My skin prickled, I was being watched, I could feel it. It’s the same feeling that I’ve been having for the last two weeks; that indescribable feeling of having someone stare at you. I looked around quickly, my wavy brown hair swishing around my shoulders as my green eyes took in everything around me, looking for any sign of whoever could be there watching me. To my disappointment, the search yielded absolutely no results; there wasn’t a soul in sight. Usually that was my favorite part of doing my writing in the secluded woods that surrounded Morgan Manor, but right now the seclusion felt ominous. 

    The feelings of unease stayed with me as I gathered my things and walked hastily to my Jeep, keeping an eye on my surroundings as I went. I quickly threw everything into the passenger side, climbed into the driver’s seat and shut and locked the door. I looked around once more in hope to catch a glimpse of whoever was causing these feelings of dread, before starting the car and heading home.

     I drove a mile up the hill to the sprawling manor that is placed atop it. The house and surrounding fifteen acres has been in my family for generations; the house was built by my great-great-great grandfather as a wedding gift for my great-great-great grandmother.

    It’s easily the grandest house in town with all it towers and rooms, it's like a miniature castle; the house has six bedrooms, three on the first floor and three on the second and each bedroom has a private bathroom. There are two public bathrooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, a huge entry hall, winding staircases, an extremely large kitchen (which my younger sister, who is a chef, loves), a formal dining room, a smaller less-formal dining room, a living room and a game room.

    The current occupants of Morgan Manor are my younger sister, Miranda or Manda as I affectionately call her, my older sister Maxine or, as she’s more commonly known as: Max, and me. My name is Macy, in case you were wondering. Manda just turned 22, I just celebrated my 24th birthday and Max just turned 26. We’ve been living at the manor ever since our parents were killed in a car accident 4 years ago. 

    I drove in silence through the large wrought-iron gate that had the large MM engraved on it. I pulled the Jeep into the enormous three-car garage, right next to Manda’s Chevy Nova, and then slowly made my way through the garage and into the kitchen. Manda was in there as usual, cooking up a storm. She was standing there in her pink and black ‘Domestic Diva’ apron, her long brown hair thrown up into a hasty bun and her emerald green eyes (a family trait that we all share) sparkling like they usually are when she’s cooking. Wafting through the air was the warm aroma of baking garlic bread.

    “Hey Mace, how was your day? Did you get much writing done on the next book?” Manda asked curiously without even looking away from what she was cooking.

    “I got a little bit done.” No use mentioning the feelings of being watched, she would just worry unnecessarily, plus it was probably all part of my mystery writers imagination.

    “Well that’s good; you still have a little while before this draft is due anyway. Go get cleaned up, Max will be home soon and dinner is in fifteen minutes.” She ordered.

    “Yes mom!” I saluted sarcastically, heading into the entrance hall and up the staircase towards my room to wash up. 

    Twenty minutes later I was sitting at the table with Max as Manda finished setting out the food. Max had dyed her hair again just the other day so now she had short bright red hair with an orange streak, which suited her personality and went well with her job as the owner of the only record store in town. Max has always loved music; she plays almost every instrument under the sun, so the job suits her.

    “Macy, I wanted to talk to you.” Max said looking up from the plate of food that Manda had just sat in front of her.

    “About what?” I asked, focused mostly on stuffing food into my mouth.

    “A guy came into the shop today looking for a job; he’s new in town, his sister was Elizabeth Williams. I can’t afford to hire anyone else at the moment, but weren’t you looking for someone to help you out? Besides, he really didn’t look like the record store type.” Max said, taking a bite of her pasta.

    “Yeah I was thinking about hiring someone who could run the shop when I can’t be there.” I said, thinking. Elizabeth Williams was a woman in town, her and her husband died in a car accident about a week ago, leaving behind a fourteen-year-old son.

    “Good, because I told him my sister was a writer and owned a bookstore so she could use someone to help her run the store when she gets in the writing ‘zone’ and I told him you’d be at the shop tomorrow and to stop by.” Max said, shooting me a knowing smile.

    “What’s with the look?” I ask, getting suspicious.

