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“Hi, Charlie—” But that was as far as she got.
“Mark Taylor is back in Allison and you didn’t let me know?” Charlie cried out. “I had to learn that from Eleanor when she has just phoned to say she and Brooke wanted to join us here in Seattle for a few days. We’re on our way back, of course; we’re not staying here when—”
“No, please don’t. I’m absolutely fine—”
“How can you say that? He tried to run you over again last night!”
“I know, but...”
“I can’t stay here and know you’re in danger, Linds. I’ll never sleep. We’ll try to catch the next—”
“You’ll do no such thing!” Lindsay interrupted her. “Blake is staying here. Until the police can catch Mark.”
For a few moments, the line was quiet.
“Charlie? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m still here,” Charlie finally said. “I’m just not sure I’ve heard you correctly. Blake as in Blake Davidson? Your self-defense instructor? The same Blake who was one of Logan’s groomsmen? Blake Davison, the guy you don’t like, is staying with you?”
Before Lindsay could answer, Blake had taken the phone from her. “Yes, Charlie, it’s Blake. And yes, I’m staying with Lindsay until Taylor is caught.” His eyes were on Lindsay. “Even if your sister doesn’t like me.” And with that, he handed back her phone.
Lindsay turned away. Nobody had invited the damn man into their conversation. “It’s just temporary,” she said to Charlie.
“Well, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you’re not alone. Logan would’ve dropped everything he still had to do, but now I know Blake is staying there, we don’t have to rush back, and Logan can finalize all his business before we return. And also, Eleanor and Brooke can come and visit, too. Are you okay about it, though? I know he’s not your favorite person.”
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. Tell me how you’re feeling? Baby still okay?”
A sure way to get her sister to talk about something else was to talk about her pregnancy. There was a time Charlie thought she’d never be able to have children.
They talked for a few minutes longer before Charlie ended the call. Lindsay stared at her phone, an idea taking shape in her mind. What if she joined Eleanor and Brooke when they visited Logan and Charlie in Seattle? That way, she could get away from Alisson until they’d caught Mark. She’d also escape Blake’s constant presence, and an additional bonus would be she could see her suppliers in Seattle.
Relieved to have some sort of plan, she put her phone down and finished her coffee.
“Come and have something to eat,” Blake said, and put a plate full of pancakes on the table.
Her mouth watered and she pulled out a chair. “I love the American version of pancakes.”
“I didn’t know there were other versions,” Blake said.
“In South Africa, we call what you’ve made crumpets or flapjacks, but for us a pancake is bigger and flatter and we eat it rolled up, with cinnamon sugar. But I love these, too.”
Blake sat down and they began to eat.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She nodded, her mouth already full of syrupy pancakes.
For a few minutes it was silent. She kept her eyes on her pancakes but she was aware of his eyes on her.
Finally, he cleared his throat. “I keep hearing you don’t like me. Any particular reason?”
“You’re always frowning when you look at me.”
But he wasn’t listening to her any longer. His eyes were on her mouth. Again. Her breath hitched in her throat. The next moment, he reached across the table and wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb.
As if in a trance, her eyes followed his thumb back to his mouth where his tongue shot out and licked it. Oh, my. She felt that lick right down to her very core.
“You had some syrup on your lip.” His voice was gruff, sending shivers down her spine. “And just for the record, I like you. Way too much for my piece of mind. I told you I want to kiss you.”
