Page 81 of Bewitch

“Or I could teach you how to do that yourself,” he offers. “I know I mentioned it before, that Brooke has…”

“I don’t know. I’m good right now, I think. Trying to balance all of the food prep and classes and going to the gym six days a week… It’s a lot.”

“Which is why I haven’t been to the gym all that often with you.” Brooke makes a face. “I’m sorry.”

“No! I’m just glad I’ve been willing to stick it out. When Heather left… I should text her and see how she’s settling in. Texas. Man, what a change from Cali.”

Right? Her husband’s job was why they left, right?”

“Yep. I’m not sure what he does, but I’ll catch you guys later.”

I wave and leave, only to walk over to the next door over.

No one answers.

“Eliza? Kaylie?” I call.

The door opens. Eliza smiles at me. “Thanks for calling out. I wasn’t sure if I heard someone knock or not.”

“Should I bang on the door next time?”

“Yes, actually.” She taps her ear that she can’t hear well from. “This sucks.”

“I can only imagine. I wanted to talk to you.”

“About…”

“The janitor.”

Eliza wrinkles her nose and blows out a long breath. “Come on in.”

I do just that. She waves over to her computer desk area, and I sit in her chair as she sits on her bed.

“Has there been any other incidents?” I ask her.

“Nothing that is terrible,” she says.

“So something small,” I prompt.

She grimaces and tilts her head to the side. “It’s enough to make me wonder but also small enough that maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill.”

“If he’s making you feel uncomfortable, that’s not something to be ignored,” I assure her. “What is he doing?”

“I swear he watches me,” she says. “No matter where I am, which class I’m entering or leaving, he is always around. I’ve taken to walking the opposite way just to avoid him, and when he realized that, he started to move to the other side, so I have to go a different way each time just to avoid him, and if I can’t find him and accidentally go his way, he’ll always ask me how I’m doing, even if it happens more than once in a day. The same questions: ‘How are you?’ ‘What are you plans tonight?’ ‘What are you doing this weekend?’ Why would he need to ask me twice in the same day about my plans that night? And he never seems to ask anyone else either, just me. It makes me feel like he’s singling me out.”

“Have you found out if anyone else has any issues with him?” I ask.

She glances down, rubbing her hands together and then tugging on the earlobe of her good ear. “I haven’t been asking around like I said I would because I’m… I don’t want to know if it’s just me. If it is…”

“It doesn’t matter if it is only you,” I assure her. “He shouldn’t make you or anyone feel uncomfortable.”

“I did talk to one other friend about it,” she says in a rush. “Her name is Melody Cooke. She said she doesn’t like the look of him, but that was all she said about him.”

I nod. “Okay. Eliza? Would you be willing to do something for me?”

“Sure.”

I grin, loving that she’s agreed before I even said what it is that I’m thinking. “Start filming him on your phone. Avoid him still, as you’ve been, but film him. He needs to be held accountable for his actions.”

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