Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Josie

Four Days Before…

"Can I please have the coconut milk with tapioca?"

The barista yelled my order back to the kitchen as I walked over toward the small black table in the corner. I loved college, but nothing beat our small-town coffee shop.

It rivaled any franchise hands down.

The line at the cash register began to move slowly while I played on my cell phone. The relief of enjoying summer without summer classes hit me when I slept in until 9 a.m. on a Saturday.

My cell phone vibrated in my hands, Jacob's name crossing the screen again. Sighing loudly, I let my head plop dramatically against the table. I knew answering would only lead to an unwanted conversation about my decision not to marry him.

How many ways could a girl say no before it clicked?

Many, apparently.

"Number 48."

I got up to grab my drink and pay for it. The first sip hit my soul like a waterfall of comfort. I walked out onto the sidewalk, heading two stores down to the small Cat House.

Most of the town was against it for whatever reason, but my dad approved it. Since my mother was allergic to cats, I never had one growing up, so I would come on Saturdays to enjoy a few cuddles while I drank my coffee.

The door dinged when I opened it. Several cats raised their heads from their places around the room. My favorite tabby looked up from a small pink beanbag in the corner.

The owner, Hilda, had a be back in five sign on her desk. That wasn't the smartest idea, but the safety in our small town ran deep. I plopped down next to the tabby and petted her head.

She rolled over, begging me to scratch under her chin.

"Who's a pretty girl—"

Something thumped loudly against the glass window, making the tabby jump up from her spot and hide under the futon.

I turned to look, only seeing a single black crow staring at me from the closest stop sign. It must have flown into the glass. At least he made it out alive.

He cawed at me twice before flying over the building.

"Geesh," I said, getting down on all fours to lure the tabby from her hiding spot. "Come on, baby girl."

She hissed at me, startling me back onto my knees. "What's the matter?" I asked.

She swatted her paw when I tried to reach under and touch her.

Standing up, I frowned at my favorite tabby and decided to go back home before I ran into anyone I knew from town. Living in a small town was bittersweet. I loved the idea of the close-knit community, but with Dad being the mayor, it was easy to get sucked into a conversation about politics that I didn't care about.

I jogged across the road to where I parked my Kia, slid inside, and started the engine. Sweat gathered at my hairline, the A/C quickly relieving me from summertime in Louisiana.

I drove home with my cell phone vibrating from text messages and calls the entire way. Part of me wanted to change my number, but with my job starting soon, I didn't want to miss anything.

Plus, I'd already blocked Jacob's number three different times, but he bought burner phones and borrowed his friend's to get to me.

It was an ongoing cycle that grew older by the minute.

There was excitement in our yard when I pulled down our gravel drive toward my parking spot.

I stopped a quarter of the way there when I realized who Luther was speaking to.

Jacob. He'd driven to my parents' house to talk to me.

Anger and fear jolted down my spine. The audacity of him to show up at my parents' house. However, his not being able to let this go frightened me deep down.

Jacob had never hurt me.

But this was hurting the both of us.

I pressed on the gas, slinging rocks down the gravel drive, drawing Jacob and Luther's attention.

Jacob turned to face me, walking alongside my car as I parked, and got out. He was much taller than I was, so when he stopped in front of me, I angled my neck to look him in the eyes.

"What is your problem?" I hissed.

Jacob lifted both brows, giving me a flabbergasted look as if I was the problem, not him.

Sliding his tongue over his teeth, he placed both hands on his hips and finally met my stare. "Seriously, Josie? You've been ignoring me for weeks, and I'm the problem."

Luther's hurried footsteps stopped beside us. He looked unsure of what to do.

"Go get Daddy," I said softly.

Jacob laughed. "You think I'm afraid of your father? I deserve for you to talk to me," he said. "We dated for years, and you"ve uprooted me?"

I crossed my arms, refusing to cower down as he expected me to. "It's over, Jacob. I'm sorry. When you proposed, I didn't have the urge to say yes. Would you really want me to pretend with you my entire life?"

He swallowed roughly. If someone's pride taking a hit was a person—it'd be Jacob.

"I'm sorry," I said, reaching forward to touch his forearm, but he recoiled from me. It was probably for the best. "I'm not marrying you."

Jacob stared at me long and hard. There was something dark in his eyes that I'd never seen before. Hate? Regret? It didn't matter either way because I prayed to never see him again.

"You're a good-looking and smart guy, Jacob. You'll find your princess, but I'm not her—"

"Says the girl that wasted the last three years of my life."

"Not everything works out in the end."

He chuckled. "Says the princess," he glanced over at our house. "That grew up in this house and got everything she ever wanted. Obviously, you just toss people to the side when you're finished with them."

"Jacob," my father's voice sliced through the air. "It's time for you to leave."

