Chapter 29

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

Ella made at least one trip into Reddington City each week, usually more. At just over forty-five minutes away, it was the closest big city to Oak Creek. She had multiple vendors there that carried items that just didn't get delivered to Oak Creek regularly enough.

Normally, the trip to Reddington City was a tedious job she tried to pawn off on anybody she could. But not today. Today, Colton was with her.

He insisted on coming even though that wasn't necessary, which she knew had to do with the stalker. He had been on and off his phone the entire drive, talking to one of his team members, Tony, the two of them bouncing ideas off each other about the next steps in how to catch her.

"I don't want the stalker to weigh on you anymore." Colton slipped his phone into his pocket as they got out of the car. "I hate that this worries you so much. That you are so afraid."

Ella pretended to arrange something in her purse so that she wouldn't have to look at him. She wasn't afraid. It sucked that he had a stalker, and yes, she wanted the stalker gone as soon as possible, but the stalker wasn't what had made her tense and a little bit distant .

She didn't know how to tell him about her insecurities and how self-conscious she felt. Moreover, she didn't know if there was any point. Colton hadn't mentioned anything about continuing their relationship. He'd only talked about needing to leave. So rambling on about her dating discomfiture seemed like it was jumping the gun.

As they walked into the store, Colton pulled out his phone again as it buzzed. He looked at it in what could only be called disgust.

"Tony again?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Another member of my team. Guy named Rick. He was sending an apology."

"What did he do?"

Colton looked uncomfortable. "It's a long story. He's a hothead. But a great camera operator."

She didn't push for more info. Managing a team wasn't always easy; she knew that from her own experience at the bakery. Having someone who disrupted the flow could be difficult, even if they were talented.

"But let's not worry about that right now." He took a cart and followed her farther into the specialty baking store.

Colton was fun to shop with. He was witty and entertaining and almost like a kid. He kept putting things they didn't need into the cart.

She laughed as she took the items— rainbow sprinkles , for goodness' sake—and put them back on the shelf.

"You're missing the chance to make the world's greatest dessert." He shook his head in mock sadness.

"The world's greatest dessert involves rainbow sprinkles?"

"Hey, you never know."

They turned down the next aisle where she picked up the specialized flour she needed. She couldn't stop laughing as he listed, mostly incorrectly, all the desserts that would be made better with rainbow sprinkles. There was no way she was selling a dessert with multicolored sugar pellets all over it.

But she did give in to his request that she make something with butterscotch. That, she couldn't resist. Especially not when his eyes lit up and he pulled her in for a kiss right there in the middle of the baking supply shop aisle.

"I think I'm going to keep coming with you on these supply trips until I can talk you into the sprinkles." He pulled away and started pushing the cart toward the cashier.

Ella just stood there staring at him as he walked away. What did that mean? She had no idea.

He glanced at her over his shoulder and gave her a wink and a sexy grin. "You're thinking of rainbow sprinkle recipes, aren't you?"

She was more thinking that there was no way she was getting out of this with her heart not broken into thousands of pieces.

"Do you mind if we stop at the sporting goods store?" Ella asked a couple hours later when all the errand-running for the shop was over. They'd stopped and had a great lunch at one of her favorite little bistros.

He'd told her about Marshall and his concerns that he had let Ashley down by not being able to stop her from falling into the water. She'd been quick to assure Colton that Ashley already had a huge crush on the boy, and that had only grown with his heroic effort. Ella had been relieved to hear that Colton had pretty much told Marshall the same thing.

Talking about Ashley and Marshall had been a safe topic. Hell, even talking about the stalker had been a safe topic.

The only topic they'd avoided had been talking about them. No man ever wanted to have the where is this relationship going? talk. Colton Harrison was no different.

"You're asking me if I want to go to a sporting goods store?" His eyebrows shot all the way up. "Do you know who you're talking to? "

She laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure you can keep yourself entertained."

"That depends. Do you think they have rainbow sprinkles there?"

He reached over and grabbed her hand on the steering wheel and pulled it over into his lap. And just like that, she was back to thinking that maybe there was something really real between them. "What are you looking for at the store?"

"I ruined my hiking boots in the river incident."

