Page 17 of The Homecoming

She smiled. “You didn’t have to.”

“Sure I did. Besides, she feeds us at a discount. I felt bad for leaving you with pretty much no training.”

“Still better than being a temp.” She pointed at the computer screen. “Come look at this. I have your appointments down in this calendar and you can sync it with your phone so any changes I make here will show up there and vice versa.” She read a note for that day, turning back to him. “Oh, and don’t forget you have an electrician coming for the barn at two today.”

He stared at her. “I love you.”

She laughed.

“Don’t tell Dan or Ben I said that,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be back. Do you need anything else?”

“I still have questions about these random names and numbers, but they can wait.”

“Cool, then please eat and take a break.” Without another word, he walked out again.

There was something unsettling about being alone in the old house, off in a back room with little human contact. The travel agency never had anyone come in, but she had watched people walk by on the street. The old house creaked and popped randomly in the silence. She had been paranoid about possibly spotting Mark for weeks now, but he hadn’t shown up. It had been nothing more than the workings of her overactive imagination. Would he come out now that she was back here all alone? Ben and Brandon were still on the property, and there would be more people coming and going. She couldn’t live her life in fear. Autumn opened the food Brandon brought her and tapped the internet icon on the computer, planning on browsing her lunch break away before returning to her duties as assistant manager.

9.

By Friday night, it was time to celebrate a hard week of work at Huntington Farms by meeting her friends, including her new bosses, at The Bar for a drink. Afterwards, Daniel was planning on taking her out for a nice dinner. She hadn’t spoken to Hannah or Rebecca all week—office organization had proven to be a full-time job and then some. Autumn had finally managed to sort through the couple of hundred random emails, responding to those who wanted information on having their wedding at the farm. Since they only had artist renderings of what the property was going to look like, selling was a challenge, but she’d convinced the guys to offer a discount to those who booked before completion. In the meantime, Autumn was doing an internet tutorial on how to use the accounting software. She missed her lazy days with Daniel, but she might be good at this. She found herself quite invested in how the place would turn out.

Standing at the bar and watching her friends talk and laugh at the table, she ordered a pitcher of beer for everyone. Then someone moved in her periphery.

“Hi Autumn. Miss me?”

Autumn bristled. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for you,” he said.

“Go away, Mark.”

“Let’s just talk and catch up.”

“I’m not gonna do that. I’m here with my friends and I want you to leave me alone.”

“Oh come on, just talk to me,” he replied.

“The lady said to leave her alone.” Daniel’s voice came from behind her.

Oh shit.

“Look, pal, how about you mind your own business?” Mark suggested.

“Don’t do this. You don’t wanna do this,” she said to Mark. She attempted to stay between the two men, but Brandon grabbed her arm, pulling her away. She protested, but the look on Brandon’s face disagreed.

“How about I break your neck?” Dan replied.

Mark smiled. “I’m guessing you don’t know she’s engaged. That’s my fiancée you’re screwing around with.” Mark poked Dan in the chest, making Autumn hold her breath. “You’re the one who needs to leave her alone.”

Daniel’s smile chilled Autumn to the bone. Mark was a dead man, though he didn’t know it yet. “Dude, she ain’t marrying you and your pathetic little pencil dick.”

Mark turned bright red. “Alright, asshole,” he growled before throwing a clumsy punch that Dan sidestepped with ease. Barry, the bartender, was yelling at them to knock it off. Daniel’s movements were stealth poetry; he grabbed Mark’s arm, twisted it behind him, and slammed him head first down on the bar. He made it look easy, like Mark was a rag doll. Mark attempted to move, but Dan smashed his head back down on the bar. Dan lifted him off the bar top and dragged his dazed body to the door, shoving him into the parking lot and followed him out. The two men were nowhere near evenly matched. Daniel was an elite soldier while Mark was nothing but an elite dill hole, and not much else.

“Daniel, stop,” Autumn yelled. “Stop him,” she screeched at the guys gathered around.

“We can’t stop him,” Justin replied.

Brandon agreed. “There’s no way.”

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