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Lock took me on a world tour of the bottom floor. He showed me the family room that held a huge sectional, very large flat screen TV, a bar fully stocked, a dart board, and photos of sports legends hanging all over the walls. I surmised quickly that this was the man-cave.
There was a sliding glass door off the side of the man-cave that led to a beautiful patio. I was banned from hanging out there, but he assured me I wouldn’t feel trapped forever. There was another bedroom downstairs. I thought it was the master, but he said no.
“This room used to be Brad’s when he used to come visit from Houston. There’s a door over there that leads outside. He was able to come and go when he pleased. Later, it became Anaya’s hideout room. Sometimes I would come home from work and see her coming out of the room saying she didn’t want to drive home from Ice’s and sleep in an empty house.”
My brows creased as I pondered, “But you said you would see her when you came home from work. Doesn’t that mean she was alone?”
Lock shrugged. “Exactly. Don’t try to figure that woman out. There’s no point.”
I shook my head. He was so right about my friend.
After the tour of downstairs, he led me upstairs and pointed to a closed room with double doors.
“That’s my room. There’s an office down the hall and, well, you know of the other room. That’s it.”
“I like it.” I smiled up at him. “It has so much character and color.”
He snorted. “That was all MJ. She did the decorating; I just moved the furniture wherever she wanted.”
We both chuckled lightly but I could tell it was forced for Lock. This house held so much pain for him. I wondered why he stayed. I didn’t ask him, of course, but it explained so much. I understood him now. Why he didn’t date as much, why he never moved on with his life, why he built a thick wall around his heart. I knew it would be hard to break through, but I was up for the challenge. What’s the saying? Everything happens for a reason. Well there was a reason for me being here and I planned to take advantage of this moment. I would conquer my Mt. Everest. If it’s the last thing I do.
CHAPTER7
PHOEBE
Iam in hell…
It’s been a week since I’ve been staying with Lock. I had thought it would be the best time of my life. I figured we’d get to know one another, maybe make out a little. But no, that didn’t happen.
First, I’ve barely seen the man. Yes, that’s right. This was his house. But somehow, I’ve maybe seen him twice in seven days. Okay, maybe three days if you wanted to count the first night. And the sightings weren’t long. The second time I caught sight of him, he was coming in from work. It was my second night being here. I had decided to make him dinner, you know, to thank him for putting up with my presence.
The only dish I knew how to make was homemade stir fry. Fresh veggies, sliced chicken over rice. Easy enough. I heard the front door open and knew it was him. Don’t ask how I knew, I just did. Anyway, he made his presence known by standing just at the entrance to the kitchen.
Lock’s kitchen was a galley kitchen. One way in, one way out. He stepped inside, headed for the fridge, and pulled out a bottle of water.
“What are you making?” he had asked.
“Stir-fry. It’s the only thing I know how to make, really.” I smiled up at him and he gave me a smile back.
“Sounds good,” was all he said before he drank all the water in like two gulps, then threw the empty bottle away and left. I heard him climb the steps, then his bedroom door shut.
I blew out a breath and finished chopping the veggies for my stir-fry. I figured I’d ask him if he’s hungry when he came back. However, I never got that chance. Not fifteen minutes later, Derek, one of Lock’s men, came through the front door.
“Put down the shotgun, it’s only me,” he called out, causing me to shake my head and laugh.
He’s been saying that every time he walked into the house for a few days now and I had no idea why. It wasn’t until Noelle explained that it had something to do with what happened when she first met Lock.
Lock had followed Ayana inside some warehouse one day. He thought he would catch her cheating or doing some criminal activity. Instead, he was introduced to Noelle’s shotgun.
His men always brought up the incident to poke fun at Lock. I didn’t understand why they did that. Did they have a death wish or something?
“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” Lock barked, but I could hear humor laced in his voice.
I stepped out of the kitchen to find him talking quietly to Derek. Lock looked over at me when he caught movement to his right. He looked freshly showered, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black short-sleeve pullover shirt. He looked as if he was going on a date or something.
“Are you leaving?” I asked, trying not to sound disappointed or jealous and heart broken.
“Yeah. Derek is going to stay here with you. I have some meetings to attend to.”