    “Well, I mentioned your name. He’s a big fan.” Max said with a slight laugh as she took another bite of her food, before adding to Manda, “Pass me the garlic bread, please.” 

    “Is he cute?” Manda asked handing the plate of garlic bread to Max. Although she was the youngest of us she was like the mother, she was always trying to set us up with guys. Her excuse is that she wants nieces and nephews soon. 

    “He’s okay. He’s not really my type though.” Max replied, giving me a pointed look. I rolled my eyes.

    “He can come in and I’ll interview him and we’ll see how it goes. I can’t guarantee that he’ll get the job though. I’m not going to hire someone just because he’s good looking. ” I said taking a large bite of pasta.

    After dinner I sluggishly climbed the stairs to my room, bidding my sisters goodnight as I went. My room was my favorite place in this whole house. There were books piled almost everywhere I could find a flat surface and scattered about the window seat where I would sit and read for hours when I had the time. It was a large room with a canopy bed in the center and pictures of my family all over the walls and on the large writing desk that Manda had given me two Christmases ago. The walls were a calming light green color that I had painted them when we first moved here when I was ten, after my grandparent’s deaths left the house to my mom. I walked over to my wardrobe and found my pink cotton short-short pajama bottoms and matching tank top. But before I could even start to get undressed I had that feeling that I was being watched again. A chill slide down my spine as I walked over to my window and looked out, but it was so dark outside that I couldn’t see anything down on the grounds. I shut the curtain quickly before getting into my pajamas, turning on some instrumental music, and crawling under my big thick emerald green comforter and falling asleep.

     Around midnight I awoke to the pitter patter of raindrops pounding on the roof. As I lay there trying to fall back to sleep I thought I heard a noise come from downstairs. Curious, I silently slipped on my bunny slippers and my robe and as quietly as I possibly could, I headed down the grand staircase, making sure to skip the squeaky stair halfway down.

    When I finally reached the first floor landing I looked around to try and decide where to look first when I saw a light flickering around in the living room. Slowly and with my heart pounding, I walked forward and peeked around the corner. I found Max lying asleep on the couch and the TV was on some music video channel. I sighed in relief that there was no intruder and walked over and turned off the TV before walking over and gently shaking Max to wake her up.

    “Wazzamatter?” Max asked groggily as she strained to see me in the now dark living room.

    “You fell asleep downstairs you dork.” I said, rolling my eyes.

    “Oh.” Max said stretching her arms above her head and popping her shoulders.

    She stood up unsteadily and we both headed towards the staircase when we heard a soft bang at the front door.

    “Did you hear that?” I stopped and whispered to Max, my heart starting to pound again.

    “Yeah, I wonder what it was. Come on, let’s go check outside.” Max replied, heading towards the door.

    “Are you nuts? I’ve seen horror movies and I write horror books, opening the door in the middle of the night in a storm is a very bad idea!” I whispered loudly with my emerald green eyes wide.

    “Okay, how about we just open the door and look outside; if we see anyone we will shut the door quickly, lock it and call the cops.” Max said, staying calm.

    I groaned but shook my head okay. We looked at each other silently for a few minutes before Max slowly walked over to the door. I grabbed a baseball bat that was in the coat closet and quickly followed after her.

    Max quickly opened up the door and we both peered outside. The wind was howling and the rain was coming down so hard it made it impossible to see anything farther than five feet away. We shut the door and looked at each other.

    “I guess it was just the wind.” Max said with a shrug.

    I had my doubts but I kept quiet as Max headed towards the stairs and headed up to her room. I double checked that the doors were locked and I was about to put the baseball bat back but I thought twice and decided to keep it with me. I took the stairs up to my room two at a time and when I made it to my room I shut and locked the door. I placed the baseball bat next to my bed before climbing in. I laid there restlessly trying to fall back to sleep but my imagination kept getting the better of me, making me hear noises.

