Page 62 of Noel Secrets

“No. I’ll be there Monday.”

“I should’ve known you wouldn’t miss free lunch.”

Addie laughed as she opened the mailer and looked inside. A white envelope rested inside the sleeve but nothing more. She pulled it out.

“The free work lunch supposedly has Magnolia Bakery cupcakes for dessert,” she reminded Gillian. “It’s not banana pudding, but that’s for the best.”

“Banana pudding is special now because of Price,” Gillian teased.

“That’s right.”

She opened the envelope and pulled out … a photo of her sitting on her couch eating banana pudding. Her pulse spiked and her hands grew clammy. She looked out her windows. She had curtains but often forgot to close them, especially in the winter when the beaches outside her bungalow weren’t full of tourists.

“Addie?” Gillian’s voice came through the phone. “What is it?”

“There was a card in the package with a picture of me sitting on my couch eating banana pudding.”

“That’s creepy. Does it say anything?”

She turned the card over and read aloud, “You love to break hearts. Someday I’ll stop your heart from beating.”

Gillian gasped through the phone line.

Addie stared at the words, feeling numb and disjointed. Was this some kind of joke? It didn’t feel like a joke. It felt like … something Jamison would threaten.

“Addie,” Gillian said. “Addie, you need to call the police. That’s terrifying.”

Addie nodded, unable to find her voice.

“Addie.” Gillian’s tone was sharp. “Will you call the police?”

“Yes,” she squeaked out.

“Tell them about Jamison. And Raymond, Trey, and … oh, Isaac too.”

“Okay.” All men who claimed she’d broken their hearts.

“Are there any others I’m not thinking of? I know there are a long list of hearts you’ve broken, but those are the only ones who got ugly and threatened you, right?”

“It’s not like I try to break their hearts,” she protested. “I rarely go on more than a date or two.”

“You’re just too beautiful, sweet, and fun. It’s not your fault.”

Addie’s stomach turned over. She wasn’t ‘too beautiful’. Maybe she needed to give up dating completely. Why would someone threaten her like this?

“And I hate to say it,” Gillian said, “but tell them about Price.”

“Price? He doesn’t even know where I live.”

“A security guy could find you so quick your head would spin.”

Addie was sick. Could Price have done this? She didn’t think so, but he had said he could use his resources to find her. It hadfelt like harmless flirtation at the time. Now … she didn’t know what to think.

Jamison was locked up. His trial was set for January fifth. She dreaded going to testify, but she wouldn’t let him hurt some other unsuspecting woman.

Raymond, Trey, and Isaac … it could be one of them. Isaac had been over the top upset when he came to her door and she reminded him there was a restraining order against him. He had chucked the flowers and glass vase at her before storming off. Luckily the vase hadn’t hit her, only shattered against a chair and made a huge mess. Raymond and Trey had been angry and called her some choice names, but she hadn’t seen either of them since.

She tried to think of other men whose hearts she may have broken. That felt ridiculous when she rarely dated anyone long enough to fall in love, but some of the men got attached quickly.