it.
These houses had tamed lawns and wide front yards, making it easily visible from the road. Thanks to the sun – and not being in a rush this time – I was able to absorb more details, and let me tell you... holy damn. The two-story home was more like a mansion. It appeared older, but was kept up with the surface being a pristine and smooth white stucco. The center of the home supported two grand long windows on each side of the door. Above them were the second story windows along with a small patio and balcony on each side. And I thought my new place was impressive....
Though it was fenced with trees and wide spaces between each house, the houses were situated close to the vacant road. That's why the driveway stretched to the side of the house to a detached garage. When I parked in front of it, I had to wonder if any vehicles were behind the two large doors it supported since none were in sight. Maybe nobody was home? After making my way to the front porch and ringing the bell though, the door did open.
Peter raised a curved brow, but his eyes looked detached. More so than usual I mean. Seeing me, he let out an impatient sigh. "I know how excited you are for our dinner, but we can't do it any earlier than Thursday."
I rolled my eyes, tucking my thumbs into my pockets. "Do you know where Jamie is? Or could you give me his address? I—"
"He's out of town right now," he said flatly with annoyance.
"Really? That's weird because we just made plans for today. I tried calling him, but he didn't even answer."
"Don't worry, he's fine."
"But not fine enough to answer his phone?"
"With disillusioned eyes, he drew in an irritated breath. It was like this subject caused him to have even less patience than usual - which I didn't realize was possible. "Our uncle needed help on a construction project last minute. He got the call this morning so he headed up north just a couple hours ago. Signal up there is terrible, so that's why you can't get ahold of him. He was in a rush, so he must have just forgot to cancel plans with you. Hope that was worth your thorough investigation. Anything else? I'm busy," he said.
Yes, I was happy to learn why Jamie didn't show up. But another issue took its place. Not sure why or why now... but the way he just spoke to me was forcing me to my tipping point.
He pissed me off all the time, but I was completely over his entitled, rude, and jaded ass. I got absolutely nothing out of any of our interactions, so why in the world should I bother with this bundle of sunshine anymore? He was lucky I agreed to have dinner with him, not the other way around. If he thinks he's hot shit and can fuck with my head, knowing I want answers, he was wrong.
"Yeah, there's something else." Narrowing my eyes and keeping them sternly in his, I stepped up to where he stood sagged against the door frame. "I want you to give me one reason why I shouldn't cancel plans with you? You're married. You're a stalker. You are a bitter and bored snob. You've been withholding your motives, your intentions, and a fuck ton of answers to my questions. And if you disrespect me one more time and pretend like I'm not worth your time, than you won't be worth mine."
His brown gaze was at attention and he studied me. He even stood a little straighter. After a moment... the corner of his lips tilted up almost in admiration. "Well said. Weather you believe me or not, you are worth my time. I'm not going to try to convince you to have dinner with me, but I hope you will. I suppose we'll see if you'll give me that honor. And yes, it would be an honor because I am bitter and bored – but I am not a snob. Now, I am sorry, but I do have to get back to my work."
I was truly taken by surprise at the change in his demeanor, the time he took speaking, and his softer tone with me. There was even a little sympathy in his gaze now. For the amount of respect he seemed to demand for himself, I wasn't sure if many people demanded the same from him.
Earning more of it from him in that moment didn't coax my walls to drop. All it did was make me leave his house knowing I would be back in a few days. And yes guys, I know how stupid I may seem – maybe I was stupid – but having dinner with him (if that's what it really was) would be worth some insight. That was my continuous reasoning anyway.
The fact that I wasn't more cautious was peculiar itself. I did not trust him, I barely knew him, and I didn't really like him. But then why wasn't I more scared? I should be. Did I just want answers that badly?
I will say... there was something about this guy though that made my attention spike. It wasn't good or bad feeling; didn't sway me on liking him or not. Not a red flag but not a white one either. It was just... like alarm bells going off under my skin whenever I was around him. It made me antsy, unsettled, and made my nerves restless and alive. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case anymore when I get some answers. Trust me, I was determined to.