I laugh. “You’ll love it. I promise, we’ll make the meeting quick so you can get to your relaxing evening.”
“Know where I can get some more of this?” she asks, picking up her glass of wine.
“The wine cellar is full but there should be a couple of bottles in the wine fridge in the kitchen. Let me grab it for you.”
“You have a separate fridge just for wine?” she asks as I walk toward the kitchen. “Damn, a tub and shower you could drown in and a wine fridge? Living the dream, Mr. Carmichael.”
“I do. It’s like this place was made just for you,” I tease, but I can’t help but think of her living here forever. Not just living, but staying in my room, in my bed. I shake the thoughts from my head. I don’t need to go twisting this into something it’s not. She’s not going to be here forever. Don’t get used to this.
After dinner, we make our way to my office to prep for our meeting with Jeff. I fill her in on my relationship with him and assure her that he’s the best. I can’t tell if her confidence is a facade or if she’s actually happy to have me getting involved in this situation.
“It’s nice to meet you, Wren. My name is Jeff Dellow, and I’ve been doing this a long time. You’re in good hands.”
She forces a smile as she shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He takes a seat next to Wren and across from me. “I have some questions for you if you don’t mind,” he says, looking at her, and she replies with a nod.
“First, what does this man look like? Hair color, eye color, height, weight? Does he have any identifying marks such as birthmarks, tattoos, scars?”
She takes a deep breath and stares off into the distance as she thinks. “The man has dark hair and dark eyes. Sometimes he has some scruff growing on his face, but it’s not often so I think it’s just when I’ve seen him between shaves. He’s usually wearing a blue baseball cap. He’s taller than me but shorter than Theo and I’d guess he weighs around one seventy? Pretty average build I’d say, maybe a little on the slim side. He’s always dressed casual, jeans and a jacket, tennis shoes. But I’ve only ever saw his hands, neck, and face. Never his arms or legs so I haven’t noticed any kind of marks on his skin.”
“Okay,” he says, writing everything down. “Now, tell me about the times you’ve seen him, time of day, where?”
She nods. “I started seeing him on the train I take to and from work. At first, it was only in the mornings and it seemed like he was on there before me. Then I started seeing him get on at my stop. Then it moved on to after work too. One time, I think he even followed me to work. I didn’t see him get off on my stop but just as I was about to walk into the office, I swear I saw him standing in the café window across the street.” She shakes her head and crosses her arms as if a cold chill runs through her. “Then this morning, I was leaving my apartment for work and I saw him across the street. He was—watching my building.”
“I’ll need you to write down the address of your home and your work so I can check both areas.”
She nods and I hand her a pen and a small pad of paper. Her hands are shaking just from talking about all of this but she does her best to hold steady as she writes.
“Now, do you know anyone who would be stalking you? Have you had any major life changes, stressful events or confrontations with anyone? Maybe a friend, an ex-lover, or family member?”
She looks at me and I look at her.
“No, nobody,” she replies.
I want to roll my eyes but I refrain. Of course she wouldn’t think Penn would be capable of this.
“What about Penn?” I ask.
Jeff looks at me. “Who is Penn?”
“Penn Bradley is my ex-boyfriend. He has been having a hard time with the breakup. He still calls and texts, and he did show up to my place of work the other day and we talked and had lunch. But I don’t think he’d do something like this. I mean, he has no reason to have someone follow me. We’ve been in touch; he’s not blocked on my phone, and he knows where I live.”
“Was he possessive of you when you were together?” he asks.
Wren shrugs as she moves her head from one side to the other. “He was a little jealous of the time I spent with Theo when we’d have to take business trips.”
We both know he was a possessive asshole but I don’t interrupt her. He was also an insecure little shit that would manipulate and gaslight her into doing what he wanted.
“Do you think it’s possible that this guy is just wanting to make sure that you’re not spending your time with any other men?”
Wren knots her fingers together as she thinks it over. “I don’t know. I would like to think he wouldn’t. Things between us have been a lot better since the breakup. I mean, yes, he’s having a hard time, but I’ve been trying to be nice. I haven’t had to push him away. For the most part, he’s respected my wishes and has stayed away. He’s not violent or anything like that.”
“Which could just be another reason he is staying away. He has someone watching you,” I point out.
Jeff looks between us. “Even if it’s nothing, it deserves a look. Don’t you think?”
Eventually she nods.
“Please write his info down for me as well.”
Wren does as he asks, then she looks up at me. “Can I go now? I’d like to get to that relaxing evening you promised.”
“I think I have all I need for now,” Jeff says, not wanting to completely stress her out.
Wren stands and leaves my office.
When I know she’s not going to overhear, I say, “Penn is my bet. The guy is a grade A piece of shit and he likes to manipulate her any way he can to get what he wants. He especially doesn’t like me. If he thinks we’re spending time together, I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like this.”
“Is what she said true? Is he nonviolent? I need to know what I can expect here, Mr. Carmichael.”
“Yes, he hasn’t been that I know of but—frankly, Jeff, I wouldn’t put it past this guy.” I look back over my shoulder to double-check Wren isn’t standing there. “Keep that between us, please.”
“I will leave no stone unturned, sir.”
I nod and we both stand so I can show him out. I shake his hand at the door. “Keep me updated.”
He nods. “I will.”
I close and lock the door behind him, then pour a stiff drink and flop back into my desk chair. After all this time, it still blows me away that Wren is so quick to buy into Penn’s lies. Why can’t she see what he really is, what he’s really doing to her? If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure she sees him for exactly what he is.
I finish off my drink and make sure the doors are locked and the alarm system is armed before turning out the lights and heading to my room. I strip out of my suit and kick off my shoes before going into my bathroom and climbing into the shower. I sit on the bench and turn on the steam, wanting to release the day out of my pores. I lean my head back against the tiled wall and close my eyes. For some reason, I picture Wren doing the same thing I am right now, and I wish we could’ve saved some time by doing it together. I imagine the curves of her body that I yearn to touch. I can see the sweat beading up on her brow and rolling down her face. I wet my lips as I imagine pulling her plump lips to mine.