                    ***

    I woke up the next morning tired and in a very bad mood from lack of sleep. I dressed quickly and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. When I made it down there I found a note laying on the counter for me:

    Macy,
        I had a meeting with the realtor about the building
        I wanted for the new bakery so I got a ride into town with Max. 
        We will be home a little later.
        I love you sissy,
            Manda 
                                   
I put the note down and gazed around the empty kitchen. It wasn’t often I had the house alone to myself. Usually Manda was the one who was home alone most often. My stomach growled and I was reminded that I had come down to the kitchen for a reason. I looked in the refrigerator to see if Manda had put any leftovers from last night in there. To my delight I was in luck. I grabbed the Tupperware dish and went over to find myself a plate. 
    
Twenty minutes later I put my plate in the sink and grabbed my purse from the hall closet. I checked all the locks on the doors before heading out to my Jeep. I started the car and began the long, silent drive into town.    

    About two hours after I opened the bookstore I was in the back of the store stocking some of the reference material when I heard the bell chime, signaling that someone had entered the store. I put down the books I was holding and made my way to the front counter.

    “Hello, how can I help you?” I said with a smile, the guy’s back was too me but when he turned around I was looking into the most beautiful hazel eyes that I have ever seen, and not only his eyes were gorgeous either, he was maybe 6’1”, with curly brown hair, and he had a smile to die for.

    “Hi, Miss. Morgan, my name is Tom Chase, your sister told me to come by. She said you might have a job opening.” Tom Chase said, with a sweet smile.

    For a few seconds I had a hard time coming up with a coherent thought, as he stood there smiling at me. Finally I gave myself a mental shake and was able to actually think clearly.

    “Well, Mr. Chase, feel free to call me Macy. Follow me back this way and we can talk.” I said, leading the way back to my office.

    “You can call me Tom.” He said with a smile, which I returned.

    I sat down at my desk and motioned for him to sit down in the chair on the other side.

    “So, my sister tells me that you’re new in town. I heard about your sister and I am so sorry for your loss.” I say with a consoling smile.

    “Yes, it was a tragedy, my sister and I were very close and I will miss her very much. I’m now my nephew’s legal guardian.” Tom replied, sadness in his eyes that I immediately wanted to take away.

    “Do you have any experience in a place like this?” I asked, beginning the interview.

    “I do, yes. I was the manager at the Barnes and Noble in my old city. But I must admit I like the atmosphere in a smaller bookstore more than a place like Barnes and Noble, you get to have more one on one interaction with the customers and with any sales position it’s all about customer service. If a customer isn’t happy they won’t come back.” Tom replied expertly.

    “That is very true and I’m glad you put such a high emphasis on customer service. Are you looking for a long term position or something temporary?” I asked, marking down his answers on the interview questionnaire in front of me.

    “I’m looking for something long term; my nephew has lived here his whole life so I don’t want to uproot his life any more than it already has been.” Tom replied, the sad look returning to his eyes.

    “That’s completely understandable. So, this job would pretty much be making sales and handling cash. When a new shipment of books comes in there will be some restocking involved as well. You seem like a reliable person but I have to ask you to fill out an application though since that’s just good business. Do you have any questions?” I ask, smiling.

    “Not at the moment, but I’m not good at interviews so when I get home I’ll probably think of a hundred or so.” He said with a laugh that was so contagious that I had to join in.

    “I think that’s just how it goes when an interview is involved.” I replied with a smile before adding, “Well, it was very nice meeting you, Tom and I hope to see you again soon.”

    “It was nice meeting you too, Macy. I hope to see you again soon too.” Tom said standing up and shaking my hand before heading out of the office.

    I stood up and walked with him to the door and when he was gone I couldn’t help but wish he hadn’t left. I walked back into my office so that I could run all of the necessary background checks that he needed to pass before he came to work for me. As the checks were being done, I worked some more on my novel to pass the time.

                    * * *

    Just before closing the shop, after all of Tom’s background checks had come through, I gave him a call.

    “Hello?” Tom answered on the fourth ring.

    “Hello Tom. This is Macy Morgan, we spoke earlier this morning, you were looking for a job at my store.” I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

    “Why, hello Macy how is everything?” Tom asked, I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

    “Everything is great; I was just calling to let you know that if you still want it, the job is yours.” I said with a smile.

