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She had just closed her eyes again when she heard another sound. Not just any sound, but anothercrackof the stairs. In fact, she knew exactly which step. The fifth. She knew because every time she stepped on it the sound irritated her.
Pushing up out of the water, she reached for her bath robe and was dragging it on as she opened the door.
Nothing seemed amiss as she peered down the unlit hallway.
Convincing herself that she was probably imagining the noises, she tiptoed out of the bathroom and stopped at the top of the stairs. Maybe she should lay off the wine
With a quick sweep of the upstairs, she descended the stairs and heard crickets and frogs. Then felt a cooler breeze. The front door was open.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Didn’t I lock it?
Fear returned.
Grabbing an umbrella from the wicker basket in the corner, the only object she saw that could be used as a weapon, she held it like she was about to hit a baseball.
Flicking on the lamp, the light cast a golden hue over the empty living room.
She started to lower the umbrella when she heard aswishingfollowed by athumpbehind her. She turned so fast she hit the release button on the umbrella causing it to fly open and hit her in the chin.
A whining sound made her slowly lower the umbrella.
Then she saw the culprit.
Chow.
“Boy, you just about made me bludgeon myself with this thing.”
His large tongue licked at the air and he stared at her as if he couldn’t figure out what she was doing.
“Chow, I told you to wait,” Raven called out as he came rushing into the house. His arms were laden with grocery bags.
He was a sight for sore eyes. They hadn’t made plans to see each other today but she wasn’t disappointed.
“I finished my errands and realized you probably don’t have much in the way of food here,” he said. “Chow and I decided we’d grab some things on our way back through town and drop them off.”
Her heart kicked up against her ribs. The idea that he was thinking of her made her smile. “Thank you.”
His gaze fell to the umbrella. “I don’t think we’re supposed to get rain.”
Realizing she still held the umbrella, she gave a nervous laugh. “That’s a story in itself.” She closed it and returned it to the basket. “How about I take one of these from you.” She took one of the bags and he shifted the others in his arms.
They took the bags and placed them on the counter. She peeked inside one. “This was very considerate. However, you and Chow almost gave me a heart attack. When did he learn to open closed doors?”
He paused. “You give him too much credit. He can do a lot of things but he can’t open doors.”
She grabbed one of the apples from the bag and bit into it. “Well, apparently he’s been keeping a few tricks secret because he opened the front door then came looking for me upstairs.”
“I’m confused.” He laid out two white deli packages. One was marked ham and the other turkey.
She paused with the apple mid-air. “Why are you confused? The front door was closed.”
He then turned his attention on her as he crumbled a bag in his hands. “Chow and I just got here. He raced ahead. I thought you opened the door for him.”
The apple slipped from her fingers and rolled onto the floor. “I…well, I just assumed. I heard someone inside.”
A concerned expression flicked over Raven’s face before his gaze narrowed. “Someone was inside?”
