Crown's Chance at Love (36 page)

“Hi,” I blurt out, my hand splayed on top of the files.

“How’s your day going?” he asks me and I close my eyes.

“Good, yours?” I ask trying to make small talk.

“Did you find the files you needed?” he asks.
Boy had I ever…
I had texted him I was on my way to his office before I had left my own office.

“Umm… Yeah,” I say. I know I sound distracted. I can’t stop looking at the files taunting me in front of me.

Why does he have Sean’s picture?

“You okay?” he asks sounding concerned which snaps me out of my momentary shock.

“Umm…Yeah. I’m okay Mike. I’m just making sure it has all the vendors they mentioned at my meeting,” I lie. I surprise myself with how calm I sound. Maybe there is an easy explanation as to why Mike has a picture of Sean. “I hope you don’t mind, I’ll be out as soon as I can,” I tell him.

“Take your time. I should make it on time for dinner. You sure you don’t want me to take anything?” Dinner. Shit. I had forgotten all about that.

“No, I think I got it. I’ll probably pick something up tonight.” My heart races at the possibilities of what could be in those files. An imagination was a bad thing to have in moments like these.

“Okay baby. I’ll see you later, I have to go back in to this meeting. I just wanted to make sure you found what you needed.”

“Okay. Thanks. Bye Mike,” I say softly as the call disconnects.

I should have stopped looking at that file. I should have stepped away from it staring back at me as it sat on his desk. I should have called him back to ask him where the file I actually needed was, but I had unfortunately already lied saying I had found it. Maybe I could just call him back to ask why he had a picture of Sean in a scary bulky file to begin with? I mean I had made sure not to play games with him, so why start now? Why couldn’t I just call him and say
“Hey Mike, question: why the hell do you have a picture of my dead husband?”

But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

My heart races thinking about what possibly could be in those files. Fear was a fickle little thing. It had somehow seeped deep into me, hooking itself in me. Wrapping itself around my throat. My hands still shaking, adrenaline surging through me as they move closer to the file. Opening it, I see Sean’s face once more, only this time I don’t stop at Sean’s picture. No I keep going.

I absorb everything that is in this file.

Dozens upon dozens of pictures. The kids and I at a park. Pictures with Nick and the kids. Pictures of the kids and I coming and going from our house in Berkeley. Pictures of my parents and I at the cemetery. Pictures of me alone at his gravesite taken from afar. Pictures of Emi and I at the coffee shop we used to go to in Berkeley. All time stamped back three years ago. Time stamped to right before we moved. I feel sick to my stomach.
Why does Mike have all this?

Part of me wants to stop looking at it but it isn’t in me. I had always dealt with things head on. With the exception of Sean’s death, I had never been one to draw things out, so I open the next file.

More pictures, but these are all recent pictures. Pictures of Mark at the baseball field with his team here in Pasadena. Penny and I at a nail salon. Me dropping Chris off at school. Pictures of the kids at one of Emmi’s kids’ birthday parties that had been held at a Chuck E. Cheese.  All of these in this file are time stamped as well. These are all recent. March of this year. As I keep looking through the pictures, I almost feel sick at the amount of pictures there are. Chris and I at the bookstore. The kids and I out to eat with Emmi and her family. The kids out to eat with Nick. Me at Starbucks. Me getting into my car after work. My head is spinning with all of the images in front of me.

Then it hits me.

I had met Mike in April.

I had met Mike at the same Starbucks that there were numerous pictures of me coming and going from.

Who the hell is he? Why had he had me followed?
There were receipts from a private investigator in the file.
He had known about me three years ago,
I think to myself.
He had always known about Sean
. I had felt like an idiot lying to him about being a single mom, but he had known the whole time.

Then a couple of things started to happen all at once.

Dread started to seep in at the thought of Mike being some weirdo I had somehow let into our lives, close to my kids. I thought of how completely stupid I had been. Had I really started to fall for this man, who now felt like a completely dangerous stranger?

Visions of TV shows like Law and Order ran through my head. Was this the equivalent of those episodes when someone was obsessed with another and had a room filled with pictures of them?
Was Mike dangerous?

I didn’t want to believe he was. I had thought I knew him. I was usually a great judge of character. But at that moment, I was doubting I had ever known him at all. My stomach roiled and I took a deep breath trying not to let the bile rise up in my throat. Throwing my cell back into my bag I stood up.

With shaky hands I put back the files exactly where I had found them. Bumping into his printer, I spotted the file I had actually needed and threw it into my oversized bag.

Staring at the files with all the pictures of the kids and I, I decided I couldn’t leave them. I had to take them with me. So I stuffed them along the vendor file into my bag.

Mike was coming over tonight, and we were going to have a little chat. Anger started to spark and float into my veins. I couldn’t let anger cloud my judgement. I had to play this safe as I left his office. On the way home I called Emmi and asked her if she could pick the kids up after school and keep them at her place until she was able to pick them up. Without asking a question Emmi agreed.

