CHAPTER2
PENELOPE
The hallway is unusually quiet.Bunker Lodge is generally bustling, but the evening felt uneventful and tame, at least until Elijah showed up that is. I got the other officers tucked away in their rooms as quickly as possible. Now it’s just Elijah and me. I like the feeling of being by his side.
He’s definitely put on some muscle since the last time we saw each other. Elijah was always athletic but in a cross-country team sort of way. Nothing like the bag of muscles beside me. I can’t take my eyes off of him.
The Elijah standing in front of me now is a full-fledged man, with arms thicker than my thighs and pecs I’d happily waste every afternoon staring at. I’ve always liked him. He’s dependably sweet, loyal, and kind almost to a fault. But this new Elijah is something else entirely. He’s confident, self-assured, and sexy as hell.
I smile to myself, silently praying my face isn’t giving away all my thoughts. Elijah and I grew up together and were always good friends. From the beginning of middle school, right through high school, and part of college, we were inseparable. He and I took turns having harmless crushes on each other, I think… just never at the same time.
Then I started dating Conrad and life moved on as it tends to do. I hate to think about the way we grew apart. My course load was heavy. My boyfriend was wildly possessive. The time between my calls with Elijah stretched from days to weeks to months. Add in a move out of the city and… poof. Elijah dropped out of my life completely.
I never meant for it to happen. Seeing him again brings back every happy memory of our friendship. And deep in my stomach, a spark of hope for something more. When we get to the doorway of his room, I turn to face him.
“It’s really great seeing you again, Penelope. Truly,” he says, pulling me from my thoughts and breaking the silence. “I feel so lucky. I mean, if I had a nickel for every time I thought about you, I’d be a rich man.”
“It’s great seeing you too,” I say, biting my lip. “I’ve missed you.” I turn to walk away but something stops me. I don’t want to leave the elephant in the room left unsaid. I clear my throat. “Hey, Elijah, I wanted to apologize.”
The way his eyebrows lift only makes him more handsome. “What? Why?”
“I feel like it’s my fault that we grew apart in college. I was just so busy with school and then there was the whole crazy boyfriend thing. I let it all get in the way and I know you tried for a long time to keep our friendship alive. But I didn’t return that effort and I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional.” I don’t mean to, but I glance down at his hand and notice there’s no wedding band on his ring finger. I can’t see a guy as handsome as him still being single after all these years, but it’s possible that this is might be my lucky day.
Even as I think it, the concept sounds foreign to my ears.Me. Lucky in love. Finally. Can this be real?
“It’s okay. We were kids and just figuring out life.” He takes a step forward and narrows the gap between us. He smells heavenly, with a cologne that has subtle hints of smoky spices. It makes me want to be closer to him. “I’m just happy to have found you, right back home too. I never thought I’d see the day. I figured you’d be out chasing down a million dreams all over the world by now.”
“As it turns out, my biggest dream was to be back here in Scarlet Springs. It just took me a while to figure that out I guess. Not all of us can be as focused as you.” I poke a finger at the deep-set dimple on his cheek and it makes his mouth turn up at the corners.
“Oh stop it. Focused or boring… who’s to say? But I do have to ask, what happened to good old Conrad?” Elijah folds his massive arms across his chest.
It’s a fair question, but it makes my stomach lurch nonetheless. I take a deep inhale through my nose and try to put into words the years of mental anguish that man has caused me. But before I can say anything, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Buzz. Buzz.
I pull it out to find another blocked number illuminating my screen. I clear the call. “Ugh, speak of the devil. That’s probably him now. He and I didn’t work out. Conrad wasn’t the man I thought he was. Looking back I feel stupid. So many people tried to warn me,youtried to warn me. But I couldn’t see it. I was completely dependent on him before I started to see the cracks in the facade. I wanted to break away but I was so deep in his manipulation and isolated from everyone I loved.” I let out a breath and the heavy weight that has been sitting on my chest lightens just a little. “If I could go back, I would have listened to you from the start.”
“Hey, you can’t beat yourself up over it. You broke up with him and you're starting a new life. That’s what matters. I’m proud of you, that isn’t an easy thing to do.” Elijah puts a hand on my forearm and it sends a jolt of electricity whipping up and down my body. “Now, what’s this business of him calling you repeatedly?” Elijah’s forehead pinches into tight lines.
“Well, you know how he is. Conrad wasn’t exactly happy about my decision to leave him. I disappeared in the middle of the night and left everything I own. So he likes to call me from every random, blocked number under the sun. If I answer by chance, he likes to alternate between two narratives. The first is a furious, sarcastic reminder that I’m nothing without him. The second is a sobbing guilt trip about how much he needs me. It’s toxic. I’ve changed my number twice, but he keeps finding ways around it. So for now, I just keep clearing the calls.”
Elijah’s eyes widen and I see the muscles in his throat clench. “I can put a stop to that today.”
“No, don’t worry about it. He’s gone a little psycho on me, but I’m safe here. I’m back home and I’m way out in the woods. Even if he wanted to find me, I don’t think he can. I’ve all but vanished from social media.”
“You shouldn’t have to hide. Dammit, this is just like him.” Elijah balls his fist. “Let me talk to him next time he calls. I’m sure I can fix this for you.”
That’s just like Elijah, he’s always wanted to swoop in and save the day. But I’m not the girl I used to be and I don’t need protection. I can stand on my own two feet. I shake my head and bite back a smile.
“You’ve always been my hero. But I’m okay now. I’m not hiding, I’m living for the first time in a long time.” I try to sound confident, but I admit if only to myself that I’m still shaken by the reach of Conrad’s anger. Just this morning I was sure I saw his truck parked out in the woods. But by the time I made my way out there, the vehicle was nowhere to be seen. I know it was my mind playing tricks on me again.
I clear my throat. I have Elijah standing in front of me for the first time in years. The absolute last thing I want to talk about is Conrad. In fact, right now, there’s only one thing on my mind.
My eyes sweep his left hand. “I’ve noticed you don’t have a wedding band on. You’re not still single, are you? It’s impossible. I’d have guessed that you have two kids and a white picket fence just outside of town by now. Isn’t that the path you were on?”
He lets out a deep, hearty chuckle, scratching his sandy-blonde hair. “Yeah, actually. Funny story, I almost tied the knot last year, but things ended up falling apart a couple of months before the wedding. I was, as it turns out… too boring.” He runs a hand across the back of his neck, rolling it from side to side. “What can you do? I’m an old soul.”
“Well, she must be crazy. Losing a man like you is the mistake of a lifetime. Take it from someone who's done it.” I swallow hard and clear my throat fighting back the nerves futtering in my stomach. “I’m sorry to hear that, it must have been hard.”