Page 40 of Reckless Single Daddy

She nods furiously, pointing back at the screen to pull up a photo from one of the blog posts the person wrote.

“That painting is a painting I never intended to release,” she says. I look closer at it and notice how the painting’s various colors and strokes form my face. “I made it when I was angry at you, so I planned to redo the style for my collection. This painting… isn’t available anywhere. It’s in my bedroom, in my closet.”

Mike curses under his breath.

“This post is dated on the day Sloane received the first letter,” I say as Sloane and I exchange looks, realizing that if this person had time to drop off the letter, it makes sense they had time to enter the house beforehand. I can’t believe it. Sloane could have been there when this person showed up, but she was in Denver with me.

And her parents. I shudder to think what it would have been like if they had been there, too.

She folds her arms around herself, looking very uneasy. If the stalker was in the house, what else did they do? Did they take anything? Did they put anything in there?

One thing is for certain: I don’t feel safe letting Sloane stay at her parents’, but I know her. She won’t want to alter her plans.

My ears perk up as Mike’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “We got a name,” he says.

“What is it?” I demand.

“His name is James Pickens. Does that name ring any bells?”

I look to Sloane, who frowns and shakes her head. I’ve been working with many people in this town for years, and James Pickens doesn’t stand out to me whatsoever, which makes me think he isn’t a local, but he’s in town.

“We only have one bed and breakfast in this town, so he has to be hiding out there,” I reply.

I hear Mike’s chair squeak on the other end as he gets up. “Yup. We’re gonna head out there now and talk to Bernadette. I’ll let you know if we find him,” he says before ending the call.

I exhale deeply as Sloane stands beside me silently. I turn and take her hands in mine.

“This will be over soon. I promise,” I tell her softly.

She grimaces at me, but kisses my head gently before stepping back. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she says before slowly walking out of my office, leaving me with my thoughts.

Chapter eighteen

Sloane

I couldn’t sleep last night. Haunted by the thought of this psycho rummaging through my room, searching for things—private things—to post about me or maybe keep for himself sends goosebumps throughout my body and chills down my spine.

If he did that, could he sneak in again and watch me sleep? Or do something more sinister?

As soon as I made it home, Cade walked me inside, checking every nook and cranny for any cameras. I make a mental note to ask him how he would know how to sweep a room like that. Healso made sure to check that every window and door was locked. My parents didn’t ask questions about his overprotectiveness—Mike filled them in on the basics—so they appreciated the extra security.

I finally managed to get to sleep, but a furious knock against my door wakes me up. Groggily, I sit up and tell the person to come in.

Mia steps inside, dressed and ready. When she sees my state, she shakes her head and groans. “Are you serious? You’re not up yet?”

I rub my eyes tiredly. I don’t want to tell her I had trouble sleeping, but I also don’t want her to be pissed at me either when it was something I didn’t have control over.

“I’m sorry, Mia. I’ll be ready soon,” I reply, yawning as she sighs deeply, her patience clearly running thinner and thinner by the second.

She shuts the door behind her as I roll out of bed. I cross my bedroom, stopping to look out the window to see Cade’s sports car just barely peeking around the corner of the house across the street. I smile softly as I think about him staying nearby to watch over me after dropping Liam off at Mike’s. I feel bad, though. He shouldn’t feel like he has to spend this time protecting me. Granted, I know Liam is being taken care of, but I’m sure he’d rather be in his own bed and waking up to his father.

I roll my neck, releasing the tension, but it doesn’t relieve me from all the impending stress I’m about to encounter. Today, Mia, her bridesmaids—including yours truly—and Mom are doing test runs with the glam vendors. Basically, I’m going to spend the day getting my hair and makeup done while I listen to Mia and her friends gab about how amazing Killian and their respective husbands are. And Killian is great, don’t get me wrong. And I’m sure theirs are okay, too, but I can’t include myself in conversations like that. Though Mike knows about Cade, and my family has a general idea about him, the entire town will talk if I let it get out further. Cade is highly respectable in Rose Valley, but he’s also deemed a highly eligible bachelor. If someone outside the family found out he was dating someone ten years his junior, the ramifications wouldn’t fall on him; they’d fall on me.

I sigh. What do I care what a couple of gossip girls think, anyway? If anything, they should be jealous that one of the most eligible men in the state chose me over the rest of them.

When I finish getting ready and walk downstairs, Mia and Mom are standing near the kitchen island. “Perfect, you’re ready,” Mia says. “Let’s go. Cammie said she’s already there.”

Mia rushes us out before I can even make coffee. She brushes past me, and I have no choice but to let her go first. I close my eyes to calm my rising frustration before Mom comes up beside me and holds out a to-go cup with a knowing grin. I smile gratefully at her as I take a sip of the delicious coffee, hoping it will give me the fuel I need to push through this day.

---