    “Yeah, of course I still want it! When do I start?” Tom asked excitement coating his voice.

    “Does tomorrow morning at 9 sound okay?” I say, his enthusiasm making me smile.

    “It sounds perfect. I will see you tomorrow, bright and early.” Tom said as I heard a boy in the background talk.

    “Uncle Tom, I'm hungry!” 

Tom laughed, and then said to me, “Well, the kid calls, so I will see you tomorrow.”

    “See you tomorrow.” I say as we both hung up the phone.

    I walked around, turning off all of the lights in a happy daze. I was excited for tomorrow, which a part of me felt a little guilty about, Tom was now an employee and I was a little worried that I had hired him for the wrong reasons but if worst came to worst and he ended up being a horrible employee then at least it’s not a permanent thing, I at least wanted to give him a shot so that he had an income to take care of the nephew of his.

     As I was about to shut off the final light I got the familiar feeling that I was being watched. I looked around outside the store window but saw no one. My heart started to race again as I shut off the light and locked the door, making a run for the Jeep. I finally made it into the car and I put the key in the ignition and turned… but nothing happened. I tried again, but still nothing. The thought of getting out of the safety of the Jeep made me nervous, but there was nothing else I could do. I slowly stepped out of the Jeep, locked the door and ran across the parking lot back to the front of the building. As I was trying to unlock the door, the sound of something falling startled me and I dropped the keys. I picked them up quickly and unlocked the door as fast as I could. I made my way inside the building, turned on the light and locked the door behind me.  I made my way back to my office and grabbed the phone to dial my sisters. Manda picked up on the third ring.

    “Hello?” Manda asked.

    “Hey can you send Max to come get me?” I asked quickly.

    “Macy? Where are you? Why can’t you drive yourself home?” Manda asked, worry automatically coloring her voice as she entered ‘mom’ mode.

    “I’m at the store, my car won’t start.” I said quickly.

    “Well, Max is in the shower, so it’ll be like an hour before she can get to you. Can you wait that long?” Manda said, the sounds of her moving around the kitchen filling the background.

    I thought quickly of what I could do. I really didn’t want to wait an hour, I was still feeling like I was being watched and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

    “It’s okay; I’ll call someone who is closer to give me a ride.” I said, hoping that she couldn’t hear how scared I was over the phone.

    “Are you sure?” Manda asked, still sounding a little worried.

    “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll be home soon. Talk to you later.” I said, hanging up the phone and trying to think of who to call. Tom’s face appeared in my mind and I was just about to call him when I heard the sound of the door handle rattling. The blinds were drawn over the windows but they were the kinds of blinds where people can see in but not out. I picked up the phone and dialed Tom’s number.

    “Hello?” He said after the third ring.

    “Hi Tom, it’s Macy again.” I said, willing my voice not to tremble.

    “Hello Macy. What’s up? You didn’t change your mind about hiring me did you?” he asked with a laugh.

    “Uh, no that’s not why I’m calling. I’m at the store still and my car won’t start and there is someone outside trying to get in.” I said, trying to hide my panic but failing miserably.

    “Are you okay, did you call the police?” Tom asked quickly, I could hear his voice change from friendly banter to protective.

    “No, could you come get me please? I know you have your nephew but I’m scared and it would take my sister an hour to get here.” I said quickly, listening for more noises from the front of the building, there was nothing.

    “Yeah, of course I’ll come. I can be there in five minutes. Try not to panic, lock yourself in the office and listen for me. When I get there I will honk my horn twice and then I will knock three times. Don’t open the door until you hear me knock okay?” Tom said, his plan making me feel a little better.

    “Yes okay.” I said breathlessly shutting and locking the office door as he had said.

    “If anyone who isn’t me tries to get in, call the police. I’m on my way!” He said, hanging up the phone.

    I hung up my end of the phone and sat down on the floor in front of my office door listening for Tom. It was the longest five minutes of my life as I sat there straining to hear every sound and jumping at the smallest noise. Finally I heard a car horn honk twice and a few minutes later there were three sharp knocks on the door. I unlocked the office door and made my way quickly to the front. I unlocked it and there was Tom, with his nephew standing behind him. They weren’t looking at me though; they were looking off to the right of the building.

