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“She loved you-you know. She was just acting out.” Bobby said into the silence as if reading the other man’s thoughts. “What she and I did, it was just for fun, but she never once thought of leaving you. Fuck, who would’ve wanted to kill her? She was harmless, a little headstrong, but harmless.”
Bobby fought back the tears as gut-wrenching grief pierced his soul. He was amazed to find that he’d felt more for Melissa than he’d thought when she was alive. He wouldn’t call it love exactly, but it turns out she was more than just a fuck.
They both turned when there was a knock at the door. Gil had told his family and neighbors that he wanted to be alone, so he wasn’t sure who that could be. He went to answer and was surprised to see an unfamiliar face. Unfamiliar in the sense that he didn’t know her personally, but he knew of her.
“Hi, I heard about what happened, may I come in?” Her Irish accent was soft and calming, and Gil found himself stepping back out of the way to let her in. He wasn’t sure what she was doing here; he wasn’t aware that she’d even known his wife; in fact, he was sure of it. They didn’t exactly move in the same circles as her employer, and she’d never been known to mix with the locals in the year or so she’d been here.
Bridgette came up short when she saw the other man sitting in the living room. She’d been expecting the grieving husband to be home alone. She was even more surprised when she realized from the nametag on his mechanic’s uniform exactly who he was, strange.
“Hi, I’m Bridgette.” She held out her hand to Bobby, who took it with a questioning look on his face, which he turned to Gil. Gil shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the recliner where he’d left his beer. “So, what brings you here? I didn’t know you knew my wife?”
Bridgette turned a very disarming smile his way. “I didn’t personally know her; I just thought that you might need someone to talk to. I know it seems strange me coming here like this, but as you know, my employer was also murdered not too long ago, so I’ve had some experience getting my boss through the grieving process.”
“It just broke my heart thinking about you here alone. I hope I’m not being too presumptuous.” Gil wasn’t thinking clearly enough to see the holes in her logic, so just shrugged and offered her a seat. Bobby was sizing her up, trying to figure out her angle.
Like Gil, he knew of her but didn’t know her that well. She was a real looker for sure, nowhere near Mel’s caliber, but she wasn’t bad, not that his mind was thinking of anything but generalities. He’d be a right bastard if he started thinking about sex on the day his lover had died, wouldn’t he?
Bridgette sat on the couch on the other end from Bobby with a concerned but friendly smile on her face. “Do you have someone to cook for you and take care of the house? I don’t mean to be intrusive, so feel free to tell me it’s none of my business.” Gil, in all honesty, hadn’t given much thought to any of those things.
At the beginning of their marriage, Mel had taken care of the house, keeping it clean, and there was always a hot meal waiting for him in the evenings when he got home from work. Things had changed after he lost his well paying job, though. She’d gone from cleaning almost every day to maybe twice a week, and it was always a toss-up if he’d find dinner waiting for him.
“I didn’t think about that.” Now he looked at Bridgette; his brain clouded with alcohol and open to suggestion. Meanwhile, Bobby’s eyes had moved to her ass in the leggings she had on. Not bad. Good fuck Bobby, can you have a little more respect?
Bridgette didn’t miss the interest shown by the unknown man, but he wasn’t her target. She needed a place to stay after losing her nanny position, something not many in the small town knew. She’d begged and pleaded to be given more time, but that time was running out, and if she didn’t come up with something soon, she’d be on a one-way trip back to a dead-end town that she had no interest in seeing ever again in her life.
CHAPTER 17
She’s feisty! Riley thought as he followed Celia into the house. It was a nice change from what he was accustomed to. In fact, everything about her was new and exciting, not least of all was that mouth of hers. “So, did you get what you were after with Simon?”