He grimaced. "Trying to get me out of the water."

"I promise they were on their last legs anyway. I think I've had them since high school."

"I still insist on you letting me replace them."

She pulled into a parking space. "You really don't have to do that."

She turned to open the door, but he wouldn't let go of her hand.

"I want to." He smiled. "And that way, I can make sure you get the best pair possible."

As if there was any way for her to resist him when he was smiling so charmingly and had run errands with her all afternoon. "Fine. I'll rely on your expertise."

"That's my girl."

She couldn't even think about what that phrase did to her insides.

They got out of her car, and he once again grabbed her hand as they walked toward the entrance.

"Most of the time, I try to shop at mom-and-pop-type places. But I have to admit I love this chain. I mean, come on, they have a Ferris wheel inside." He was grinning like a little boy.

They went inside and quickly found the women's shoe department, and he dragged her over to the wall displaying all sorts of brands and fashions of hiking boots.

"You want to make sure you have Gore-Tex waterproofing, no matter what style you decide to go with. I prefer over-the-ankle boots for wilderness like what we have around Oak Creek. "

"Why?"

"I'd like to say it's because of support and durability, but actually, it's more because I'd like to think if I stepped on a snake, I'd have something durable between its fangs and me."

"Not a fan of snakes?"

"Let's just say me and Indiana Jones have a lot in common."

He then proceeded to get serious and point out the pros and cons of different brands—he'd had experience with a lot of them. When a salesclerk came to ask if Ella wanted to try any on in her size, Ella was careful not to pick the most expensive brand. She knew Colton had plenty of money—hell, she had plenty of money—but somehow, it just didn't feel right.

"I see through you, by the way," Colton said when the shop worker walked away to get the shoes. "I noticed you didn't want to try on the most expensive ones. Good for you. They're overpriced anyway."

"I know money is not an issue for either of us, but I still don't want to waste it. And it's not like I'm out in the wilderness as much as you are."

"True, but?—"

"Excuse me, but are you Colton Harrison?" A second store worker interrupted them with a sheepish smile.

Colton handled it in stride. "Yes, I am. What's your name?"

The young man looked like he would burst from pride. "My name is Terrence. I work here."

Colton didn't mock him at all for pointing out the obvious. "Nice to meet you. I'm just doing some shopping."

"I don't want to disturb you, but we are all big fans in here, and I was wondering if you'd consider letting us take some pictures of you over by a display we have on the second floor."

Colton glanced at her before shaking his head. "I'm not really here to?—"

"Colton, it's fine," she whispered. She didn't want him to miss a chance to interact with fans or disappoint the employee who was obviously thrilled at the thought of getting some pictures with Colton.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

She smiled at him. "Go."

Terrence's eyes lit up at her words, and she thought he might actually giggle when Colton stood to follow him.

"Five minutes," he said over his shoulder as he and Terrence walked away.

Ella decided to go ahead and try on the different hiking boots while she was waiting. One type, she liked pretty well and would probably go with them—midrange in cost but still completely adequate for what she needed. She decided to try on one other brand, but she needed a different size. But when she tried to find the salesclerk to help her, the girl was nowhere to be found.

Actually, nobody was around.

It'd definitely been more than five minutes. She texted Colton.

Need more time?

She got up and looked at some of the other boots as she waited for him to respond, but there was no reply.

Everything okay?

Once again, no response, and there didn't seem to be any employees around either. Hell, there were hardly any customers around.

Taking the box of boots she'd decided on, she made her way up the escalator to the second floor.

No wonder there hadn't been anybody in the shoe department. They were all here, trying to get pictures with and autographs from Colton. It looked like the whole store was here.

She managed to catch his eye, and although he didn't look panicked, the scene around him was definitely chaotic. He grabbed his phone and held it out toward her. She muscled her way through the crowd so she could grab it from him.

"Text Tony: Public 9-1-1 and give him this store's address."

She did so immediately. And then sent the text. Tony responded just a few seconds later.

You okay?

This is Ella. I have Colton's phone. He wanted me to text you.

I'm already on my way. I'm nearby. How bad is it?

She wasn't sure how to define "bad."

It's a lot of people, and they all want pictures and autographs.

