“You did this,” I accused, stepping closer to where she stood near the door.
Julian, who I’d almost forgotten was there, interrupted, “Is anybody planning on telling me what the hell is going on?”
Jennifer spun on her heels. “You should ask Fitch since I have to go.” She giggled maniacally, reaching for the door handle. Crazy bitch. “It looks like you two have a lot of catching up to do.”
With that she was gone, leaving Julian staring at me with a look of befuddlement. What a mess. I stepped back and sank into my chair, defeated. This was just too much. Instead of having a discussion with Adam to define what was going on between us, I was stuck here with my ex-boyfriend. And based on Adam’s reaction, it was starting to look as if we might never be having that relationship discussion.
Julian came over to where I sat. “Maddy, what’s going on? Are you all right?”
His voice held nothing but genuine concern, making it even more likely he was being used as a pawn by someone. Jennifer? Ami? She is in Los Angeles, I thought.
I sighed. “Julian, what are you doing here?”
He slid into the chair across from me, the one Adam had been sitting in. “Your friend from up here tracked me down.” Ami, I thought. “She told me you were here. She said you’re in danger.” His voice dropped. “Maddy, we may not be together anymore, but I’ll always be here for you. If you need help getting out of here, I’ll do whatever I can to help. If that guy is—”
“Julian,” I interrupted, “I’m not in any danger.” Small lie.
I explained how Ami was unstable and had obviously overreacted for whatever reason. With the nagging fear that—maybe—she did know something, and I really was in some kind of peril, I tried to convince Julian I was fine. I explained I was just here working on a book.
Naturally he didn’t buy it.
“Really, Maddy?” He looked at me skeptically. “Are you here working on a novel…or working on that guy who just left?”
Both, I thought but answered, “I’m working on my next novel. That’s all.”
Julian still didn’t look as if he believed me, but he nodded nonetheless. Quietly he said, “I can go back over to the mainland tonight if that’d be better for you.”
Although I knew it would be better, based on Adam’s behavior, I couldn’t just dismiss Julian after he’d traveled all this way just to make sure I was OK. Besides, I was certain Jennifer had left for the night, so he’d have no way back anyway.
“No. You can sleep at my place tonight. The ferry will be here tomorrow morning. You can go back then.” His eyes questioned mine, and to avoid any confusion, I hastily added, “I have a really comfy sofa. You can sleep there.”
We left the café, and by the time we’d reached my cottage, I felt so bad about the whole situation that I insisted I stay on the sofa and Julian take the bed. It took awhile for him to agree, but he finally acquiesced. I quickly showed him around upstairs, grabbed a pair of pajamas from the dresser, and left Julian to his own devices in my bedroom. Hurriedly I made my way back downstairs.
After enough time had elapsed for Julian to fall asleep, I dialed Adam’s cell phone. It went straight to voicemail, so I left a message, asking him to “please call me as soon as possible” so we could talk.
Once I shrugged out of my clothes, I slipped on the comfortable, oversized flannel pajamas I’d brought down from upstairs. With little cartoon dogs and cats all over them, they were the unsexiest ones I owned, making them a perfect choice in case Julian wandered downstairs for something. Encouraging him was the last thing I wanted to do. Drowsy, I turned out the lamp and lay back on the sofa. With a throw pillow beneath my head and a quilt thrown over my body, sleep came quickly.
At some point in the middle of the night, I woke up abruptly, certain I’d heard footsteps close by. “Julian?” I whispered, allowing my eyes to adjust to the shapes and shadows in the room, illuminated only by slivers of moonlight pouring in through half-closed blinds.
“Not your ex-boyfriend,” a voice purred from close by, startling me.
I shot upright and pulled my legs up to my chest, but then the shape at the foot of the sofa came