Now finally home in my office, I look out the window that faces my front yard. Sitting there, staring out, I don’t know what to think. My imagination is running away with me and I can’t seem to stop it. Part of me wants to call Nick and tell him all of it and hear what he has to say. But I know what he would say and do. He would tell me to hide out at Emmi’s or my parents and he would fly on the next flight out. All I can focus on is how I was feeling.

Mike.

I sigh.

He had lied to me. When we met, he had known who I was. Why had he been collecting information about me and the kids? Chills ran down my back at the thought of the possibility of Mike being some kind of weirdo. Maybe I should call the police? Or in the very least Nick.

Sabrina

The doorbell rang throughout the quiet house, snapping me out of my thoughts.  Looking at the clock on the wall, I realize it is a little early for Mike to be at the house. Walking to the door I open it, surprised at the cute guy standing there.

There is something familiar about him I can’t place.

“Hi, can I help you?” I ask as I keep looking at him. He is cute. Too  young for me, mid to late twenties and is working the bad boy look, even though he is clean shaven. Squared-jaw, short clean cut dark hair. But its his eyes. Something in his eyes, that when you first laid eyes on him told you he was trouble with a capital T. Something about his eyes though felt familiar. They are a beautiful blue, but the left eye has a scar right above his eyebrow. He is about six feet tall with a muscular build that screams he works out…a lot.

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you I was looking for Sabrina Miller.” His voice is surprisingly deep and I smile at him.

“I’m Sabrina.”

“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you. I umm… You were married to Sean Miller, right?” he asks nervously.

My heart picks up a little speed and I nod.

“Yes, how can I help you?” I look at him. The fact that he seems so familiar is bugging me.

“I… umm… I wanted to give you my condolences. I know it’s been almost four years, but…” Now it suddenly makes sense.

“OH! Were you a friend of Sean’s?” I ask, instantly relaxing. Throughout the years, some of Sean’s high school friends have shown up at my doorstep out of the blue.

“Something like that,” he mumbles looking nervous.

“Please come in,” I say opening the door, and I notice he looks a little hesitant but comes in anyway.

I walk over to the living room and point to the couch.

“Have a seat, would you like something to drink?”

“Water if you don’t mind,” he says and I smile at him nodding.

He looks nervous. They usually did. Sean had had great friends. Throughout the years a few had stopped by once they had found out what had happened. They would share stories about him and the kind of guy he was.

Bringing back two bottles of water, I sit at the couch in front of where he is sitting.

“Here you go.” I hand it to him smiling.

“Thanks,” he says holding the bottle.

“I really am sorry about your loss Sabrina,” he says seriously and I look at him smiling.

“Thank you. He was a great man,” I say. “Did you use to work with him? You look too young to have gone to school with him,” I ask smiling at him.

“No, I didn’t go to school with him, umm Sabrina…” he starts to say but the doorbell rang again.

“Sorry, I must be popular today, I’ll be right back,” I say standing up heading to the door.

I open it without looking at the peephole and standing in front of me is Mike smiling at me a little nervously.

Even with knowing the fact that he had two extremely creepy files on the kids and I, I can’t help the feeling that sweeps over me when I see him. He had lied and had acted like a complete stranger when we had met. Yet like an idiot I was holding onto hope that there was a reasonable explanation for why he had paid a private investigator to find out things about us. I was falling for him and I didn’t want to feel like an idiot for falling in love with some weirdo. I was invested in him.

“Hey,” I blurt out.

“Hey,” he smiles, but even his smile feels off. Nervous almost. “I called your office but they said you headed home early.”

“Oh. Yeah, I had a umm- a headache. Come in. One of Sean’s friends is here,” I somehow manage to say. My heart is beating furiously at the fact that I have to confront him. Too many ideas are going through my head about what it all could mean.

He grabs my hand and I hate that I love how my hand feels in his. I love the feel of his strong fingers entwined in mine. But as much as I love it, I have to be smart. He had been lying to me since the moment we met. Knowing he had been lying to me I shouldn’t feel as safe as I do around him. I should be frightened of him, but I’m not.

We reach the living room and he freezes at the archway, completely still. I look at him. He’s a little pale and surprised. The surprise on his face quickly changes into a scowl.

“Mike, this is… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” I say to Sean’s friend.

“Patrick,” Sean’s friend says standing up, looking seriously at us. His eyes travel to Mike and me, frowning slightly.

“Patrick this is Mike. Mike this is Patrick, a friend of Sean’s.” I introduce them, feeling awkward and slightly uncomfortable.

They mumble
hey
and
hello
to each other, both frowning, almost scowling at one another. As I look at them, I feel like somehow I am missing something. The feeling of something not making sense or adding up washes over me, but I try to shrug it off. I try to ignore the tension in the room. I’m not sure if it’s Mike’s reaction to Sean’s friend or the fact that I need to confront Mike with what I found in his office. Mike breaks the silence.

“So what is it your are doing here?” he asks a little rudely.

“Mike!” I exclaim, surprised at how he would talk to one of Sean’s friends this way.

“No, it’s okay Sabrina…” Patrick says and I watch him stand and fidget a little then look back at Mike. Something keeps nagging at me in the back of my mind. Why does Patrick look so familiar.

“Patrick, have I met you before?” I ask. “I’m so sorry if I didn’t recognize you.”