Does he need immediate help? Cops? Is he being overrun?

No. But it's just a lot of people.

I'll be there in two minutes.

Two minutes? He hadn't been joking when he said he was nearby. Sure enough, not five minutes later, Tony was there in the middle of the crowd directing traffic. He had two security guards and two store managers with him.

"Okay, people. Listen up! Colton has no problem taking pictures or signing whatever you want, but we're going to have to do this in an orderly fashion. If we can't get everything under control, then he's going to have to leave."

The security guards and managers helped Tony set up a sort of queue that wrapped around the whole winter sports section of the store. A couple of people didn't want to leave Colton's side even though they'd already had their selfie and autograph, so a security guard had to step in. Colton could've easily just let security handle it, but he gave the two young men backslapping hugs and told them he appreciated their enthusiasm.

"Thanks for texting me." Tony came over to stand near Ella where she was in the back. "Colton doesn't usually do big stores, and even when he does, it doesn't usually get this crazy without some sort of social media tip-off."

"I'm just glad you were nearby. Nobody seemed to know exactly how to handle this."

Tony chuckled. "It's both their wet dreams and their worst nightmare." He pointed to where some employees were stacking up merchandise that had been associated with Colton throughout the years—skateboards, snowboards, and some T-shirts and hoodies. Customers were immediately grabbing them, wanting to be able to get something autographed while Colton was there. The store was going to make a killing.

Colton took it all in stride. He was charming, talking with people, smiling and laughing. Taking the photos they wanted. He did it over and over, his smile never faltering. He seemed to be enjoying it, which didn't surprise her.

"Does this happen a lot?"

Tony shook his head with a shrug. "Honestly, it used to happen more. His popularity has been waning in the past few weeks."

She hated the thought of that. "Do you know why?"

"The public can be very fickle."

She watched as Colton got down on one knee so he would be eye to eye with a little girl holding a skateboard nearly as tall as she was. Whatever he said made her squeal with delight then drop the skateboard so she could hug him.

"He's such a natural," Ella whispered.

"Yeah, he really thrives in situations like this. Loves to know he's influencing a new generation of adventurers. I hate that he can't see he's losing that."

"How is he losing it?"

"Out of sight, out of mind, you know? He's taking a lot of time out of the public eye. "

"Maybe he needed a break."

Tony shrugged while still watching over what was happening. "Sure. He deserves a break whenever he wants one, and I totally support him taking one. Encouraged it after the accident, even."

"But…" There was very definitely a but in Tony's sentence.

"But the truth is, Colton Harrison is a brand . One that's been carefully cultivated for years. And lately, he's been making questionable choices that don't necessarily align with his brand. The people who look up to him have certain expectations. His choices are hurting his image and will eventually end his livelihood if he's not careful."

"Like what choices?"

"Like choosing to…" Tony faded off then glanced over at her. "You know what, never mind. I shouldn't have said anything. Colton will be fine. He always is. I'm going to go make sure he's okay. Again, thanks for contacting me."

She watched him go grab a bottle of water and hand it to Colton, who accepted it with a grateful smile. Tony obviously cared about his boss and knew how to take care of him. Ella should've thought of the fact that Colton might need water, given all the talking and smiling he was doing, but it hadn't crossed her mind.

Colton looked up and gave her a little wave as he finished his water bottle, mouthing I'm sorry .

She smiled and waved back. No problem .

A couple of women saw the exchange and glared at Ella for a moment before laughing and leaning their heads close together to whisper. Ella couldn't hear, and didn't want to be paranoid, but she could swear they were saying things about her. As they got closer in line, they waved Tony over to ask him something, looking in her direction again. Whatever he responded made them roll their eyes. Tony shrugged and walked away.

Was she being paranoid? Ella had never been one to make everything about her—she preferred to be out of the limelight. Though she couldn't help but feel like these women were talking about her. Although it shouldn't matter. Even if they were, there was nothing she could do about it.

But more concerning had been that discussion with Tony. Arguably, he knew Colton better than anyone else, especially when it came to his career. And she couldn't help but think that when Tony had been talking about the questionable choices Colton had been making recently…

He was talking about her .