Page 18 of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

“Sure, Livvy.” He releases my wrist and holds his hands up in front of him in that ‘calm down’ placating manner men take when they think a woman is being irrational. “No harm, no foul.” Then he turns around to leave. Hand to the door, he looks over his shoulder at me. “See you around, Livvy.”

I suck in a sharp breath. If it’s one thing I know, it’s men. And what he said was no parting remark. That’s a promise. The look he sends, the sound of his voice, he absolutely intends to see me again.

“Sweetie,” Dr. Grandville says as he places a comforting hand over mine. “You want me to call the police? You’re shaking.”

“No, thank you. He didn’t really do anything wrong. Paid for his gas and told me he’d see me around.”

“He grabbed your wrist, that’s assault,” Dr. Grandville tells me what I already know. But if I go on record, I could be traced. By Raif. By Houdini. No, it’s safer just to let it ride for now.

“I know, but I don’t want him to think he’s getting to me. I call the police and he’ll know. So I’m going to let it slide this time. Please…” I implore him with my eyes. “Let it slide this time?”

“Yes, well just this time… I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,” I admit.

Dr. Grandville, the sweet man, stays in the store with me until the end of shift, even ordering lunch to be delivered so he wouldn’t have to leave me. I pull a chair from the backroom for him to sit near the counter and at least be comfortable while he gives up his time to see me safe.

Once second-shift Krissy comes in to take over, he won’t even let me walk out back to my car alone, staying until I slide inside, lock the doors and start the engine.

Then Dr. Grandville waves me off.

I back out of the spot and drive directly home.

After I walk in and lock the door behind me, I hang my keys on the key hook I’d installed and head to the kitchen for a beer. I need a beer.

Again I’m met with the light left on. I thought for sure I’d turned it off this morning. Whatever. The douche showing up today is messing with my head, that’s all. I left the light on. Period. Considering this, I run my hands through my hair, scratching my scalp. Not sure how I keep forgetting to turn them off. My electric bills are going to be huge if I don’t stop being so scatterbrained.

My sleep has been improving, though still not perfect, so I’m at a loss as to why I can’t get my shit together.

No, I know why. Gage. I miss him more than I thought I ever would. But what did I expect? He’s the love of my life. My soulmate. My… everything.

When I open the refrigerator, my beer is on the top shelf.Wait a god dammed second. I never put beer on the top shelf. It goes in the door. Always in the door.

But maybe this time I did put it there?

My phone rings and I jump, then laugh at myself when I see the name. Smitty.

“Hello?” I answer, still laughing.

“Jerry said you had some trouble at the store today?”

Jerry? Oh, Jerry, right. Dr. Grandville.

“He shouldn’t have bothered you. I’m fine, really,” I tell him while pulling a beer from the six pack, popping the cap off with the magnetized bottle opener I keep on the refrigerator door.

“Well, that’s not how he recounts it. He said you were uncomfortable to the point of shaking. That the guy wouldn’t leave when you asked him to.”

“Something like that.” I breathe into the line.

“Well, from now on you aren’t working alone. I’m contacting a security firm, keep one of those rent-a-cops around ’till this is taken care of.”

“Smitty, that’s really not nec—”

“It’s done.” He cuts me off. “Now Georgie has dinner on the table, so I’m going. But you got the next couple days off until I can set that guard in place.”

He doesn’t even give me the chance to protest, hanging up on me. Hopefully, he’s just rearranging the schedule so my coworkers don’t hate me.

My phone rings again. This time I don’t start.

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