I continued my silence, and Scarlette tilted her head, looking at me curiously.
Touching my shoulder as though she knew me intimately, Angie said, “Thanks for all the chats over the past week. Maybe lunch soon?”
Bitch.
“I know you’re having a hard time with the anniversary of Kevin’s death, but lunch wouldn’t be a good idea.” I threw some money on the table. “You guys ready?”
Scarlette stood and grabbed her purse. “Yes.” With the mention of Kevin, I was sure the dots were connecting.
“It was nice meeting you, Scarlette. Would you like to exchange numbers?” Angie put on what appeared to be a panicked look. Why does she want Scarlette’s number? Whatever the reason, it couldn’t be good.
My girl simply smiled. “It was nice meeting you. Good luck on your house hunt.” Though Scarlette might have seemed meek, she was a force to be reckoned with when she put her mind to it. It was a silent strength.
We were walking out of the restaurant, and I looked at my parents. “Dad, can you ride with Mom? I need to talk to Scarlette.”
“Sure, son, we’ll meet you back at the house.”
They got in their car while I opened the passenger side of the truck for Scarlette. Once inside, I looked up to see Angie watching us from the window. I stared at her, trying to figure out what was going on. Her mask slipped, and I saw the jealousy she’d been hiding. No more phone calls or texts with her. There was no way that was coincidental, especially after I’d just given her my address.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
The truck roared to life, and I drove away from the restaurant, watching the rearview mirror in case she decided to follow. Scarlette remained silent. “So, I need to tell you something.”
Scarlette watched me closely. “Was that Kevin’s fiancée?”
“Yes. There’s nothing going on between us. She’s been calling and texting me a lot lately because she was having a rough time. I wanted to help since Kevin was my spotter. After the stunt today, no more.”
Scarlette’s brow furrowed. “Does she want more than friendship?”
“If you asked me yesterday—or hell, even an hour ago—I’d have said no. I have no idea what the hell that was about just now. She lives two to three hours away from here.”
Scarlette reached over and squeezed my hand. “I trust you, Austin. I do. Did you feel uncomfortable talking to me about this? About Angie?”
“No, it wasn’t that. It just never came up. Then I was consumed with being together when we finally were together. It wasn’t a big deal to me, so I forgot to mention it. She called me twenty minutes ago, saying she was having a rough time, and I mentioned you were out having lunch with Mom.”
Scarlette gave an audible gasp. “Do you think she stalked your mother and me there?”
“Yes.”
The worry came back to her face, and I squeezed her hand. I would do whatever it took to protect Scarlette. I was on edge after misreading Angie from the start. That was my job. How was I so wrong? I kept my face calm though inside, the turmoil had set in. “I promise you’ll be fine. I’m going to look at making some modifications to our place, just to be safe.”
“Are we in danger?”
I hated seeing my girl distraught. “I’m going to call my ex-captain and talk to him about it. He’ll want to know since it involves Kevin. Together, we’ll get this sorted and get her the help she needs.”
“Good. It’s definitely strange.”
I would be digging in a little deeper into Angie’s past.
We stood in the driveway, waving as my parents pulled away. It had been good to have them here for the last two days. Yesterday, because of the shit with Angie, we pulled the cars into the garage. Dad helped me add a door in the garage that connected to our apartments. The landlord was okay with it as long as I fixed it before I left since we had been buddies in the military. Now, with the door in the middle, neither of us had to go outside to get into each other’s apartment. I knew it was a little over the top, but my training had ingrained in me to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
Scarlette hugged me. “I enjoyed them being here. And your mom was fantastic. I forgot how much I missed having a mother figure in my life.”
My heart fucking broke for her. Scarlette had lost her mother recently to cancer. “Mom is crazy about you, too. I heard her talking to Dad about planning another trip here in a month or so.”
“I would like that.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “I’m going to go clean up the breakfast dishes.”
Mom had tried to help, but Scarlette had insisted on leaving it so we could visit more. I kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right in. I just want to check a few things.”