cell phone was on the coffee table.
“Joe?”
She flung open the French doors that led to his patio. He wasn’t there. Olivia’s heart started to pound. She turned and went back into the house. She rushed to the master bedroom. Empty. She raced to the bathroom. No one. Olivia’s stomach was churning. She ran through the living room again and out through the French doors into the yard.
“Joe!” Olivia screamed.
“What the hell?” Joe called down to her from the roof.
Olivia ran to the side of the house and saw the ladder leaning there. She looked up and saw Joe fiddling with the chimney.
“Joe.” She smiled, tension draining out of her. “I thought something happened.”
“Something almost did. Almost fell off the damn roof. You scared the hell out of me.”
Olivia sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. She put both hands on her head while Joe edged to the top of the ladder and made his way down to the lawn. Olivia was as white as a ghost.
“What the hell’s wrong?”
Olivia’s eyes brimmed over with tears. Joe stepped forward and enveloped her in his big arms. She cried into his shoulder.
Chapter 8
Later that night, Olivia sat in her pajamas, curled up on the sofa with her laptop. Joe had urged Olivia to report the incident on the highway to the police, but she refused. Being back in Ogunquit and talking it over with Joe made her feel like she was overreacting and she wondered if she misperceived that the car was following her. She admitted that the man in Boston may have just reminded her of the man with the dead eyes at the accident scene. She felt much better after relaxing, eating dinner with Joe and talking through things. She went home, showered, watched some reality television, and made a cup of tea.
Olivia pored over internet articles about Martin Andersen and Rodney Hannigan, trying to find a ‘Julie’ who was connected to either of them. She reviewed Andersen’s company website, looking for any Julies or Julias who worked there. She did the same for the firm that Hannigan worked for. She came up empty. Olivia typed in addresses of the properties surrounding Martin’s brownstone in Boston’s Back Bay and his beach place to see if she could find out if any Julies were neighbors of his. She searched Facebook to see if Martin had an account. Everything was a dead end. How am I supposed to find this Julie? Olivia stood up and started pacing. She decided she would pay a visit to Andersen’s secretary sometime in the coming days.
***
Olivia left the house early the next morning. She hadn’t gone for a run for a few days and she hoped the exercise would shake off some of the tension and confusion she was feeling. The first mile was torture and her legs were burning, but she pushed on. She started to get into a rhythm and her breathing smoothed out. She was completing a four mile loop of the town when a companion joined her.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at her.
“Hey,” Olivia grunted. The guy was gorgeous but she hoped he wouldn’t strike up a conversation as she needed all of her air at the moment to remain upright and finish the last mile. And besides, she was drenched in sweat. Not the time to make a best impression.
He ran the last mile alongside her. They matched strides until they reached the center of town and Olivia stopped to cool down. Mr. Handsome stopped with her.
“Nice run,” he said.
Olivia nodded. Accent. Eastern European?
His blonde hair was cut short and showed off his tan to advantage. He didn’t have that skinny look of a long distance runner. The guy was in good shape and his arms and legs were toned and muscled. His dark brown eyes held Olivia’s as he extended his hand to her. “Alexei Sidorov,” he introduced himself.
Olivia wiped her sweaty hand on her sweaty shorts and shook his hand. “Olivia Miller.”
“I’ve seen you running around town,” he told her. “But I could never catch you.” He smiled.
Olivia laughed at that. She wasn’t
“Joe?”
She flung open the French doors that led to his patio. He wasn’t there. Olivia’s heart started to pound. She turned and went back into the house. She rushed to the master bedroom. Empty. She raced to the bathroom. No one. Olivia’s stomach was churning. She ran through the living room again and out through the French doors into the yard.
“Joe!” Olivia screamed.
“What the hell?” Joe called down to her from the roof.
Olivia ran to the side of the house and saw the ladder leaning there. She looked up and saw Joe fiddling with the chimney.
“Joe.” She smiled, tension draining out of her. “I thought something happened.”
“Something almost did. Almost fell off the damn roof. You scared the hell out of me.”
Olivia sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. She put both hands on her head while Joe edged to the top of the ladder and made his way down to the lawn. Olivia was as white as a ghost.
“What the hell’s wrong?”
Olivia’s eyes brimmed over with tears. Joe stepped forward and enveloped her in his big arms. She cried into his shoulder.
Chapter 8
Later that night, Olivia sat in her pajamas, curled up on the sofa with her laptop. Joe had urged Olivia to report the incident on the highway to the police, but she refused. Being back in Ogunquit and talking it over with Joe made her feel like she was overreacting and she wondered if she misperceived that the car was following her. She admitted that the man in Boston may have just reminded her of the man with the dead eyes at the accident scene. She felt much better after relaxing, eating dinner with Joe and talking through things. She went home, showered, watched some reality television, and made a cup of tea.
Olivia pored over internet articles about Martin Andersen and Rodney Hannigan, trying to find a ‘Julie’ who was connected to either of them. She reviewed Andersen’s company website, looking for any Julies or Julias who worked there. She did the same for the firm that Hannigan worked for. She came up empty. Olivia typed in addresses of the properties surrounding Martin’s brownstone in Boston’s Back Bay and his beach place to see if she could find out if any Julies were neighbors of his. She searched Facebook to see if Martin had an account. Everything was a dead end. How am I supposed to find this Julie? Olivia stood up and started pacing. She decided she would pay a visit to Andersen’s secretary sometime in the coming days.
***
Olivia left the house early the next morning. She hadn’t gone for a run for a few days and she hoped the exercise would shake off some of the tension and confusion she was feeling. The first mile was torture and her legs were burning, but she pushed on. She started to get into a rhythm and her breathing smoothed out. She was completing a four mile loop of the town when a companion joined her.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at her.
“Hey,” Olivia grunted. The guy was gorgeous but she hoped he wouldn’t strike up a conversation as she needed all of her air at the moment to remain upright and finish the last mile. And besides, she was drenched in sweat. Not the time to make a best impression.
He ran the last mile alongside her. They matched strides until they reached the center of town and Olivia stopped to cool down. Mr. Handsome stopped with her.
“Nice run,” he said.
Olivia nodded. Accent. Eastern European?
His blonde hair was cut short and showed off his tan to advantage. He didn’t have that skinny look of a long distance runner. The guy was in good shape and his arms and legs were toned and muscled. His dark brown eyes held Olivia’s as he extended his hand to her. “Alexei Sidorov,” he introduced himself.
Olivia wiped her sweaty hand on her sweaty shorts and shook his hand. “Olivia Miller.”
“I’ve seen you running around town,” he told her. “But I could never catch you.” He smiled.
Olivia laughed at that. She wasn’t
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