    “Ben, can you stay here and keep Macy safe? I thought I saw somebody.” Tom said, finally looking at me.

    “No problem.” Ben said, making his way past me into the building.

    “Maybe we should call the police?” I suggested. Tom seemed to think about that for a minute.

    “Yeah okay, I really don’t want to leave the two of you alone anyway.” He replied.

    He came inside and locked the door. He waited with his nephew, as I called the police. We sat down in the chairs in the office while we waited for some officers to arrive.

    “You’re pretty.” Ben said to me sweetly.

    I blushed and replied, “Thank you. That’s very sweet.” He smiled.

    “Tom thinks you’re pretty too.” he said with smirk, I looked at Tom and he blushed.

    “Teenagers, they say the darnedest things.” Tom said, his face still beet red.

    I wasn’t sure what to say to that so I just blushed and remained quiet.

        We sat in silence for a few minutes, until we saw the flashing red and blue lights that signaled the arrival of the police.

    ***

    I finally made it home around 11:00pm. When I walked through the door Manda and Max where, predictably, still awake waiting for me to arrive home.

    “What the hell happened?! I've been sitting here worried sick for hours! I've called you a million times and you never answered, you could have at least checked in! You could have been dead in a ditch somewhere for all I knew!” Manda said the moment I came through the door.

    Before answering her I sat my purse down on the table and dropped down into the chair across from them. I sat there in silence for a moment gathering my thoughts, and then I told them everything that had happened. When I was finished they both looked at me in fear.

    “Do you have any idea who it could have been?” Max asked first, getting up and putting her water glass in the sink and then turning around to face me.

    “I don't know I'm hoping the police will get some ideas but until I know for sure that the guy is gone I'm glad that I'm going to have Tom there working with me. I don't think I'm going to want to be alone there for a little while.” I replied, smiling slightly.

    “Well, Sissy, you've had a long day. Why don't we all head to bed and then we'll talk more about this in the morning.” Manda finally said after a few minutes.

    “Yeah, I agree. I'm beat. I'll see you guys in the morning.” Max agreed, standing up and stretching.

    “I'm going to eat something before I turn in because I’m starving. I'll see you guys in the morning.” I stated, getting up and walking towards the refrigerator to dig through and find myself something easy and quick to cook. 

    “I saved you some food, it's in the microwave. It might not be as good reheated but at least it’s something to fill you up. See you two in the morning.” Manda said with a yawn, heading out of the kitchen towards the stairs.

    “See you guys tomorrow.” I called to their retreating backs as I reheated my plate of food then grabbed it out of the microwave and sat down at the table to eat it quickly.

    After I had finished eating I put the plate in the sink and headed towards the stairs when all of the sudden I got that feeling again. I was being watched. And after everything that had happened in the last few hours I was sure it wasn't just a coincidence. I quickly strode over to the front door and locked the latch and the deadbolt and then I went around to all the doors and windows and double checking the locks before turning back and heading upstairs and locking myself into the safety of my bedroom

I woke up bright and early the next morning, the events of last night still playing in my head like a broken record. I dressed quickly and threw my hair up into a messy ponytail before I met Max and Manda downstairs.

    “Hey Sissy, how did you sleep last night?” Manda asked when she saw me appear at the top of the stairs.

    “Ugh, so-so I guess. I did a lot of thinking last night.” I replied honestly.

    “About what?” Max asked, looking me in the eyes and trying to figure out what I wasn't telling them. I still hadn't mentioned the feelings of being watched but maybe now was the time to speak up.

    “Um, well I was thinking that maybe we should get an alarm system?” I suggested.

    “Why? We’ve never needed one before. What are you hiding?” Max asked, observant as always.

    Quietly I filled them in on the feelings of being watched and on my suspicions that the guy at the shop last night wasn't a coincidence. They reacted as I had expected them to, fear and warning to be careful.

