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“Then consider yourself busy on New Year’s Eve.”
Sounded like she intended to wait for him. He smiled before he could stop himself.
“What are you smiling about?”
Answering her would give too much away. “Nothing.”
Allison opened her mouth to speak, but the doorbell stopped her. “Be right back.” The legs of her chair scrapped against the tile floor. However, he was out of his chair before she stood up.
“Got it.”
“Seriously, it’s just Connor. He’s got babysitting duty again today.”
He didn’t care who it was. She wasn’t opening the door, end of story. “Probably. I’m still getting it.” Rock didn’t stick around to hear her argument on the matter.
“Adding doorman to your resume?” Connor asked when he came inside.
Rock ignored his friend. If it meant keeping Allison safe, he’d add a lot of jobs to his resume. “We’re finishing breakfast. Want some coffee?”
“Why not,” he answered as they headed for the kitchen. “I owe you one, Raimono, for telling your girlfriend to request me. Got me out of watching over Stan Bonds.”
He’d seen Connor on both Monday and Tuesday, but both times Allison had been around too. This was the first time they’d been alone. Rock had expected his buddy to be unhappy with his current assignment, but he didn’t seem bothered. “The big mouth oil guy from Texas?”
“He’s traveling to Venezuela. Hired the firm again to keep his sorry ass safe. They planned to send me, but the Sherbrooke name pulls higher rank. I’m not complaining. I much prefer working with your girlfriend. She’s not what I expected.”
He’d thought the same thing back in March. “I know what you mean.”
Allison was filling a mug with coffee when they walked in. “Help yourself to anything, Connor, if you’re hungry.” She handed Connor the mug as she walked by him. “I need to shower, I’ll be back.”
Rock nodded and glanced down at his watch. What he wouldn’t give for an extra thirty minutes or so right now. As it was, he was cutting it close this morning. “I’ve got to leave in five. See you tonight.” He pulled her close before she got further away. He didn’t care if Connor stood in the room. He wasn’t letting her leave without a kiss first.
“Have a good day.” She dropped a second kiss on his cheek and left.
“Saw the time check,” Connor said before he sipped his coffee. “You’ve got it bad my friend.”
Yeah, he did. So what.
***
Had someone sped up the day or something? One minute her computer read ten and now it said one o’clock. Most of the time she’d be pleased the end of the workweek was only hours away, and if it didn’t mean dinner with her dad and Abby was much closer, she’d be happy this afternoon too. Unfortunately, in a few hours, she had to sit down and tell them everything. Even before this morning, she’d known it was the right thing to do. Some things you couldn’t keep from your family no matter how much you wanted to. A stalker following you around fit into that category. Knowing this fact and telling her dad though were two different things. How did one even start a conversation like that? No matter what her word choice, he’d lose it tonight. She just hoped Rock’s presence and the fact she’d not only hired bodyguards but also gotten the police involved would prevent her dad from having a heart attack in her living room.
“Think about something else.” Thinking about the task ahead didn’t change it or make it go away. It only made her sick to her stomach. Allison focused on her other conversation with Rock this morning, the one they’d had when she’d woken up from her nightmare. I love you too damn much. Those had been his words. When she’d asked him out after the Falmouth Foundation fundraiser, she’d only wanted to get to know him better. She hadn’t had any expectations past a night out.
Odd how life worked sometimes. In a strange way, she guessed she owed Charles a thank you. If he hadn’t shown up at Siena the night she meet everyone for dinner, she wouldn’t have lied and Rock wouldn’t have escorted her to the fundraiser.
Gone for six months. Yuck. Even if neither of them could change the fact, he should’ve said something before today. She realized when the Marines told him to go, he had no other choice. And it wouldn’t have changed her feelings even if she had known sooner, but still she wished he’d mentioned it sooner. It looked like it was going to be one long summer and fall. She’d need to find something to distract her and make the time go by faster. Maybe a trip somewhere. More than once Sara had asked her to Alicante in California. Perhaps sometime after Sara and Christopher’s honeymoon, she’d visit them for a little while. Her grandparents in New York loved visitors too and often asked her to stay with them. She hadn’t visited them in over a year. A week or two up there would kill sometime, and she and Nana could get some shopping in. Nana might be in her eighties, but the woman still loved shopping as much as a teenager. As long as she worked while away, Jake wouldn’t mind if she took some time off.
Yep, she’d find ways to make the months pass. And until Rock left, she’d enjoy their time together as much as possible considering the circumstances. So far the police had no leads. The only fingerprints they’d found in her house had belonged to either her or Rock. When they informed her of their finds, she’d almost cried. She’d been positive they’d find something. Even if they hadn’t been able to match the print to anyone yet, at least it would’ve been some hard physical evidence. Right now, they had none. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she’d imagined it all. Too many things pointed at someone being after her, including the bullet through Rock’s apartment window.
Technically, the police had nothing to tie the shooting with someone breaking into her house, but she knew they were related. Rock agreed, although he’d admitted he didn’t know if the bullet had been intended to hurt her or scare her. Either way, she didn’t care. She just wanted the madman caught and her life normal again. She loved having Rock with her every night. Both Connor and Neil were nice guys, but she hated having a shadow everywhere she went.
Allison’s mood plummeted straight to her Prada pumps. Positive thoughts, think positive thoughts. Only about a month until my niece or nephew is born. If thoughts of a baby weren’t a positive thing, she didn’t know what was. She couldn’t wait to meet Trent and Addie’s son or daughter and then spoil him or her like a good aunt. Sara’s wedding. Even if Rock wouldn’t be around then, she couldn’t wait for the wedding. Although not her only female cousin, she’d always been closest to Sara. Her cousin had dated her fair share of jerks before her relationship with Christopher, Jake’s best friend, and Allison had never seen her happier.
Slowly, her mood inched its way up from her toes. Now if she could just get the sick knot out of her stomach, the day wouldn’t be a total loss.
***
Allison stepped off the elevator a few hours later and walked toward the reception desk. She’d needed a little afternoon pick-me-up and the best place around for a coffee was the Coffee Factory Café next door.
