O'CONNELL'S LOVER

Eighteen

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. I knew I needed to send out the orders as soon as possible, but something was holding me back. Something was telling me to dig deeper, to find out who had placed these strange orders and why they had ordered these expensive ass items.

With a sigh, I resigned myself to sending out the orders immediately. I had never been one to procrastinate, and I wasn't about to start now. I gathered the items, double-checking to make sure I had the correct sizes and colors, and packaged them up carefully, making sure each item was protected for travel.

As I taped up the box, my mind kept wandering back to the mysterious orders. Who was this person, and why were they buying such expensive items? I knew I wouldn't be able to rest easy until I found out.

I glanced at the clock again, realizing that it was already half an hour past the time I was supposed to meet Billie. I frowned, knowing she'd be worried about me. But I also knew that I couldn't ignore these suspicious orders, not until I figured out who was behind them.

I hastily scribbled a quick note to Billie, letting her know that I was running late and that I would explain everything to her later. Then, with my mind still racing, I finished packing up the box and headed out to the nearest shipping office.

As I waited in line at the shipping office, I decided to take a look at my website analytics. I wanted to see if there were any clues about who had placed the orders. But as I scrolled through the data, I found nothing out of the ordinary. No unusual traffic, no abnormal behavior. It was almost as if these orders had appeared out of thin air.

Frustrated, I closed the analytics page and tried to think of other ways to investigate. I thought about calling the credit card company, but I knew that would take too long. I needed answers now. And then, a realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. It was so simple, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before.

I pulled out my phone and opened my email inbox. I scrolled through the countless messages from customers, suppliers, and other designers until I found what I was looking for: a record of all the orders placed through my website.

I took a deep breath and began scrolling through the list of orders, my heart racing with anticipation. And then, finally, I found them: the suspicious orders that had been placed earlier that day.

I clicked on the order number, and my heart sank as the details appeared on my screen. The orders had been placed using a prepaid debit card, so there was no way to track the card's owner. And the shipping address listed was a PO box, giving no indication of where the items were actually going.

I felt a sense of defeat wash over me. Whoever had placed these orders had been careful to hide their identity, making it nearly impossible for me to find out who they were. I slammed my fist against the counter in frustration, attracting a few curious glances from the other people in the shipping office.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I knew that getting angry wouldn't solve anything. I needed to think Logically, rationally. But the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. These mysterious orders were like a riddle, and I was no closer to solving it.

As I slowly made my way to Billie's house, my mind was still swimming with thoughts of the mysterious orders. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but I tried to push those thoughts aside and focus on the present moment.

After a short walk, I finally arrived at Billie's front door. I gave a quick knock and waited for her to answer.

A moment later, the door swung open, revealing Billie standing on the other side. She looked relieved to see me, but her relief quickly turned to concern as she saw the expression on my face.