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“That you’re not safe here.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. His expression was deadly serious. “You might need more than a fake head of security.”
Her stomach filled with dread as she contemplated their tumbled, ruined belongings.
“How did they get in here? And out?” Her lips were so numb she could barely form the words.
“I think they came in by elevator, but they must have left by this window.” He marched to the open window and closed it. “The elevator must have surprised them.”
“So if we’d come out right away, we would have seen who did this.”
“And they would have seen us. It’s a good thing we didn’t do that. They might have been armed. I don’t believe they intended to attack us, but you never know what people will do in self-defense.”
Bliss worried at her lower lip as she gazed at the chaos the intruder had left behind.
Then something caught her eye. On the couch, words were written in red liquid. “Is that…blood? What does it say?”
Granger strode to the couch and bent to sniff it. “It’s ketchup. It says ‘shut up and go away.’”
Shut up and go away? Shut up about what? “Do you think he means about the recording I made?”
“Maybe.” He frowned, probably thinking the same thing she was thinking; it didn’t really make sense. She’d already shared the video with the authorities. It wasn’t as if she was going to the press with it.
Back to more immediate questions.
“Should we even stay here tonight? Do you think he’ll come back? I know this isn’t what you signed up for. I don’t want you to be in any danger because of this.”
She heard the anxiety threading through her voice. He strode to her side and pulled her into his arms. “I’m not afraid of this guy. Don’t worry about that. Maybe you could stay with your brother tonight, and I’ll deal with this mess.”
She stared at him. Moses trembled in her arms. Did Granger really think she was going to float away and leave him to handle the aftermath of a situation she’d created?
Then again, what was he supposed to think? Flighty Bliss. The flaky model. She’d run away from Thailand. She’d blithely invited him to play bodyguard when all he’d needed was a place to stay. Going back even further, there was the time she’d impulsively invited him and his mother to stay in an empty cabin. They’d gotten kicked out in the middle of the night, while she’d slept peacefully in her little nook in Gault’s apartment, completely oblivious to the mess she’d created.
When was she going to start taking responsibility for herself and her missteps?
Now, she decided. Right here, right now. She was going to fix this without anyone getting hurt. Except maybe herself.
Seventeen
Two days later
Granger knocked on the door of a large ranch-style house on the lake. He’d been cooling his heels waiting for Alvin Carter to have some post-wedding free time. Now he was finally going to meet with him, but he barely cared what the man had to say. He couldn’t stop thinking about the main thing on his mind—Bliss.
She’d disappeared. She’d paid for the hotel suite for the rest of January, and hired a cleaning crew to deal with the mess left behind after the break-in. She’d even lined up a home for Moses.
As for Granger, Bliss had left a note.
I can’t put you or anyone else in Lake Bittersweet in danger anymore. You can stay in the suite if you like, or Mrs. Wegman can move you to another one. Either way, it’s paid for. Maybe it seems like I’m running away, but really, I’m just trying to keep you and everyone else safe. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit of a mess. Thank you for everything, and I hope you get the answers you came to Lake Bittersweet to find. For me, being back in Lake Bittersweet brought back a lot of memories, but one of the sweetest was that time I met the sad boy on the dock. He was really cool. He still is. Maybe we’ll meet again. I’ll never forget you. Your friend, Bliss.
P.s. Don’t worry about Moses. Emmaline’s brother Henry and his girlfriend are looking for a dog. Moses would be perfect for them. They’ll come pick him up whenever you say.
He’d balled up the note and tossed it in the cleaning crew’s garbage bag. Why was she making a decision abouthistolerance for danger? He’d faced plenty of danger in his life. It wasn’t her place to make that call for him.
But that wasn’t what really bothered him. He could understand not wanting to put someone else at risk. What he didn’t understand was why she found what had happened between them so easy to walk away from. He was actually kind of insulted. Was that hot elevator encounter—her first time—so meaningless to her?
It wasn’t to him. Unlike all the other times he’d had sex, the experience had brought out emotions he hadn’t reckoned on. When he’d stepped out of the elevator and into that mess, the intense surge of protectiveness had hit him right in the gut.
Stupid idiot.
Falling for an elusive globe-trotting model wouldn’t get him anywhere. He needed a different sort of woman. Someone more like…
