“How, when you’re always here?”
“I’m not,” she protested, already filling the disposable mugs. “But time is money, you know, so I like to get here early.”
“And leave late?”
She shrugged, then indicated the cups. “Two, huh?”
Baxter shook his head at the way her big brown eyes widened in question. “To save you from asking, one is for Ridley.”
She eyed his unshaved face and rumpled clothes, then doctored one cup with cream and sugar, the way Ridley preferred it. “Since you commented on me being early, should I mention that you’re...late?”
Daron saved him by dragging in, looking worse than Baxter did as he said, “Maris, honey, I hope you made the coffee strong because after the night I had, I need it,” around a wide yawn.
Her teasing smile disappeared and those big brown eyes narrowed.
“Ass,” Baxter accused as he took the coffee and left.
He hadn’t been gone long, so he wasn’t surprised to hear the shower still going when he stepped into Ridley’s RV. He put one cup on her dinette table and then rapped on the bathroom door. “Hey, I have to run. Coffee is out here waiting for you.”
The shower shut off. “I’ll be out in two minutes.”
And I’ll have already left. “Don’t rush.” If she stepped out naked, he was a goner. He needed to split while his willpower held firm. “I’m already running late.” Damn, he sounded lame. “I’ll see you tonight.” Without waiting for her to answer, he hurried from the RV.
He’d see her again tonight because he couldn’t resist, but he’d make damn sure to keep things on an even keel. No more gifts. No more getting waylaid by her personality shifts.
And no more sleeping through the night.
*
Wrapped in a towel, her hair dripping, Ridley rushed out of the shower and looked around. A steaming cup of coffee sat on her dinette. Baxter, the coward, was nowhere to be seen.
Oh, but she’d known. She’d heard it in his voice, the miserable jerk. And to think she’d been feeling... Damn him, she’d felt connected.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Hadn’t she learned anything since her divorce?
Would he come back tonight? She gave it a quick thought and decided that yes, he most definitely would. He wanted sex, after all.
Well, he wouldn’t be disappointed. She’d give him that, but only that—and not a single thing more.
14
That afternoon, Phoenix texted Ridley to ask, Lunch? She needed to catch her up on what had happened. As it was, Ridley would be pissed that she hadn’t been told right away.
Ridley immediately messaged back, Yes! When?
I’m free in 5.
My place, Ridley returned.
Phoenix wondered if her sister actually had any food in her RV, but if not, they could walk down to the store. She wanted to talk to Ridley more than she wanted to eat, anyway.
Her sister was pacing under the canopy when Phoenix arrived. Ridley took one look at her, and grabbed her up close for a bruising hug.
“I swear,” she complained into Phoenix’s ear, “I see less of you now that I’m living yards away than I did when we each had our own houses.”
It said a lot, Phoenix thought, that Ridley could joke about that and neither of them winced. After all, neither of them had left their houses under ideal situations.
“What’s happened?” Phoenix asked, knowing there had to be a reason for Ridley to be so huggy.
“Baxter is still a dick.” Stepping away, she gestured for Phoenix to precede her into the RV. “He made me swoon with sex, then ran like the craven jerk he is.”
“Funny,” Phoenix remarked, “I heard he spent the night.”
“Right, he did. He also sexed me up good this morning—after he gave me a gift.”
“That all sounds really nice.” Phoenix dropped into a seat at the dinette table.
“It was—until he ran.”
“Ran?” Phoenix asked. “Or merely went to work?”
Ridley snorted. “He literally fled while I was in the shower.” Bending into the fridge, Ridley produced two loaded salads, just like Phoenix liked them. Blackened chicken, cranberries, pecans and lots of leafy greens.
“Mmm. Are we celebrating?”
Ridley put out two bottles of frosty raspberry tea next. “No.” She pulled the top off her salad bowl, then pointed her fork at Phoenix. “I can’t believe I was getting porked while some asshole was trying to terrorize you. And you didn’t tell me about it! I had to hear it from Maris, who heard it from Daron.”
Shrugging, Phoenix said, “I asked to have lunch so I could tell you now.” She dug into her salad. “Oh, man, so good.”
“You should have called me last night.”
“So you could do what?” She chewed and swallowed quickly before Ridley could argue. “I didn’t contact you because one, it was under control. Two, I wasn’t terrorized.” Much. “And three, you were getting porked.”
Ridley made a face, then conceded the point. “Fine. So give me the firsthand version. What exactly happened?”
Not a problem. Phoenix needed her sister to have the details anyway. She filled her in, only skimping on how afraid she’d really been, then summed it up with, “So of course Cooper thinks David might have had something to do with it.”
“Well, if Harry is ruled out—”
“He’s not. Cooper isn’t eliminating anyone yet, and he refuses to think it could have been a prank.”
Ridley raised a hand. “For the record, I agree with Cooper. I hate to say it, hon, but it feels like you’re being targeted.”
Yes, it did, but what to do about it, that was the big question. “Officer Clark suggested I contact David, so I tried. But he changed his number.”
Pausing in her attack on the salad, Ridley stared at her. “David changed his number?”
“It gets weirder.” She explained the plan, how she’d searched him on social media last night. “David is either off everything, or he’s set up his privacy so I can’t see him.”
“No way.” Ridley produced her phone and started searching. After a minute, she said, “Huh. I can’t find him on Facebook.” She searched some more. “Not SnapChat, either.” She feverishly scrolled again. “Instagram is a nope.”
Phoenix sighed. “So it’s not just me. As my sister, he’s probably blocking you, too. Only...why would he? Especially after stopping by to say hi and wish me well?”
Ridley scowled. “Didn’t he mention the woman he’s with now?”
Nodding, Phoenix said, “Angie Perkins.”
“Right. Weren’t the two of you friends at one time?”
“We were friendly, but we were never close.”
Ridley gave her a level look. “Do you have her phone number?”
“I...” Phoenix blinked. “Yes, I think so.”
“Call her. Ask her what old David is up to, but be tactful. Sneaky even. Don’t let her know we’re suspicious of him.”
“I’m not all that suspicious.” Still, she had to admit that it was weird for him to disappear off social media.
“Well, I am,” Ridley said. “Call her.”
Phoenix bit her lip. “Now?”
“Why not now? Get it over with and then maybe you can put Cooper’s mind to rest on at least one dude.”
Actually, that seemed like a good idea. Her relationship with Cooper was new and she didn’t like these side distractions.
Plus there was the very real worry that it was his protective nature guiding things. If there was no threat to her, would he still ask her to stay over?
To give herself time to think on what to say, Phoenix ate the rest of her salad before picking up her phone.
As she sat there, procrastinating, Ridley, the jerk, started making chicken noises.
“I hope you lay an egg,” Phoenix grouched, then she called Angie.
On the third ring, Angie answered with a flat, almost antagonistic voice. “Phoenix.”
Just that, nothing more. Phoenix drew a breath. “Angie, hi. How’ve you been?”
“Really great, actually.”
A sneer? “I’m glad to hear it.” To end the awkwardness, Phoenix said, “Listen, the reason I’m calling—”
“You want to talk to David.”