What a disappointment! Nothing from Northwoodsman yesterday and Nell woke up so hopeful today, but zilch. Zilch from Northwoodsman, but plenty of responses from other followers letting her know exactly how they felt.
MomofThree
Don’t meet him, Nell. He sounds like a nut. Anything could happen!
David’s Kitchen
If you make contact with this jerk, you have a screw loose. Ignore him and just write your reviews. They give me all the info I need to know.
Yogagirl
IMHO you should not meet this guy. There is getting to be too much drama on this blog. I like to relax and read about food—not worry that someone is being harassed!
What had she gotten herself into? Maybe offering to meet him was a mistake. Eighteen of her followers said it was, but now Nell’s invitation was out there so she needed to finish what she started. Maybe it was time to put a moderation filter on the blog. Yogagirl was right. Her followers shouldn’t be dragged into all this ugliness.
Nell couldn’t just hang around home or she’d go nuts. She thought she’d make a day of it at some of the cute little shops in Green Bay. The drive would take about forty-five minutes. Then she could shop, go somewhere nice for lunch, and shop some more. She wouldn’t take her laptop or mini with her or it’d be no different than if she was home. She’d be checking her blog every fifteen minutes. She’d make herself wait until she got home to check on Northwoodsman’s reply. She’d be home in plenty of time to come up with a plan of action for whatever way he responded.
Driving from store to store and browsing. Nell tried to put the whole situation out of her mind. She wasn’t very successful. Even though she was finding cute things and buying some of them, she couldn’t help looking at everyone she passed. No sign of either of the men that she previously thought were following her. Nell tried to notice if anyone was giving her a second look. Actually no one seemed to be paying any attention to her at all.
Nell’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket, so she pulled it out and checked the number. Judson! Oh, how she missed him. Even if he had been on his own for a few years, it still felt like yesterday when he had left home.
“Hello, Jud.”
“Mom, it’s been a couple days since that nasty call. I told you I’d call to find out what the police said. You did go to the station, didn’t you?” Jud grilled.
“Yes, I made a full report and they’re on the case,” Nell assured him. She knew she was exaggerating a little, but she didn’t want her son to worry. She once again chose not to mention Sam. She wasn’t sure how Jud would feel about another man in his mother’s life.
“You’re making it seem like everything is fine. Is it really?”
“Everything is under control, Jud. How’s everything in Alaska?” Nell attempted to make light of the situation. She was so happy to talk to him and find out what was going on in his life.
“Fine. I just wanted to check on you. I’ll let you go.”
“Thanks so much for calling, dear. I love you and miss you.”
“Bye, Mom.”
So much for finding out what’s going on with him. The strain in their relationship never seemed to end. Jud still blamed her for going on a Door County shopping weekend with friends and not being home when his father had the attack and died. Didn’t he realize how horrifying it was for her to come in the house and find her wonderful husband of thirty years dead? Couldn’t Jud understand that she, too, blamed herself? The death had been ruled a massive heart attack, that he had most likely died instantly. But she still second guessed that if she would have been home she could have saved him.
Nell had always thought their family was so close, that a death would only make them stronger. She was wrong. Jud lashed out at her with a vengeance. Eventually angry words were spoken by each of them and he had been barely civil before he moved to Alaska. No matter how many apologies had been given, Jud remained unmoved. Nell so wanted to have her son back. At least that horrible phone call had gotten them talking again.
But it was certainly difficult to communicate seriously over the phone, without being able to see his reactions on the other end. That’s probably the way Jud liked it. He was not ready to make amends even though it had been five long years. Had she lost her son forever? Nell wouldn’t let herself think about that now. She couldn’t, or she’d start eating and never stop.
Nell decided to drive over to Oneida Street for lunch at an upscale national chain restaurant. She relaxed and enjoyed her meal without worrying about ever writing it up for a review. She didn’t critique franchises. She preferred to help the independent business owners instead.
After eating, Nell drove to a spice store that was her favorite. She needed to pick up hot crushed red pepper, chipotle ground red seasoning, and orange peel. Nell could spend hours in that store. She proceeded to buy more than she had planned. After browsing in a kitchen store that was within walking distance, Nell called it a day and walked back to her car.
“Oh, for crying out loud!” she said when she reached her car. Her left rear tire was flat. She immediately thought of Northwoodsman and checked the tire for foul play. It wasn’t slashed, just flat. Nell called the auto club to come and make repairs. As luck would have it, a truck was in the area and was able to assist her within ten minutes.
A good looking older gentleman came out of the truck and walked over to Nell. “You’re having a problem, ma’am?”
“Yes, my tire is flat. Thanks for getting here so fast,” Nell said as she walked over to the rear tire.
“Let’s take care of business first. Could I see your club card?” The man had a clipboard and receipt in his hand.
“Certainly,” Nell said handing it over.
The mechanic took down her information and then checked the tire over. “It looks like you’re just low on air. You didn’t feel any change as you drove it?”
“No. But my mind has been on other things. I may not have noticed it.”
“I think you would have felt a tire that was going this flat,” he said as he filled it with air. “There’s a slow leak in this tire. Do you have a spare?”
“Unfortunately, no. It’s at home in the garage.”
The man smiled. “It won’t do you much good there. How far do you have to drive?”
“Back to Bayshore,” Nell answered. “Will I make it?”
“Oh, I think so, but pay attention. If it rides funny, stop at a station and fill it back up with air. Then when you get home, take it to your garage and have them check it over.” With a final thanks from Nell, he drove off.
Nell was anxious to get back to town and to her mechanic. She tried to remain aware to any change in how the car was driving. As flat as that tire was, she should have noticed something on the way down. Could someone have let the air out of her tire? Had Northwoodsman followed her to Green Bay? Was he in a car behind her? She was getting paranoid. She needed to calm down. There was nothing she could do but drive home as fast as she dared.
In an effort to put both Northwoodsman and her relationship with Jud out of her mind, she thought about how much she was attracted to the mechanic. Seriously, what was going on with her? She hadn’t thought of a man other than Drew in five years and now in two weeks she was considering Sam and this mechanic? Nell knew she needed something else to focus on. She put her foot down on the accelerator a little harder.
Stopping at her auto care center upon getting into Bayshore, she took her packages and the garage door opener from the car and was given a ride home. The local owner promised to make whatever repairs needed to the tire as soon as possible. He also took the spare out of her garage to put in her trunk if he didn’t use it.
George and Newman greeted Nell with friendly yips and wagging tails as she came in the door with her shopping bags in hand. “George, how’s my big guy? And Newmanator, how ya doing?”
She dropped the bags on the counter and went outside to toss the ball around with them. After tiring them out some, she could hardly wait to check her blog.
More followers cautioned her about meeting Northwoodsman, but nothing from him. It was hard for Nell to believe he hadn’t responded. Maybe he hadn’t answered because he was following her to Green Bay, although she didn’t really believe that. What if he hadn’t even read the post? What if he had read it and was ignoring it? Maybe he’s just not responding, but will show up anyway? What if she goes out to The Hideout tomorrow and no one meets her? This could all be for nothing. Nell really thought when she came home today she’d find out something, one way or the other. It looked like she’d have to wait until tomorrow at 2:00 for the answer.