Juliette: Yeah, Chief Asshole called them in. I’ll come for a bit after work. Then I need to go home to change before Six Flags
Me: Six Flags???
Juliette: Crap. Was it a surprise? Did I just ruin it?
Me: LOL yes
Juliette: Dylan didn’t tell me that! I’m sorry!!
Me: No worries! Still fun without the surprise! Who’s going?
Nicky: Me
Juliette: And Ryan
Me: Fun! Nick, what happened with Luca?
Nicky: He got frustrated-my fault, but his dad screamed at him. Luca was terrified
Me: Poor kid. You guys will come here straight from work?
Juliette: Yep
Nicky: Yes
Me: Good, see you then
They’d be here in less than two hours, and they’d stay until Liam came back or until they drove me home. It was alright. I was alright. And then we were going to Six Flags! A fun night with Liam and my best friends was just what I needed. So thoughtful of Liam, and a well-timed distraction from that unsettling interaction. It pissed me off that Dan’s weirdness was threatening to ruin my mood for something that Liam so sweetly planned for me, but I had plenty of time to get over it before then. By the time we went, I’d be fine, and it would be a great night!
Nicky could rant the whole time she was here, for all I cared. Maybe it would keep everyone else away. Luca was her favorite kid to work with, but his dad was horrible. It was so bad, that between his dad and the shady area she worked in, she checked in with us every day after work just so we’d know she made it safely back home. She accused Juliette and I of overreacting, but I think it secretly made her feel safer.
I did a loop through the children’s section, avoiding the construction area, and when I found a family of four—a mom,dad, and two kids—doing puzzles near the picture books, I decided the picture books could use a little rearranging. Putting new books out on display inspired reading. Nothing wrong with doing that. Nothing to do with avoiding the bigger bookshelves that starred in my nightmare, or using this random unknowing family to hopefully keep Dan away.
His behaviorwasweird, right? I wished Izzy had been there to confirm or deny if my wild thoughts were reasonable. Or that one of the other workers had come to me instead. Matt, Alex, and Carlos were not nearly as intense as Dan.
After that family left, I organized the Lego bricks by color because there were two pairs of tutors and students in that area.
“What in the world are you doing?” Izzy asked, causing me to jump out of my skin.
“Oh, I just needed some mindless busywork for a while. Doesn’t it look nice now?”
“Uh, sure. Are you alright?” She looked bewildered, and I couldn’t blame her. We never did more than toss the Lego pieces into bins, and we both knew they’d be a mess again soon.
I forced out a laugh. “Just ready for the weekend.” That wasn’t even true. I was excited for tonight, but I was angry I couldn’t take Thor for our usual Sunday walk. Liam and I just took him for a quick spin this morning—not that I could complain since we’d lost the time because we’d overslept together and then fooled around. Nope, that was beyond amazing. But still, it pissed me off that it was all shadowed by self-defense classes, nightmares, rapists, and restrictions on my freedom. Oh, and creepy guys and Tyler’s graduation. Why’d it all have to happen now? I just wanted to banish all that crap so Liam and I could bask in our happiness.
“Yeah, sure. Me too.” The look Izzy gave me said she clearly knew that was pure bull, but she was letting me have it.
“Oh, one of the construction workers said they can’t get the paint we wanted.” I hesitated. “Do you think it’s weird that he asked me to go to the paint store with him?”
She cocked her head, thinking. “A little. He could just have them color match it. He should know that.”
“He said he wanted me to help pick out a new color so he didn’t have to repaint if we didn’t like it.”
“When I painted my house, I had to get all the paint for the painter. So maybe it’s reasonable that he didn’t want that responsibility,” Izzy said sensibly.
“Yeah, maybe.” It was a big responsibility to choose the paint himself. Maybe I had overreacted. Was Izzy naïve, or was I paranoid?
There was more to it, though, something about the way he’d leaned in and the way his eyes had tightened when I refused. His voice had been angry when I said no. He was a man used to getting what he wanted, even though he sounded like a caring uncle.