“Charlie’s getting worse,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve had several run-ins with him lately, and a couple of them have been when Andrew and his daughter have been in the shop. And guess what that asshole did?”
“What?” Nikki asked.
“He threw a brick through Andrew’s window.”
“Say that again?”
“Yeah. That’s what Andrew told me. I didn’t believe him until I read the note for myself. Charlie threw a brick with a note attached to it through the man’s kitchen window.”
“What did the note say?”
“That if Andrew didn’t leave me alone, he would make sure he did.”
“That doesn’t even sound like Charlie,” she said. “Are you sure it was him?”
“Yeah, his writing hasn’t changed much since high school. That’s part of the reason I haven’t been opening the shop. I mean, my morning sickness has been rough, but I don’t feel comfortable around Charlie any longer. Even without the brick through the window thing, he’s been getting very territorial where it isn’t needed. The last time he came into the shop and saw me, I yelled at him to get out, that he wasn’t welcome unless he was a paying customer. And do you know what he told me?”
“What?”
“That I would regret talking to him like that.”
“The fuck is wrong with him?” she asked.
“I don’t know. But it makes me nervous.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“Not yet.”
“You need to tell the police.”
“One thing at a time,” I said with a sigh.
“One thing at a time? What else is going on?”
&
nbsp; “Nothing, it’s just—”
I put my head in my hands as I looked out the window, keeping an eye on the truck so nothing would get stolen out of the back of it.
“Right now, my main concern is trying to figure out where I fit in when it comes to Andrew’s life. That’s the priority.”
“I agree with you,” Nikki said. “And if that’s the priority, then you need to figure it out sooner rather than later, especially if you’re staying with him and his daughter. That little girl could grow attached to you, and that isn’t good if you aren’t going to be sticking around.”
Before I could tell my best friend I agreed with her, my phone rang.
“Where are you?”
“I’m just about to head back,” I said.
“You said you would be gone an hour. It’s been an hour and a half. Where are you?”
“At a coffee shop with Nikki. I’m coming right back.”