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“No, he told me. It was easier for me to come for them myself.” His frown had flattened into a hard line. “Is this how you always answer the door, Catherine?”
“No one ever comes to my door, Elliot.” His unwavering stare pricked at my bare skin. I’d always been so careful to cover my tattoos at work, but all that effort of finding conservative, nunlike clothing had been thrown out the window. He was seeing way more of me than I’d ever wanted to show him.
“Anyone could see you like this.”
I glanced left and right. The sidewalks were empty. “No one is around. I think I’m safe.”
I crossed my arms under my breasts, thinking better of it when his gaze homed in on my propped-up cleavage.
My fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, and I gripped the edge of the door. I wasn’t afraid of Elliot. It was the situation. I hadn’t prepared myself to see him. “I’ll go find them. It might take me some time since everything’s sort of a mess right now.”
Understatement. But he didn’t need to know about the hellhole on the other side of the door.
“I can wait,” he said.
“Great.”
I moved back to close the door in his face, but Elliot stepped inside, taking it as an opening. Then he took the door from me and shut it behind him.
Instant panic climbed up my throat. This wasmyshame. If he saw it, he’d know I’d let myself be taken in—that I’d been so desperate for a friend, someone to call my family, I’d trusted someone I shouldn’t have. Someone who was so unworthy of it, a blind person would have seen that.
“What are you doing?” I squeezed out.
“Waiting.”
“You should wait outside, I’m—”
He was already walking past me into the barren living room where I’d left Joey on her play mat.
Joey and I had spent a lot of time holed away in her room or mine, but I’d been going a little stir-crazy today, so I’d brought some blankets down to pad the rough subflooring and her mat for her to play on.
Today, of all freaking days.
Elliot crouched down beside my daughter, peering at her as she windmilled her arms and kicked her feet. He hadn’t said anything, so maybe the sight of my gorgeous daughter had blinded him to the wreckage surrounding her.
“Hello, Josephine,” he said softly. “Fancy seeing you here.”
I moved around them so I could see what he was doing. She clutched his index finger in her little fist, and he didn’t seem in a hurry to rip his hand away from her. Joey was a curious little creature, but she was gazing up at Elliot, her eyes wider than I’d ever seen them.
“She doesn’t see many people,” I explained. “You’re like a shiny new toy.”
“That’s understandable. Everything’s brand new for her.” He glanced at me. “She has an impressive grip for such a small person.”
“Everything she does is impressive.”
His brow winged. “Aren’t you a little biased?”
“More than a little.”
His mouth hitched at the corner. “Fair enough.” He jerked his chin. “Go find the schematics.”
I hesitated to leave them alone. I’d have to go upstairs and wouldn’t be able to see them.
His head tilted. “You can leave her with me. I’m not going to steal her. What would I do with a baby?”
“I—” I had nothing. There was no reason not to trust that Elliot wouldn’t abscond with Joey, and if she cried, I’d hear her. Besides, she was happy as a clam, and he didn’t seem to mind hanging out with her. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
“No need to rush,” he called as I raced up the stairs.
