Never Giving Up (Never #3)(16)
Porter just shook his head at her. “Well, I’ve never been happier that we eloped than in this very moment.” Megan shot him her brilliant smile. “You’re a piece of work, Megan, and Patrick is lucky to have you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, which nearly made my heart melt right in my chest. “I’m going to go get some coffee down the street and read the paper. Will you be ok?” He said, whispering in my ear.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thank you. Will you bring me a hot chocolate when you come back? No hurry.”
“Anything for you, Baby Momma,” he said with a sly smile.
“Ok, you never get to call me that again.”
“Deal, but it was fun just the one time.” He lightly patted my rear as he headed out the door.
“I think we both really lucked out in the man department, Fella,” Megan said, watching Porter leave the store.
“We sure did,” I sighed. “I’m gonna go take a look at the sales reports in the back, cool?”
“Sure, everything is saved on the computer and I think the hard copies are in the filing cabinet if you’d rather see those.”
“Ok, thanks, Megs.” Megan was doing a fabulous job running this store for me, and every day I was more and more impressed by her drive and savvy business sense. I rarely worried about Poppy anymore knowing she was here and making it thrive. “You’re really doing a great job here, Megan. I hope you understand that I really appreciate everything you do for this store.”
A slight blush spread over her face. “Thanks, Sis. I love this store and I love the girls. I’m so glad you gave me this opportunity.”
I winked at her and headed to the back room. I grabbed some of the paper files and then settled onto the love seat to look them over. Megan was right, the sales at Poppy were strong, stronger than they had been at that time last year. I tried not to think about how last year’s numbers could have been tainted by Kyle’s embezzlement. Again, I tried to push those thoughts out of my head. Poppy was doing well all on its own, with Megan, Brittany, and Sarah supporting it. They were working hard and it was paying off.
I yawned, realizing all at once that I was exhausted. I flipped through a few more reports, but felt my eyelids drooping, feeling very heavy. Suddenly, I was alone in the dark, laying still on the couch. I must have fallen asleep, but I was confused as to why Porter hadn’t come back for me.
I jumped when I heard a loud knocking coming from the front of the store, as if someone was banging on the glass. My heart stuttered and my pulse thundered through my veins. Without my permission, my body stood and started walking towards the front of the store. Inside, my mind yelled not to go out there, but my legs weren’t listening; they carried me out. There wasn’t anything I could do about it.
When I came around the corner, out of the backroom, I saw him standing there—the man in the black hoodie. This time he wasn’t outside, he waited for me in the store. Head down, face hidden, he raised one arm towards me and I screamed the instant I saw the gun. My mouth opened and I heard my shattered cries echo off the walls.
I jumped, gasping for air at the sound of the gun firing, but when my eyes opened I wasn’t looking at the shooter, I was looking at Porter.
“Ella, hey, what’s happening? Is everything ok?” He knelt on the floor next to the couch I was sprawled out on. I blinked a few times, trying to focus on him and not the pounding of my heart or the incessant pulsing in my ears. I was sweaty and hot.
“He was here. I saw him,” I mumbled, trying to put into words the thoughts running through my mind.
“Babe, no one is here. It’s just me. Take some deep breaths for me.” I gripped his arm needing something to anchor myself. His hand came up and gently caressed the side of my face and I leaned into him. “Just breathe, Ella.” I took his advice and let the air pass through me, trying to release the tension with every exhale. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I must have fallen asleep,” I whispered. “I was just looking over the sales reports and I think I dozed off.”
“Were you dreaming about Kyle?”
I shook my head. “No, it was the shooter, the guy in the hoodie.” I let out one last breath and I felt exhausted. “He was in the store this time, not outside.” Porter’s brow furrowed and I knew he was upset by the situation. When Kyle died, most of the threat went away, but there was still one last loose end just floating around—the shooter. According to Kyle, he was just some kid he’d hired, so chances were that he wasn’t really after me, just doing a job. The police urged us not to be afraid. The shooter didn’t have an agenda against me, and since Kyle was dead, he didn’t have any reason to come back to finish at what he’d failed at—killing me. But, understandably, I was having a hard time not fearing the man who shot me that was still free.
Also understandably, Porter was not happy the shooter was roaming around Portland a free man. There was nothing either of us could do about it. I lived every day trying not to think about it, because I could drive myself crazy. But being here, in this store, on this couch, was obviously too much for my mind.
“What time is it?”
“Nearly five. I was just coming to get you to go to your parents’ house. Are you still feeling up to it?” The back of his hand was still running along my cheek.