    “Macy, maybe you should take a couple of days off and stay home for a little while, get out of the spotlight for a bit. I mean just to be careful.” Manda suggested, fear for me apparent in her voice.

    “Sis, I'll be fine. And I can't just stop living my life because I've been feeling a little paranoid and someone tried to break into the shop while I was there. Besides, I'm not going to be there alone anymore, remember. Tom is going to be working there now too.” I replied, trying to sound confident.

    “As long as you're sure that you're going to be okay. I'm glad Tom is working with you. Hey! How about you invite him and his nephew to dinner? It can be our way of thanking him for keeping you safe last night.” Manda said quickly, going off into her own world planning on what she would make.

    “Hey, Sis, don't get carried away. You don't know if he'll even be able to come. Let Sissy ask him and then plan the meal.” Max laughed, pulling Manda out of her little world.

    “Fine, Max, but he will come. He likes Macy.” Manda said with a smile.

    “What? How in the world do you know that? You haven't even met the man!” I responded in shock.

    “Oh, please, Mace. You're about as clueless as Max when it comes to guys. Why else would he drag himself to the shop in the middle of the night because you heard a noise? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he came, but he obviously did it because he thinks you’re hot.” Manda replied quickly walking into the kitchen, leaving Max and I standing there looking dumbstruck.

    “Well, how do you know he’s not just a Good Samaritan?” I asked with my face turning a deep red as I denied what she was saying.

    Manda just snorted and didn’t even bother to answer my question she just looked at me pointedly and said, “Just ask him to come here for dinner you dork.”

    I sighed and promised her that I would. And I knew that it would be no use to argue with her, if I didn’t invite Tom then she would somehow find a way to contact him and invite him herself.
    
    Ten minutes later I made my way out of the house towards my Jeep. About halfway to the car I got that all too familiar feeling of being watched. It’s sad that I was actually starting to get used to the feeling. I took a quick look around, hoping to actually see someone this time but not sure what I would do if I actually did. When no one came into view I picked up my pace and booked it to the car. 
    As I was backing out of the driveway I kept my eyes open but still I saw nothing of the person who has been following me. The feelings of paranoia and fear followed me all the way down the winding hillside road that was the only way to or from our house. I felt so helpless, there was someone out there watching me, possibly right at that very moment, and there was nothing I could do to find out who it was or what he wanted. It was an altogether terrifying way to feel.
    I reached over and pushed play on my Runaways CD that was in the CD player. I started trying to push the fear from my mind and focus on the music. After I few minutes I was calm enough to actually start to enjoy the songs and before long I was rocking along to ‘Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin’ which was one of my favorite songs.

    When I finally pulled into the parking lot I found Tom waiting outside for me to arrive. My heart fluttered when I saw him standing there in dress slacks and a nice white shirt. His hair was still wet from a shower and when I got closer I could smell the amazing smell of Dark Temptations by AXE. 
    “Good Morning, Tom.” I called, climbing delicately out of the front seat of my Jeep, grabbing my purse and locking the doors behind me.
    “Good morning, Macy. Hey we match!” He greeted and I was embarrassed to realize that I also was wearing black fitted dress slacks and a nice white shirt.
    “Oh wow, I guess we do.” I laughed, trying to hide my nerves. I made my way to the front door of the store with Tom trailing behind me.
    “Okay, we got a new shipment of books in yesterday just before closing, so I figured that would be a good place to start you on. Follow me and I’ll get you your name tag and then show you how I have everything organized and after all that is done I’ll get you up to speed on the stores computer system.” I said quickly, heading back towards my office with Tom in tow.
    “I never got a chance to tell you yesterday, but thank you so much for this opportunity. If I hadn’t been able to find a job then I would’ve had to move and take Ben away from everything and everyone he knows. I really appreciate this opportunity.” Tom said kindly from behind me.
    “I’m glad that I could be of some help.” I replied, I wasn’t sure exactly how to respond though.
    I made my way to the other side of my desk and began searching through the drawers for the name tag that I had made for Tom last night after I had made the decision to hire him. After searching for a few minutes I finally stumbled upon it in the very bottom drawer.
    “Here we go. Pin this to the front of your shirt and then follow me and I’ll get you set up stocking the shelves.” I said with a smile.
    “Okie Dokie.” He said, taking the name pin from me and pinning it to the front of his shirt as he followed me to the back room of the store where all of the boxes of books sat waiting to be gone through and put up on the shelves.
    “Okay, in each box is a list of the books in the box, it also list the genre of the book. How I do all of this is I first start by making piles separating the genres and then I take them out to the front room to their specific genre and that is where I alphabetize them. Sound easy enough?” I ask after the quick explanation.
    “Yep, I think I got it.” Tom smiled as he grabbed a pair of box openers from on the counter and got to work.
    “Well okay, if you need me I’ll be out front opening up the store.” I said, watching him for a moment before turning around and heading back to the front of the store.
    I made my way through the store turning on all the lights and then I made my way to the bathrooms to check that they were all stocked up and clean. Then I made my way to the cash register and computer and booted them up before unlocking the front door and turning on the open sign.

