“Good. That will be a deterrent if nothing else.”
“I don’t really expect the guy to walk up to the door again now that there are cameras. But you never know. If he’s arrogant enough, he might.”
“Let’s hope if he does, she’s not home. Is she staying at your place?”
“She did the first night. I’m staying at her place now.”
“Good. I don’t want her to be alone if we can help it.”
“Trust me, that’s not happening.”
“I’m going to get in touch with her mom today. See if there’s anything she can tell us. There might be something Audrey isn’t saying or hasn’t thought about. An old rivalry or something like that.”
I didn’t think Audrey was hiding anything on purpose, but he had a point. She’d lived out of the area for a long time and moving back could have triggered someone holding an old grudge. Especially if that someone was already unhinged.
Because seriously, a guy had to be unhinged to kill a squirrel and write on a door with its blood.
Zachary and I had cleaned it up for her once the cops had given us the okay. Some had seeped into the wood, so I’d sanded and painted it after the emergency town meeting. Now all traces of it were gone.
“Keep digging,” I said. “We need to find this guy before he does something worse.”
“Agreed. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks.”
I ended the call and pocketed my phone.
My blood surged with anger when I thought about that psycho. I wanted to rearrange his face for what he’d done to my girl. Not just the vandalism, but the fear and stress he was causing her.
Audrey was literally one of the sweetest, kindest people I’d ever met. Who would want to fuck with her like this?
The more jaded part of me did wonder if she was hiding a secret.
I didn’t want to doubt her. But I wasn’t an idiot. I knew people could keep secrets, even otherwise good people. I just hoped I wasn’t setting myself up to get burned.
A good reminder. Take things slow. I was sleeping at her house, next to her in bed, and the desire was there. I wanted her. Badly. But it was probably smart that we hadn’t gone there yet.
I needed to be careful.
“Nothing more we can do over here,” I said to Max. “Let’s go next door.”
Max followed me to the remodel and promptly curled up in a corner for a nap. Apparently watching me install cameras had been tiring work for a dog.
The baseboards were in and about half the windows were trimmed out. I needed to finish the windows and get started on the door trim.
After second-guessing the trim package, I’d finally asked Audrey what she thought. She’d liked the four and a half inch baseboards with stepped detailing at the top. Now that they were in, I had to say, she’d nailed it. The white looked great against the wood floors and the height set off the room perfectly.
The windows were looking good, too, with trim that echoed the lines of the baseboards. I got to work, measuring, cutting, and installing. Once in a while Max would get up and want some attention or need to go outside. A bit after one, I decided to take a break. He hopped in the truck with me and we ran into town to grab some lunch.
I stopped by Audrey’s office to make sure she was okay. She came outside to say hi to me and Max, but couldn’t stay long. She was in the middle of wrapping up an article for next week’s paper. Still, it was good to see her—and kiss her. And Max was thrilled to see his mama.
He really was a cute dog.
After lunch, I went back to work. The afternoon went quickly and I made good progress on the windows and doors. It was finally starting to look livable.
Which reminded me, I needed to make a decision on the countertops. My cabinet guy was already working on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets, but I wasn’t sure what to do about the counters. I’d originally thought quartz, but granite was also a possibility. However, the granite samples I’d grabbed weren’t doing it for me.
Maybe I’d ask Audrey about that too.
Max jumped up from his spot in the corner and ran for the front door.
I glanced at the time. Already after five. “Is your mommy home?”
He looked at me and wagged his tail, as if to say, let’s go see her!
I couldn’t help the smile that stole over my face. If I’d had a tail, I’d have been wagging it too.
Damn. I was in trouble.
I brushed the sawdust off my hands and went outside.
Audrey got out of her car with a smile already on her face. It was such a cliché, but the woman was sunshine. I could feel her warmth from where I was standing.
Max ran to greet her, tail wagging so hard I wondered if he’d throw out his back.
“Hi, Max.” She crouched to scratch him while he gave her excited dog kisses. “I missed you too.”
I let the dog have his moment while I walked across the grass. Her eyes lifted to meet mine and I took her hand to help her stand. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said with a smile.
I pulled her close and kissed her lips. It was possible Max had just licked her face but I didn’t care. I needed her mouth on mine, the warm feeling of our tongues sliding together. She tasted like mint and a flavor that was distinctly her.
It was starting to get addicting.
She moved back and licked her lips. “Wow.”
“How was your day?”
“What? My day?” She blinked a few times. “Sorry, you just scrambled my brain. My day was fine. How was yours?”
I liked the dazed look in her eyes—that I’d done that to her. “It was good. Got a lot done.”
“Can I see?”
“Cameras are in.” I pointed to her front door. “There’s one there, another over the garage, and a third in the back.”
“That’s a lot of cameras.”
“I’m tempted to put in more, but this is a start. I’ll show you how to use them later.”
“Thanks for doing that.”
“Of course.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “Do you want to see the house? Trim is almost done.”
“Definitely.”
I led her next door and walked her through, showing her how great the trim she’d picked was looking. The paned windows and two-panel doors added a touch of detail and the trim set it all off perfectly.
“This looks incredible. You got so much done today. I’m glad Max wasn’t in your way.”
“Nah, he’s fine. He mostly naps in the corner while I work. The noise of the saw in the garage doesn’t even bother him.”
“That’s good. So what’s next after you finish the trim?”
“Carpet goes in the bedrooms soon, then I can finish the baseboards upstairs.” I grabbed the samples and laid them out to show her. “Which one do you think?”
She crouched down and ran her hands over the samples while Max sniffed them. “I like this one.” She tapped the dark beige. “The color is neutral, which I think is good if you’re going to rent it out, and it’s so soft. You want really soft carpet under your feet when you get out of bed in the morning.”
I mentally checked that off my list. “Agreed. Thanks.”
She stood and smiled at me. “You’re welcome.”
Since we were there, I figured I’d ask her about the countertops too. “Do you mind giving me another opinion?”
“Not at all.”
“Kitchen counters.” I grabbed the samples and laid them out. “Those ones are granite and the others are quartz. What do you think?”
“Definitely that one.” She pointed to a simple creamy white quartz. “It’s so pretty. The granite ones are nice but they’re so busy. I love the simplicity of this. And it will contrast with the floors which I think will be gorgeous.”
She was spot on. Plus, for reasons I couldn’t explain, I wanted her to like this house. “Great. One less thing I have to worry about.”
“I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s installed.”
“You and me both.”
“Is that it?”
“Yeah, for now. Let’s go, Max.”
We went back to her house and as soon as we were inside, something shifted inside me. Truthfully, it had been building. Not just since the vandalism and the last couple of nights sleeping next to her, although that had kicked things into overdrive. It had been building since the first time we met.
I wanted her.