Now that I knew it was true, I wasn’t feeling so brave. Panic bubbled up in my throat. I was kind of afraid to move, but then fear that someone was creeping up behind me won and I spun around to check my back. No one was there.
But what if they weren’t gone? What if they’d made it into the house?
I reached for my cell phone, then cursed when I realized I’d left it outside in my purse. I had to get out of here. I did not want to be the dumb girl in the horror movie everyone yelled at who went down to the basement during the storm.
I sprinted through the busted side door and made a beeline for my car, praying no one was lying in wait to attack me. I made it to the car, managed to unlock it with shaking hands, then jumped in and locked all the doors. JJ looked up at me, blinked, then went back to sleep.
I turned the car on while fumbling for my phone with shaking hands and pressed redial next to Craig’s name. It took a few rings, but he answered.
“Someone tried to break into our house,” I blurted.
Silence. Then, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! My porch door is busted and there’s a flashlight that’s not mine on the step near all the glass. I came back in and interrupted whoever it was.”
“Where are you now?”
“In my car outside. But I don’t want to leave the cats. What if they come back?”
“You should call nine-one-one,” he said.
I bit my lip to keep from crying. He was probably right, but still. A little concern would’ve been nice. “Fine,” I said, hating that my voice shook. “I’ll call nine-one-one. Sorry to bother you.”
I hung up even though he started to say something else and made the call.
A police car was there within five minutes. I wasn’t sure they’d be able to be so quick given the flooding situations. I also didn’t expect Craig’s car to pull up right behind it. What was he doing here?
I got out of the car, locking JJ in, and hurried to the front porch to wait for the officer to climb out of the car. I recognized Officer Tina Hartless. She’d worked one of our big adoption events during the height of the summer season, directing traffic so we didn’t have a huge jam out front. She was really sweet and she loved cats. She got out of the car, leaving the lights flashing, pulling her hood up, too, and joined me on the porch. Craig was right behind her.
“Maddie. Hey. What’s going on?” she asked.
I explained what had occurred tonight, directing my words at her more than Craig. She glanced at him, openly curious, but didn’t ask what he was doing there. “Did you touch the flashlight?” she asked when I’d finished babbling about the broken door.
I shook my head. “I left everything. I did run outside through that door because I didn’t want to go back through the house in case they were already inside. Can you make sure you don’t leave any doors open when you go look around?”
“I’ll go with you, T,” Craig said.
I eyed him. “I thought you were busy?”
“I was. But I wanted to make sure there was no crazed stalker trying to get into your house.” He nodded at Hartless. “Let’s go.”
They both headed inside, leaving me standing there shivering. I didn’t want to leave JJ out in the car alone, so I joined him and cranked the heat. And then I saw Craig’s passenger door swing open.
I couldn’t tell who the figure was, since he or she was covered from head to toe in a huge coat and a hood. Until she came over and rapped on my passenger window and opened the door, sticking her head in.
Jade Bennett, the owner of Jade Moon.
It took me a second to process. What was Jade doing in Craig’s car? And then it hit me. Craig and Jade were on a date.
Craig and Jade were on a date? What was up with that? She totally wasn’t his type. Plus, I liked Jade. And her bar. And now this would make it weird. Wouldn’t it?
I pulled JJ onto my lap so she could get in. She slid in, sluicing rainwater off her parka, and offered me a tentative smile. “Hey.”
She looked different tonight than she did when she was bartending. Her hair was down, for one thing. Usually it was pulled back in a ponytail while she worked. It looked blonder tonight, and she wore it pin straight, the ends tipped with purple.
“Hey,” I said.
“You, uh, doing okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, aside from someone trying to break in.” I waved a hand at the house.
“Yeah. I heard. That sucks.”
I nodded. “Things are a little weird right now, but, you know…” I trailed off, not sure what to say.
Jade nodded, too. “I hear you.” A pause. “So. Is it weird that I’m here?”
“Weird? Not at all,” I lied. “Why would it be?”
Jade shrugged, gestured vaguely with her hand. “I don’t know, you and Craig … I know it’s old news, but I just wanted to make sure we were cool. Are we cool?”
I glanced at the house, willing Officer Hartless and Craig to return. No sign of them yet. “Of course,” I said, hoping it was true. I mean, why wouldn’t it be? I had a great boyfriend. And I had no interest in Craig. Our relationship was in the past. Way in the past. I was glad we could still be friends, that was all. And I was happy he’d found someone, if he and Jade were really dating. “We’re cool.”
“Good,” Jade said.
“Good,” I said.
We lapsed into an awkward silence. “It’s a bad night for a date, though,” I said, indicating the rain hammering around us. Every now and then a gust of wind jostled the car.
“Yeah, it’s not ideal,” she said. “But it was the only night I had enough coverage at the bar. Although Craig might have to go back to work later, with all the weather-related stuff going on.”
“Bummer,” I said. “I’m sorry to, uh, interrupt.”
“Don’t be silly,” Jade said. “I heard your boyfriend is out of town.”
I nodded. “And of course he can’t get back.”
“Bummer,” Jade said.
“Yeah.”
Another awkward silence. Just when I thought they were never coming back, I heard the front door slam. At the same time, Grandpa’s truck careened into the driveway, pulling up next to the police cruiser. He hopped out of the truck, moving faster than I’d seen him move in a long time, and rushed over to us. I got out of the car to meet him, pulling my hood tight around my head.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
“Grandpa. I called the police.” I motioned to Hartless and Craig, who’d joined us.
“I can see that. What happened?”
“Looks like someone tried to break in, Chief,” Officer Hartless said. “The side porch door is busted.”
Grandpa motioned for the two of them to follow him. “What’d you find?” I heard him ask them.
I threw up my hands. “Really? I’m the one who found the problem and called it in.”
Jade grinned. “How come you didn’t become a cop?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You love to stick your nose in all kinds of things. And I mean that in the nicest possible way,” she added. “Why don’t you do it for a living?”
I couldn’t figure out if that was a compliment or not. I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t like to take orders, I guess. It’s why I work for myself. Plus, I don’t think I’d enjoy being shot at.”
“I get that,” she said. “At least, the working for myself part.”
My phone rang, interrupting the bonding moment. I pulled it out, hopeful it was Lucas, but it was my mother. Shoot. I was supposed to be there by now and in all the insanity I’d forgotten to call her and tell her I was delayed.
“Where are you?” she asked when I answered.
“I’m still at home.” I turned away a bit so Jade wouldn’t hear the whole conversation. “Mom, I don’t want you to worry. Everything’s under control. But someone tried to break into the house when I was leaving.”
She gasped. “What? Are you sure? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Grandpa’s here, and the police. I’ll explain later.”
“Do you want Dad and me to come over? We can bring you back here tonight. We don’t mind!”
So much for not worrying. My other line beeped. Ethan. Now what? “Let me see how this goes and I’ll call you back soon, okay, Mom?” I hung up without waiting for an answer. “Ethan?”
“I think Val’s in trouble,” he said without preamble.