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I smiled, nodding. “Okay, then I’ll have him meet me there.”
She laughed and shook her head, still facing the cooktop. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”
“You mean about keeping an eye on you? No.”
“Don’t you think this is more than an eye?” She walked over to a cabinet, grabbed a large pot, and filled it with water before setting it on the cooktop to boil.
“It’s what I do for every client,” I assured her.
“I’m not a client. I certainly don’t have the money to pay you for your services.”
“It’s not about the money when it’s someone I care about, Sadie. It wouldn’t matter who was in my life and needed some assistance. Your safety is all that matters.”
One of the hanging chrysanthemums outside near the double doors swayed in the shadows, and my heart stopped as I glanced around to see still trees and the other hanging baskets frozen in time. A prickle of hesitation ran up my flesh.
No.
The flower basket slowed to a stop, and I moved to the windows, glancing outside. Every inch of my perimeter had cameras and motion sensors, and I didn’t receive one alert.
Just because it was Sadie, I still had to stay logical. I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me. It could have been something as simple as a bat running into it.
“Everything okay?” she asked, looking over at me.
I nodded, turning around to see the kitchen drenched in warm hues. From where I stood by the door, Sadie was entirely in my view, looking as stunning as ever.
She’d returned to stirring the pasta, and I couldn’t help but notice the gentle sway of her hips as she moved or the humming she did under her breath that she probably didn’t even know she was doing.
I smiled and walked over to the cabinets to set the table.
“You really didn’t have to make dinner for us.” I grabbed some plates and silverware, and she shrugged, still turned away.
“It’s the least I could do.” She laughed before reaching for a strainer for the pasta. “Here I go and break up with you and then suddenly move in.”
Sadie drained the pasta and poured the sausage and veggie mix into the noodles.
“It’s nice. I didn’t think I’d ever see you back in my house, let alone my kitchen.” I caught a glimpse of regret flickering through her gaze. “I mean, I hoped I’d see it, but…”
“But I broke up with you.”
“Yeah…” I let out a wistful sigh. “And I didn’t think cooking was exactly your favorite thing to do.”
Sadie carried over the pot of pasta and sausage and glanced at me as she set down the stainless pot. A wry smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and I spotted the familiar spark that I could never get enough of, even back on that fateful day.
“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She pressed her lips together. “I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching.”
Her words stung a little, but I smiled as she took a seat.
I walked to the fridge for some red wine. Sure, we’d only been together for six months, but it was intense and passionate. The moments we spent together were so full of life and talking about dreams and things from our past that it felt like I’d known her forever. It was as if our histories were shared and cemented in something neither of us understood.
And it felt like I knew just about all I could about Sadie.
Except when I didn’t. There were plenty of times when she’d clam up. Her expression would change. She’d pull away slightly or change the subject. But she’d always brushed it off to flashbacks, and I certainly wasn’t going to press it.
“Indulge me,” I said, pouring us each a glass of wine.
“I’ve had a lot of time to allow myself to… forget.” Her eyes met mine, and I felt that familiar sensation that made me want to become a superhero for her and decimate anyone who even looked at her wrong. Even in my line of work, I rarely hated people. But I truly hated Carmella for taking away Sadie’s freedom to live without fear. It was bad enough that Sadie would have to relive everything when the trial came up this spring. However, that hung in the balance at this point.
I scooped the pasta onto her plate and then mine as she sipped wine. Her shoulders relaxed.
