The Nice Guy Next Door (When In Waverly 1)

“What? No!”

“You mean Tess didn’t make it?” Mama asks in shock. She covers her mouth with a trembling hand.

“I mean there were no complications at all. She did go to the hospital, but she and the baby are fine,” I answer.

“That Shandi, you can’t trust anything that comes out of her mouth.” Mama rests her elbow on the table and rests her chin in the palm of her hand. “I’m glad everything turned out fine.”

“Yes, and everyone in town knows that, except you, apparently,” Nana adds. Pops laughs a full belly laugh, proving my theory that he’s listening and choosing to remain silent. The sound startles Millie, and she jumps out of her chair, holding her chest.

“James you’ve given the poor girl a heart attack,” Nana says to Pops.

Millie looks at me and says, “You were named after your grandpa? That’s so sweet.”

I nod in confirmation and then remember my quest to figure out what Millie is short for. “Speaking of names,” I say. “I think I know what Millie is short for.” Mama sits up straighter in her chair, waiting to hear.

“Oh, you do?” Millie asks, looking partly skeptical and partly worried. What name could be so horrible that she’s afraid of people knowing?

“Camille!” I declare. I watch her as she breathes a sigh of relief.

Lo laughs hysterically and says, “She wishes her name was Camille! Her name is even worse than mine!”

Mama, Nana, and I sigh in disappointment. Pops, however, has a knowing glint in his eye. I make a mental note to question him later. He would know her real name from all the paperwork she had to fill out for the house. Too bad Nana doesn’t do any of the paperwork. She’d tell me her name if she knew it.

I wish I had remembered to run her license plate when I stopped to change her tire last week. Technically, I could still run it, but it would be unethical to do it now. I’ll figure it out, or she’ll eventually tell me.

The rest of the dinner conversation sticks to safer topics like work or school, books, and how Millie and Lo are adjusting. Lo tells us all about the boy at school who has been mean to her. Nana assures her that she knows of Daniel. He’s a spoiled boy who has been coddled most of his life. In recent years, he has started acting out because of family drama at home. Lo appears sad hearing about his life.

When we finish eating, we all walk over to Nana and Pop’s house so that Millie can see the garden that has been supplying her with vegetables. Millie gasps in surprise when she sees how huge it is. Nana takes great pride in her work, and she has one of the most successful stands at the farmer’s market. People from all over the county love Nana’s veggies.

Too bad Millie couldn’t see it in the summer. Almost everything has been harvested now that it’s the beginning of October. A few things still grow very well in the fall here in Texas, so it’s not too empty.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Millie off in the distance, talking with Pops. He doesn’t talk freely with very many people, so the way he’s openly smiling with her warms my heart. He leans in and says something to her, and Millie’s face turns red. She’s clutching her hands together in front of her chest, pleading with him about something. He laughs softly, and then they shake hands.

She walks off to join Lo, and I move in on Pops. “You know her name, don’t you?” I ask.

“Don’t bother trying to get me to talk. I’m sworn to secrecy,” he says with a twinkle in his old eyes. Of course she won him over before I got a chance to get any information out of him. She could charm a snake if she wanted to.

After a wonderful evening with Millie and my family, I arrive at home, feeling relaxed and content. It was great to see how well both Millie and Lo got along with my family. Mama and Nana are both chomping at the bit to adopt those two into the family.

I walk to the road to check the mail, waving at the elderly couple on their porch swing across the road on the way. I wonder if they know they’re living the dream.

I open my mailbox. No mail sits inside, only a folded piece of paper. I unfold it and read the words written on it.

I know where you live now. There’s nowhere to hide.

Feeling a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach, I look around at my surroundings, wondering if this deranged person is lurking out there, watching me at this very moment. Before, I wasn’t all that worried, but now that they know where I live, I know I can’t let this go on any longer.

I worry for my family and friends. I worry for my neighbors who live around me who could be in danger as well, especially Millie. I grab my phone out of my pocket and call up my friend at the sheriff’s department to get some extra help finding this guy.