    As the morning wore on, I sat at my desk in my office going over a list of book orders that I would be making later in the day. I was so absorbed in what I was doing I didn’t hear the bell chime telling me that someone had entered the store.
    “Good morning, sir. Is there anything I can help you with this morning?” The sound of Tom’s voice greeting the customer drifted back into my office and I couldn’t help but smile a little. 
     “Um, I w-was just wondering if Macy Morgan was in today?” A voice stammered. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but I just couldn’t place it.
    “Yes she is, who would you like me to tell her is here for her.” Tom asked his tone friendly.
     “Oh, Um… no one. I’ll come back later.” The man stammered and then I heard his quickly retreating feet and the sound of the door opening and closing again.
    I stood up from behind my desk and walked out to where Tom was still standing, a confused look on his face. I understood exactly how he was feeling. Why wouldn’t the man say his name and why had his voice sounded so familiar to me?
    “What was that about?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
    “I haven’t the foggiest.” Tom replied with a slight chuckle.
    “Well, Tom, you’ve made it halfway through your first day at work. How about I buy you some lunch to celebrate and you can tell me all about that man and what he looked like.”
    
    We made our way in silence to a café down the street from the shop and were escorted to a table by a friendly waitress who handed Tom his menu with a flirtatious smile. I couldn’t help but feel the green-eyed monster of jealousy rear its ugly head.
    “So, what did the man look like? His voice sounded so familiar but I just couldn’t place it.” I asked, taking a sip of the ice water that the waitress had brought. 
    “He was short, pale and had shaggy black hair. That’s all I really paid attention to.” Tom replied, looking through the menu in front of him.
    “That doesn’t sound like anyone I know, but he sure seemed to act like he knew me.” I said, contemplating.
    “Maybe he was a fan wanting an autograph.” Tom teased.
    “Yeah right, I’m not that famous.” I replied, also looking through the menu.
    “That coming from the woman on the New York Times bestseller list.” Tom laughed.
    Just then the waitress showed back up to take our order, Tom took another look at the menu before ordering fish and chips and a Dr. Pepper. I thought for a second and ordered the tuna melt on white with a Pepsi. The waitress wrote down our order, flashed Tom another flirtatious smile and then walked off.
    “Oh, before I forget. My sister wanted me to invite you and Ben to dinner tomorrow. She’s a chef and that’s her way of saying thank you for coming to my aide last night.” I said with a smile.
    “I’d love to stop by for dinner. I’ll try to get Ben out of the house; he hasn’t really left the house too much since his mom and dad died.” Tom said sadly before adding, “Not that I blame him, when I found out about my sister I didn’t want to get out of bed. Taking care of Ben was the only thing that kept me going.”
    “I know the feeling. When my mom and dad died four years ago I stayed in bed and cried for weeks. I didn’t write and I barely even ate.” I stated, thinking back on that horrible part of my life and of how I missed my parents so much.
    “I’m sorry about your parents.” Tom said sympathetically.
    “And I’m sorry about your sister.” I replied.
    “Thank you.” Tom whispered as the waitress appeared with our try of food.
    “Awe, this looks delicious. I have a serious tuna melt addiction.” I grabbed a fry and shoved it into my mouth.
    “Tuna melts are pretty good, but I have to say that fish and chips are the best.” Tom laughed.
    “My friend, I’m afraid you are crazy.” I joined in laughing.

