“It looks nice. I’m sure I’ll enjoy my stay here.”
“How long will you be staying?”
“Not too long. Probably only for a week,” I said. When I said that, Peggy looked disappointed, so I added, “Maybe more if necessary.”
That got me a big smile from Peggy as she took my hand in hers and put a key to the guest house and a garage door remote in it. She said, “There’s a door in the garage that lets you directly into the pool area so you can avoid the gate.”
I smiled back at Peggy, letting her hold my hand as I asked, “What’s the combination to the gate?”
Peggy said, “Oh, that’s easy.” She pointed to her right breast with her free hand and said, “One.” She then pointed to her left breast and said, “Three.” She then pointed at her divot and said, “Eight,” before pointing to the small triangle that comprised the bottom part of her bikini and said, “Zero.”
Playing along, I said, “Okay, let me see if I have this right.” Smiling, I copied her and poked the small triangle of fabric covering her right nipple with my index finger and said, “One.” I then poked her left nipple and said, “Three.” I then reached down and poked her divot and said, “Eight,” before poking her pussy and finishing, “Zero. Right?”
Peggy practically wriggled with delight, pressing against my finger as she said, “Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, I think I can remember that,” I said. I stepped back and said, “I’ll be in and out a lot while staying here, so I’m glad you showed me the combination.”
“No problem. I’ll be out by the pool if you need anything,” Peggy said, winking at me before she turned and walked out the door. My eyes followed her before I sternly told myself to concentrate on why I was there and not on Peggy’s ass. “Maybe later,” I thought as I turned to my bag and started unpacking.
I quickly put everything away before I got ready to go. I decided to run by where Jack worked to pay him a visit. I planned to turn the tables on him and start stalking him, being everywhere he went and making sure he knew I was there.
As I walked out to my Sting Ray, I passed by the pool and saw Peggy lying on one of the Adirondack loungers, reading a book. I went through the gate and ensured it latched behind me before getting in and driving off. I made my way down out of Laurel Canyon and into West Hollywood. I drove through the stop-and-go traffic to N. La Brea Avenue and turned north. I spied the garage that Jack worked at and pulled into the parking lot.
One of the mechanics noticed my Sting Ray and came out to see what I wanted. I could tell he was admiring my car and barely looked at me while I got out of it. Finally, he noticed I was standing there and asked, “What can I do for you?”
Now that he was looking at me, not the Sting Ray, I could tell he liked what he saw. I took advantage of that and widely smiled as I said, “I thought I was hearing a knocking in the engine, and I wanted someone to take a listen and see if I was just imagining it.”
Stunned by my smile, he said, “Sure, I’ll take a quick listen to it.”
I handed him the key and stepped back as he gingerly eased himself into the Sting Ray. I looked around to see if I could see Jack and saw him inside the shop working on a car. As the mechanic started up the engine, I stepped inside, noting that the shop would be closing in less than an hour, and walked up to Jack, who was working on the disc brakes of a BMW 325e. I said, “Hello, Jack. How are you doing?”
Jack started and turned to see who had interrupted his work. When he saw me, he paled and asked, “What do you want?”
“Oh, nothing in particular. I just thought you might want to know how it feels to be stalked by someone since you seem to like doing it yourself,” I said. With that said, I turned and walked out of the shop.
Just as I walked up next to my car, the mechanic was getting out. Once out, he said, “It sounds okay to me. If anything, it might be running a little rich, but nothing you need to worry about.”
“Thank you,” I said as I smiled and handed him a ten for his time. “I feel better already.”
“No problem,” he answered as I got in my car. I eased out onto the street and powered away, grinning at the thought of what Jack must be thinking about. To add to his consternation, I made my way into Melrose and looked for the apartment building where Jack lived. I found a spot where I could park, keep an eye on the entrance and street, and settle in to wait.
While I waited, my thoughts drifted back to Peggy and how she seemed to have been flirting with me. I wondered if I should reciprocate and how. While I entertained myself with those thoughts, time passed quickly. Before I knew it, I saw Jack’s beat-up Chevy pickup truck turn onto the street and pull into the parking lot for the apartment building.
I got out of my car and walked up to the entrance, reaching it just as Jack did. He started again when he saw me and then tried to walk past me as I smiled and said, “Hello, Jack. So, this is where you live?”
He stopped, turned to me, and asked, “Why are you doing this? What have I done to you?”
I answered truthfully, “I’m trying to get you to return home to Sommillin without having to hurt you. So far, you’ve done nothing illegal, and if you leave now and go back home, nothing will ever go on your record. Erin doesn’t want you following her around, and she hired me to make you go away.”
“I don’t believe you. Why wouldn’t Erin want to see me?”
“Jack, she’s moved on. Erin remembers the time you two were together fondly, but that was six years ago, and that’s all there is. If you keep this up, all you’ll do is destroy those fond memories, and all she’ll remember when thinking of you is how you wouldn’t leave her alone. Is that what you want?”
“How do you know that? Why won’t Erin tell me that herself?”
Remembering what Erin told me about how often she told Jack to go away and stop bothering her, I said, “She has, Jack. Weren’t you listening when she told you that she’s happy here and enjoys her life here? You need to believe she meant it, and you need to go home.” While I was talking, I could see that Jack was getting agitated. I needed to do something quickly, or there could be violence. Stepping back and smiling, I said, “Go home, Jack. Otherwise, you will regret what happens.”
I turned and walked away, expecting violence but hoping he’d just go into his apartment and think about what I told him. By the time I got to the street, I knew he wasn’t about to attack me, so I headed to my car, looking back to see if Jack was watching me. Not seeing him, I got in my car and settled in to see what Jack might do next.
I kept an eye on his apartment building and truck for another hour. However, nothing happened besides a couple of passersby stopping to admire my car, so I turned on the car and headed out. I decided to stop by the Sunset Grill on Sunset Boulevard to grab a burger and some fries before heading back to the guest house. As I pulled up to the Sunset Grill, I found a spot in front of the building to park so I could keep an eye on my car. I could see Joe, the owner and cook, working away behind the grill as I got out of my Sting Ray and walked up to the small hole-in-the-wall eatery.