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Dear Helen,
Thanks so much for the reply and for the recommendation. I’m glad you have found another candidate for the job. It’s such an exciting opportunity. I would have loved to accept it at a better time in my life and I’m glad you understood my reasons for turning the offer down. It had nothing to do with you or the opportunity, which are both amazing, and has everything to do with little Leif. Thanks for sending my C.V. off to your contact in the UN. Maybe someday I can work for them. It would be a dream come true.
All the best.
Alexa
I smiled as I sent the email, glad that I had such a great person looking out for me.
* * *
Leif wokeup just before lunch, so I went to get him, and nursed him right away. After changing him, I took him downstairs and prepared my own lunch. I figured some avocado toast and fruit salad would be a good option. I had still a dozen pounds on me above my pre-baby weight and wanted to lose a few pounds over the next couple of months. Nothing too drastic — I wasn’t going to fret about it. Luke even joked that he liked my very nicely rounded butt and breasts just fine and not to even think about losing weight, but I didn’t want to take too long to get back to my pre-baby weight and physique. I knew Luke loved me just the way I was, but I wanted to be back to normal when I finished nursing Leif, whenever that was.
It was as I was sitting on the patio, enjoying my fruit salad that I saw a man come running up the beach towards the beach house. I frowned when I saw him for it was one of the security guards from the security company. He was wearing a business suit and had his hand to his ear. I recognized him as Jeb. He’d worked for the company for the past couple of months and was a tall beast of a man with a shaved head and big meaty hands. Luke had said he was former military.
“Sorry, Ma’am, but could you bring your baby inside, please? Right away, thanks.”
I jumped up right away, not wanting to argue, and grabbed Leif from his place on his stomach in his playpen.
I rushed inside and the guard closed the sliding door behind me.
“What’s the matter?”
“There was an incident on the road approaching the house,” the man said. “A man fled the vehicle and ran to the beach. I wanted to make sure you were inside and safe just in case he was a person of interest to us. It may turn out to be just a local thug who didn’t want to answer questions from the police, but to be safe, I want you to stay inside until we get the all-clear.”
“Of course,” I said and sat with Leif in the living room, my heart pounding. “What happened? What kind of incident?”
“One of our guards noticed the vehicle was driving very slowly past the house several times, and so we called the local police to check them out. The plates returned that they were stolen, and so the police gave chase. The vehicle went into a ditch a few houses down the beach and the suspects fled the scene. Police gave chase and caught one of the two, but the other man has not been apprehended. They’re currently doing a door-to-door to check for the other suspect. That’s all I have so far.”
I swallowed back my fear, figuring that it was probably just a couple of local kids who were casing the houses, looking for an empty place that they could break into and steal from. Several of the homes along the coast near us were empty most of the year. The owners were wealthy people who lived in the city and only came out during the peak season in the summer. Now that it was September, and school was returning, the summer inhabitants had fled to the city, and we were among the few who remained.
“Probably just some local hoods trying to find an unoccupied house to loot,” Jeb said, standing at the patio door, his legs spread, his hands behind his back.
“Probably,” I said and forced a smile. “I understand most of the houses along the coast are empty once September comes and people go back to the city.”
“That’s what I understand as well,” Jeb replied.
I didn’t know what to do, so I switched on the flatscreen and watched the local news while Leif played on the carpet with his toys.
I heard my cell chime and checked the display. It was a call from Luke.
“Hey,” I said when I answered.
“Are you okay? I just got a call from the security service that there was an incident close to the beach house and that they had you in lockdown.”
“They called you?”
“Yes,” Luke said, his voice sounding concerned. “I’m on my way back right now, but we’re twenty minutes out. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” I said, exhaling now that I knew Luke was almost home. “We’re both fine. Jeb is standing guard at the sliding doors and the police are doing a door-to-door to look for the other suspect, who fled on foot.”
“Good. I’m glad I hired them. It makes me feel a lot more secure leaving you and coming into the city knowing that there are three guards watching over you and the beach house property.”
“Me, too,” I said and sighed. “See you when you get here.”
