Page 39 of From Rivals to I Do

“Hey now, Darla! Wait a minute,” Eli calls after me, but I’m moving far too fast, and he doesn’t catch up to me until we get outside.

“I’m sorry. . . but we’ve got to go,” I say.

“No, we don’t,” Eli insists. “So what if he’s here?”

“You don’t understand, Eli. He’s awful,” I say as my lip starts to quiver and tears begin to creep up in the corners of my eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s stalking me,” I say. “At least I think so. I don’t know, but he’s constantly stopping at my house. The last time he was there I told him to leave me alone and he told me I’d regret it. . . and now he’s here.”

“Shoot. . . It’s alright, darlin’,” Eli says as he pulls me in close to him and holds me. I can feel my heartbeat begin to slow. “I’m not going to let anybody hurt you.”

“Really?” I ask.

“Mm-hmm,” Eli replies, his jaw tightening a pinch. “Point him out to me.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to get involved—”

“Darla, I care about you,” Eli says, “and even if I didn’t know you, I couldn’t allow a woman to be terrorized by some jerk. So, point him out through the window, and I’ll take care of it.”

***

“There, sitting at the bar with those other three guys at the end, talking to them,” Darla says, and as I squint through the glass, I’m shocked to see Mitch sitting there with them. He’s leaned up against the wall and laughing with the other two.

She’s got to be telling the truth about him being in there, I think to myself. I mean, Mitch already admitted he’s friends with the guy. But I’m sure he doesn’t realize that he’s been following Darla around.

“Why don’t you go on and wait in your car, and I’ll come back in a minute, alright?” I say.

“Eli. . . don’t,” Darla says. “I’m not sure what he’s capable of right now. He’s acting. . . off.”

“Don’t you worry about me, I promise I can handle myself,” I insist as I walk her to her car and then head back into Moonshine and Music.

“Which one of you two is Joseph?” I ask as I walk right up to the bar. One of the guys raises his eyebrows.

“That’d be me,” he replies. “Who’s asking?”

“Me, that’s who,” I reply as I feel the heat of anger crawls up my neck. “What kind of a man can’t take “leave me alone” for an answer?”

“Excuse me?” Joseph replies, looking confused. But I’m sure it’s all a charade.

“You being here when Darla and I are on our date after you keep showing up at her house,” I snap. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Look man, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Joseph says. “I think you have me confused for someone else. I don’t even know a Darla.”

“Now, I know you’re not going to sit here and lie to my face—”

“Hey, hey, hey, alright,” Mitch says with a grunt as he gets up. “Excuse us, gentlemen.”

Mitch guides me away from the bar, and he has an irritated look on his face. “Eli! What in the blue blazes are you doing?”

“Your friend is stalking Darla,” I reply angrily. “I can’t allow that.”

“Oh, come on, Eli,” Mitch says.

“He’s already showing up at her house and threatening her,” I insist.

“Says who?” Mitch asks.

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