Page 18 of Unexpected Danger
And never once to thank Mom for all she’d done and for being the mother Londyn never had.
Even now, when the call came in with no voice message, Brodie had contemplated whether or not to call her back. He stared at his phone and at her number on the screen. His finger hovered over the call button. It was late, but if she needed him—
If that was why she’d called…
Brodie swallowed the bitter taste of indecision, prayed a hasty prayer, hoping God would answer the burning question immediately, then turned off his phone for the night andwandered to his bedroom, all the while knowing sleep would elude him.
Chapter 6
Londyn finished speaking with Detective Rivas the following morning and provided him with the latest details about the phone call and eerie text, before arriving at work.
The phone rang immediately.
“Patient accounts, this is Londyn. Which doctor or provider are you calling about?” She reiterated her memorized spiel.
The woman on the other end set up payment arrangements for the dermatologist, and Londyn returned the phone to its cradle. She rubbed her neck, then stretched it from side to side, hoping to alleviate some of the tension.
Jasmine’s head popped above the cubicle wall. “Want to go out for lunch?”
“Sure.” Lunch at the Italian restaurant Jasmine was fond of was just the remedy to take Londyn’s mind off her stalker.
Dustin joined them, and the three of them walked out of the office building with Dustin in the middle. Thunder sounded, and a steady rain pounded on the sidewalk. This was certainlyset to be one of the wettest years on record. Dustin opened his umbrella and shared it with Londyn and Jasmine.
“Surprised you don’t have your own umbrella.” He tilted his head toward Londyn.
“They weren’t really necessary where I’m from.”
“Because you had no rain?”
She peered at his face, teasing in his eyes. She appreciated how Dustin’s chatty and witty sense of humor lightened the mood.
“No, because we usually made a run for our car. It’s a small town, so we didn’t spend a lot of time just walking to places.”
“Ugh,” said Jasmine. “I wouldhateliving in a small town. What’s there to do?”
“Plenty. You just have to be creative.”
They reached the restaurant, and Londyn took a seat in the booth beside Jasmine with Dustin across from them.
“Isn’t the server so gorgeous?” Jasmine swooned at the server, the owner’s son. “He must be filling in for one of his employees today.” She lowered her voice. “Not only is he totally hot, but also incredibly thoughtful with an amazing work ethic.”
The server, who obviously spent time at the gym, returned with drinks a few minutes later. He took their order, and Jasmine engaged him in pleasant conversation while twirling a strand of her naturally curly hair.
Jasmine put her elbows on the table and leaned toward Dustin. “How does a girl let a guy know she’s interested?”
“Well, for one, she makes eye contact.” He sent a probing gaze in Londyn’s direction. “Then, she takes an interest in him. Compliments him. Makes pleasant conversation and gets to know him. Maybe smiles or offers some flirtatious gestures.” He again made eye contact with Londyn. “Or rests her hand on his arm for some slight physical touch, things like that.” He briefly rested his hand on Londyn’s.
She waited to feel some sort of zip of electricity up her arm as she had with Brodie. Nothing came. Dustin’s warm hand remained on hers for several seconds before he removed it, his attention remaining on her.
“Thank you. It’s not like I’m new to this game, and this is far from my first rodeo, but this guy is different. I think he might be the one.”
“And you know this how?” asked Londyn.
“When you know, you know,” said Dustin. This time, his expression was one of seriousness. Something crossed his gaze that Londyn couldn’t quite define.
Perhaps she was placing too much emphasis on “feeling” something. Feelings were untrustworthy. Fleeting.
“You can’t do this with the server, but one way I personally let someone know I care about her and would like to get to know her better is to be there for her. Take care of her when she finds herself in frightening situations.”
