Page 51 of Unbearable

Hours passed, and the sun had set by the time we called it quits.

“Looks like we made a good dent. I’ll see to it that everything being replaced is out of here before the delivery comes in,” Trent remarked, wiping dirt from his forehead.

I nodded, a smile tugging at my lips. “Yeah, it is starting to really look like a fixer-upper.”

Glancing around the dusty interior, even with piles of debris scattered haphazardly across the floor, I couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement. Each day, this cabin was slowly transforming. There was still a lot of work ahead, but I welcomed the challenge.

Gravel crunched under my tires as Trent’s house came into view. It had been a long day, and I was looking forward to a shower and slipping into my favorite pajamas.

Trent’s truck followed mine. Before I had a second toturn off the engine, he was slamming his truck door and striding up to the front porch.

That’s when I saw it—a big bouquet of lilies.

Trent had his phone to his ear. “Dotty got another bouquet. Waiting on my fucking front porch for us when we got back from the cabin.” He sighed and looked over at me. “Okay, see you in a sec.” He hung up the phone and shook his head. “Colt’s on his way.”

My fingers twisted around my necklace, and I nodded at him, swallowing hard. “Thanks.”

Walking over to the bouquet, I picked up the note, ignoring the bitter taste in my mouth.

I’ve been admiring you from afar for years. But now it is time for you to see me. Soon you’ll notice me.

The escalating tone of the notes, the frequency of the lilies, even the possibility of texts had started to unnerve me. This wasn’t feeling like a secret admirer anymore. It was becoming downright unsettling.

My life wasn’t perfect. But I loved my career, my family, Noah. I had learned to love my comfortable, predictable routine, and this had thrown a big wrench in that.

Trent looked at the note from over my shoulder. “Dotty, this is not good.” He dragged his hand across his face.

“I know.”

EIGHTEEN

Trent

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW - BRETT YOUNG

Colt’s policecar came into view in the distance. The nauseating smell of fucking lilies hung in the air, pissing me off. I struggled to suppress it, knowing it was the last thing Dotty needed.

But, fuck, this was only getting worse. This was even more of an escalation than before.

Colt stepped out of his car and cleared his throat. “Hey, Trent. Dotty.” He opened his arms for his sister, who stepped into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head.

“You shouldn’t have received anything. I spoke to the owner at Falls Florals, who promised nothing would be sent without notifying me,” Colt said.

“How could this have slipped through the cracks? This shouldn’t be happening still,” I growled.

“Could it have been another shop outside of town?” Dotty said.

“Possible, but that would definitely come at a cost to deliver this far. Not a great sign,” Colt replied, his eyebrows drawing together.

“Any leads from the previous notes?” Dotty’s expressionwas tense, and I could see the worry etched into every line of her pretty face under the glow of the porch light.

“No. They used a fake name and an untraceable VPN. We don’t have the resources that Seattle does, and they haven’t been much help since it’s now out of their jurisdiction,” Colt explained.

Dotty sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I just don’t understand why someone would do this,” she whispered with a blank stare.

Tentatively, I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing my anger down. “We will figure this out,” I assured her. “You aren’t alone in this.”

She glanced up at me, her eyes full of a vulnerability that I knew she had been trying hard to hide.

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