“Ok, no problem,” she said. “I will get you to the right person.”
A second later another woman came on the line. I explained everything to her. “Ok, I will take down the basic information and get that sent off to be finalized by the judge, but you will probably have to come in person to get the report finalized. We don’t usually do this by phone.”
“Ok,” I said. “I can come in tomorrow. I’m afraid to leave my apartment right now. He might still be out there.”
“I see, just relax and stay on the phone with me. You are going to be alright.”
I was twenty-four and the woman sounded like she might have been about my age or slightly older. She was cheerful but compassionate and she had a calming effect to her voice. I was glad I had made the phone call.
“Now, just start at the beginning and tell me what is going on,” she said. “Start with your name.”
“My name is Laney Chapman,” I said.
“Nice to meet you, Laney. I’m Tiffany,” she said.
I liked her right from the start. I’m not sure why, but we just seemed to connect the way strangers can over the phone from time to time.
“How can I help you?” Tiffany asked me.
“It’s my ex-boyfriend, Tyler. He is stalking me. He harasses me, he keeps calling me even though I’ve had my number changed three times, he keeps hacking into my social media, and tonight he threatened me outside of my apartment building.”
“He has threatened you before?” she asked, the edge of concern clear in her voice.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Ok, I can help you,” she said. “We will get a restraining order on file and if he comes anywhere near you then he will be taken into custody.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I continued to tell her everything that had happened between us and within twenty minutes the information was filed and sent off to be looked over by the judge and signed. Then the restraining order would be authentic and valid. Tyler would be receiving a nice little letter from the court house stating that he had better never knowingly step within five hundred feet of me.
It felt so much better after I got off the phone. I was no longer concerned if Tyler was still hanging around or what he might do next. I could legally have him arrested just for being on the same street as me. It was a little victory, a tiny bit of power that I felt myself taking ownership of. I felt a bit happy about this now.
But I knew that it might not stop him. It might only lead to him doing something more dangerous. Still, I couldn’t think that way.
I found myself wishing that Mason were there. He could hold me in his strong arms, protect me and keep me safe from the likes of Tyler, and more importantly it would feel so much better just having someone there who could console me and talk to me, to make me feel that I wasn’t alone.
I had my friends, I had my family, but a lot of the time I was alone. That is the price one pays for being such a free spirit. Eventually, you push others away too far because you want to do your own thing. But then you realize the price you are paying for this and you miss those people.
What was Mason’s deal? Was he ever going to ask me out? I knew he was hurting. I didn’t blame him one bit. He’d told me what happened with his ex. I knew it was painful for him to even think about, let alone speak about. Yet, he’d confided in me on numerous occasions about it.
I hoped one day he would let me help him. Hell, we could probably help each other. I desperately wanted to be with him sometimes, and others I wasn’t sure that would be a good idea for either of us. But it always came back to yes. Yes, I wanted that.
I just hoped he would realize he did too before it was too late.
Chapter 3
Mason
“That was good enough to put me away for a while. Damn, I don’t know what that chef does but it’s a true work of art.”
I glanced over at Dale Crandall, one of my oldest friends, and smiled in agreement. “I told you that salmon was delectable, didn’t I. The bottom of it has that charred, but fatty skin that just melts in your mouth, right?”
“You weren’t kidding. Thanks for suggesting that,” he replied as he picked his teeth with a wooden toothpick. It was a slightly annoying habit that I’d somehow grown accustomed to over the years.
The two of us were at Spago’s, the restaurant at the Silver Falls Country Club, having a business lunch. I found that Dale always thought better and was more easily persuaded during lunch, something about him having his belly full that put him at ease. Otherwise, he was one of the most guarded people I’d ever met.