    We finished lunch fifteen minutes later and began the five minute walk back to the store, laughing and talking the whole way. When we arrived back at the shop I found a package sitting on the doorstep. The package was wrapped in plain brown paper and had my name written on the top.
    “I wonder what that is.” I asked aloud picking up the package and tucking it under my arm as I unlocked the front door of the shop and flipping the sign on the front around to say ‘OPEN’.
    Tom headed into the back room to grab the last few boxes of books that he was putting away. As he walked into the back room I made my way into my office and sat the package on my desk. I sat down at my desk chair and grabbed a pocket knife from my top desk drawer and cut the tape on the package and pulled it open.
    “Oh my God!” I said loud enough for Tom to hear me and come running into the office.
    “Is everything okay?” He asked frantically.
    “Yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just opened up the package. It’s a book I’ve been trying to find for years.” I pulled the book out of the box carefully.
    “What book is it?” Tom asked curiously moving to get a better look at the cover.
    “It’s a first edition ‘Lord of the Rings’ set autographed by J.R.R. Tolkien.” I said looking at the book reverently, turning the book over to get a good look at the whole cover. As I was turning it over a note fell out of the book. I bent down and picked it up curiously.
    “Does it say who the book is from?” Tom asked, sounding just as curious as I was.
    “It says: One ring to rule my heart, one ring to steal it, one ring to bring us together and forever our love binds us.” I read aloud.
    “Looks like someone has a secret admirer.” Tom said with a smirk.
    “How would someone know I wanted this book? I’ve never mentioned it to anyone.” I said quietly.
    “That’s weird. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the book this guy gave you is the one you’ve wanted, maybe he just came across this book somewhere and thought you’d like it?” Tom said reasonably.
    “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” I mutter, lost in thought. I doubted that someone had just randomly come across this set of books, I had looked them up before and autographed first editions were going for about $45,000.
    “Well, I’m going to get back to work.” Tom said heading back out of the office to finish what he was doing.
    I sat down at my desk again and stared at the books in my hands for a few minutes before setting them in their box on the edge of the desk, turning the computer on, plugging in my flash drive and pulling up the story I’ve been working on. Before starting to write I closed the blinds in the office and placed a sign on the door that said ‘Writer in the Zone’ then closed the door and put on a Midnight Syndicate CD and then began to write.
                            ***
    A few hours later I powered down my computer, grabbed my purse and exited the office, turning off the lights as I went. I turned off the lights in the back room and headed back up to the front. Tom was there powering down the computer and putting the cash from the cash register into the safe. 
    “Are you ready to head out?” Tom asked, grabbing his Tomet from behind the counter.
    “Yeah, and I just want to say thank you for staying late, I’m still a little paranoid about the guy trying to get in last night.” I replied, walking with Tom towards the door.
    “No problem, I’m available anytime you need me. I don’t blame you for being paranoid; to be honest I was worried about you staying here by yourself.” Tom flipped the light switch and I locked the front door.
    Tom walked with me out into the parking lot and to my Jeep. I unlocked my car door and then turned to face him. That was when I got the feeling of being watched again. I looked around and didn’t see anything.
    “Are you okay?” Tom asked noticing my change in behavior.
    “Yeah, I’m fine.” I said, looking back at Tom before adding, “Well, since the store is closed tomorrow I will see you and Ben at dinner tomorrow night. Here is my address.” I grabbed a pen from my purse and wrote down the address and directions.
    “Okay, I will see you tomorrow. And could you do me a favor? Could you text me when you get home so that I know you got there safe?” Tom asked adding, “I just want to make sure you get home safe, you never know what happened to the guy who tried to break in here yesterday.”
    “Okay, I can do that.” I smile while climbing into the front seat. “I’ll talk to you later.”
    I watched him walk back to his car before starting my Jeep and driving off towards my house.