“Take a breath.”
She did. Then another. “What do you need me to do?”
“First, trust me.”
Done. “Okay.” No doubt in her heart or mind about that. She trusted Trent.
“Second, you’ll need to stay here tonight.”
She shook her head. “What if this Royer-person looks for me at Roni’s house?”
“Jess is sending someone to keep watch. After what I overheard, I think he’s left the island or is focused on finding a new hiding place tonight.”
“And tomorrow?” She suppressed a shiver. Every good thing she took for granted now felt dark and dangerous. Would she be safe anywhere on the island?
“We’ll deal with it when it gets here.” He glanced at the clock on the oven. “Or in a few hours, since it’s past midnight. Right now, we both need some rest. Want me to call Jess? She could bring clothing or whatever else you might need.”
Natalie appreciated his thoughtfulness. “No thanks. As long as we can go by the house early tomorrow.”
“Sure.” He touched her shoulder. “You’re handling this like a champ.”
She swallowed a laugh. She was closer to terrified than amused. “I reserve the right to have a meltdown.” Any minutein fact. She shrugged, uncertain of her next move. “And don’t worry, I might get lost in my work, but I can pack in a hurry. I won’t delay your search.” She refused to be a burden in any capacity. For too much of her life she’d felt as if her day-dreamy, whimsical tendencies held back those around her, especially her sisters.
Trent was already shaking his head. “Not worried. If needed, I can search alone, as long as you’re safe at the office with Jess.”
He’d emphasized the dangers of the man he was searching for and yet she discovered she wanted in on the action. “I’d rather stick with you.” She could make lesson plans and handle other tasks in Jess’s office, but she’d get antsy if she was tucked away from her sculpting for too long. Focusing on helping Trent was the best distraction she could think of.
“This is serious, Natalie.”
“So you’ve said. At this point, I’m more concerned for any and all art teachers in Charleston. You don’t think he’d just attack someone without verifying they aren’t me?”
“He’s too careful to make a mistake like that. I do believe he’ll have someone searching for you.”
She couldn’t suppress the shiver this time. Turning away, she tried to find a different option, a choice that gave her some semblance of control. It didn’t come to her. She had to trust Trent’s expertise, at least for tonight. “I’ll stay the night.” She couldn’t bear the thought of going back home alone or leading anyone straight to her sisters. Pulling out her phone, she texted her sisters.
“Should you call? Won’t they worry?”
“At this hour a call would be more upsetting,” she said. “They’ll see the text when they get up and it’ll be fine. My sisters are used to me going dark when the muse has me by the throat.”
“You told them you’re working?”
“I’m not about to tell them anything serious in a text thread. You said Jess has someone in place at the house.” At his nod, she shrugged. “Then I trust her. And you.” The less her sisters knew about this, the better. “It’ll be fine.”
Had to be. She couldn’t bear any other outcome.
“Where do they think you sleep?”
“Well, if this really were an artistic-muse issue, I wouldn’t sleep until it was done. That’s what they’ll think.” The consternation on his face made her smile. “Would you rather protect me at Roni’s place?” Poor Trent. Clearly dismayed, he rubbed the back of his neck as he considered the offer. “Relax. I didn’t mean it. Celeste and Roni would be as uncomfortable as you look if I showed up with you and suggested you were staying.”
The tension melted out of him. “Even if we told them why?”
She flicked a hand. “I don’t expect to bring home another man. Fool me once and all that.” She didn’t want to rehash her errors with her ex-husband. “It took too long to earn back their respect after Jackson.”
“All right.” He rolled his broad shoulders and her mouth watered. Despite everything, her attraction kept heating up. “Let’s get some rest.” He turned for the stairs. “You can have the bed.”
She stopped short. Did he mean they’d share a room? No way. Too much temptation. “There are other bedrooms.” Including the suite off the kitchen Celeste used to call home when they’d started with a traditional B&B approach. “Isn’t it okay to be in the same house?”
Pausing, one foot on the first step, his eyebrows lifted. “The woman who was about to break into a construction office is afraid of sleeping in the same room as me?”