Jacob tilted his head back over his shoulder but didn't budge elsewhere. A gust of wind tossed his brown hair around his head, and the heat seemed to fuel his anger. "I hope you get everything you want in life, princess."

He stormed toward his Tundra, opened the door, and slammed it. I listened to the gravel under his tires until they faded away, along with that chapter of my life.

My father's hand landed on my shoulder, and he tugged me into a hug. "I think you dodged a bullet, Sweetie. Always ..."

"...go with your gut," I whispered.

He tilted my chin upward, giving me a reassuring smile. I laughed when he crossed his eyes like he did when I was a child.

"Lunch is almost ready."

"I'll be in soon."

He left me in the front yard to gather my pride alone. I needed a few seconds to stop my racing heart. The wind blew against me again, bringing the smell of rain from the woods.

A nice afternoon on the porch while it rained sounded nice.

I walked toward the house, listening to the wildlife around me, realizing it began to fade away slowly. Then I stopped, looking over at the woods. I had an eerie feeling that someone was watching me.

Jacob didn't know the woods well enough to get away, park, and make his way back to the house. It would have taken him an hour to get from the road to the woods without a machete to cut down the brush.

The silence grew louder.

A roar of thunder boomed miles away.

I shifted my weight, remembering I'd left my drink in the car, and I turned to get it.

A crow sat on the roof, staring at me with beady eyes and cawing as I neared him. Since I was full of adrenaline, I raced toward my car, shooing him off the top and into the tree above my head.

Stupid crow.

I grabbed my keys, wallet, and drink from the front seat and walked toward the house. The wildlife began to speak again. Maybe the thunder had scared them into silence.

I made my way upstairs without my parents hearing me. It was one of the pluses of having a bigger house. Sometimes I didn't want all the drama of having them peering over me when I was upset.

Jenny, our housecleaner, had a guest room door open on my floor, the sound of her vacuum going down the hallway.

I slipped into my room and locked the door.

She'd already straightened my tidy room. I could tell because she'd straightened out the edges of my bed like we lived on a military base.

The few pieces of paper in the trashcan had been emptied.

I kicked off my shoes, sat down my things, and tossed myself backward onto my bed, my neck coming in contact with something cool.

Reaching back, I pulled a necklace from underneath me.

It had a silver chain with a small spindle at the end.

I cringed at the gaudiness of it.

Who in the heck would have left me this, and why did they think I would like it? Tossing it onto my bed, I imagined Jenny leaving it for me and smiled to myself. She couldn't have children and spent a lot of time with me as I grew up.

Perhaps it was her grandmother's.

I would wear it to see her smile.

My mother knocked lightly on my door. "Lunch is ready, Josie. Are you coming? Are you okay?"

I slipped back into my shoes and opened the door.

Mother had her famous worry lines on her forehead. "I'm fine. I think that officially ended it."

Mother tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. "As long as you're happy. Come on. Miranda can't wait for you to taste her pie."

"I'm always down for pie."

I followed Mother down to the first floor, seeing Miranda gushing over the food as my dad had already begun to eat. She was only a few years older than me. We'd hired her after her mother, who was our previous cook, passed away.

She turned around to look at me, a bright smile on her face. A curl of her red hair fell onto her forehead, but she blew it up. "Did your mother tell you about the pie?"

I slipped into my seat and inhaled deeply. "Yes. I can't wait. It smells delicious."

Miranda slipped into her seat across from me, watching as Mother called for Jenny to come downstairs. The silence that followed hurt my stomach.

"I'm fine guys," I said after a few minutes. "You don't have to act weird around me."

Miranda looked at my father and sighed loudly. "Whew, I was worried you were upset. He was really mad out there."

"Yeah, well, he'll have to get over it," I mumbled to myself.

Jenny came back with Mother a few seconds later. She was in her cleaning clothes, her blonde hair piled on top of her head. She was my mother's age and was always happy regardless of the day. "Hey, baby girl. Did your room look okay?"

"It looks great. Sit down. Fighting with my ex has me hungry."

Mother tossed me an irritated look, but Dad hid a smile.

We began to pass the food around, and I remembered. "Jenny, thank you for the necklace."

Jenny sipped her tea. "What necklace?"

"The one on my bed."

"That wasn't from me, sweetie."

I glanced around the table. One by one, they shook their head. Something settled at the base of my neck and slithered down like a snake. "Did you find it while cleaning?" I asked, grasping at straws.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I've seen no necklace today."

I took a bite while they fell into their usual chit-chat. Where had that necklace come from? I would have remembered something so ... flamboyant.

That necklace wasn't mine for sure.

"Josie?" Mother asked.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to help me in the garden tomorrow?"

"Sure," I said, sliding my food around my plate.

A similar chill drafted into the room, raising the hair on my arms, but when I glanced around, no one else seemed to notice it.

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of my nightmare.