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Four
“So, let me get this straight,” Harley began, with an exasperated expression on his face. “You’re a single woman living alone with no alarm system or means to protect yourself if something happened.”
Jade had only expected Harley to show up and get settled in for the night. It was late enough when he arrived. She didn’t expect him to do a full home investigation, but then again, this was what he did for a living. So far, nothing nefarious could be found, but now that he was finished, it was time for the inevitable lecture about her personal security.
Jade wasn’t really listening. She was too distracted by watching him work, her gaze drawn to his clenched jaw and brow furrowed with concern. He took it all very seriously. He was very thorough, she had to admit. He’d studied her windows more closely than she ever had. She’d never even opened them before, so she couldn’t tell him if they had locks or not.
“This neighborhood is pretty quiet,” she argued when he looked at her with dismay. “I’m not aware of any criminal activity that would send me running after an alarm system.”
She had initially been worried about having Harley’s hulking presence in her house. Every room felt smaller with him in it and she had no escape from him. He was a constant reminder of her past, of her current predicament and of what she couldn’t have in the future. That seemed less important now as he was nitpicking every aspect of her home.
Jade liked this little house. It was the first place she’d ever had by herself. She’d moved from her college dorm to Lance’s house, then they bought another house together when they moved to Virginia Beach with his work. This was all hers. Her life was all hers. She didn’t have a husband to tell her what to do any longer and she didn’t need Harley to take over the role.
Harley just shook his head. “It’s all got to change, Jade. If you’re not comfortable with guns, that’s fine, but you’ve got to have something in place to keep you safe. Maybe a stun gun. The noise alone is usually enough to deter an attacker.”
“An attacker?” How had they gone from a threatening letter to break-ins and physical assaults? “It was one letter. And you’re here now. That’s all I need, right?”
“Yes, I’m here, but I won’t be around all the time. You need more protection here than you’ve got.” He whipped his smartphone from his hip and started typing with a flurry of thumbs. “That’s about to change.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m emailing Isaiah with my East Coast surveillance team. I’m going to have him send down someone to secure the home and make it safe for you to be here alone.”
Jade’s eyes grew large. That sounded intense. And expensive. “Harley, I—”
“It’s not going to cost you anything,” he interrupted, holding up his palm. Apparently, he’d come to anticipate her concerns before she voiced them.
“How is that possible?” It cost someone something. Jade might not be rich, but she wasn’t in a position to happily accept handouts, either. Especially from Harley.
He glared at her. “Please don’t argue with me about this. It will make me feel better. This is what I do for a living, remember? Whoever wrote you that note wants to scare you into dropping your search for answers. If you’re going to continue, and I think you should, you need to be smart about it.”
She sighed and shook her head. It was too late to waste any more energy on this. If he wanted to put armed guards in her trees to leap down on intruders, she’d let him. It had been a long day and she was ready for bed.
While she’d been fairly nonchalant about receiving that note when she’d spoken to Harley, it was only because she’d stayed up most of the previous night convincing herself it was nothing. She’d never expected anything like this to happen, and when it had, she’d been taken aback. By the time she’d fallen asleep, it was almost time to get up. She usually opened at the pharmacy, which allowed her to get off in early afternoon, but that didn’t make it any less painful when her alarm went off at five.
Jade looked over at Harley, who was still typing furiously into his phone. Part of his business was in alarms and surveillance, so she shouldn’t be surprised he’d want that done here. Maybe that would make him feel comfortable enough that he wouldn’t have to sleep here every night. She hoped so.
And yet she didn’t.
It was confusing being around Harley again. More confusing than she’d expected it to be. She thought she’d gotten over him a long time ago, but whenever he got close to her, her body responded as though it remembered him. She felt this desperate urge to reach out and touch him. For him to touch her. It was a ridiculous and inappropriate thought about the man who’d been hired to investigate her case. She knew that. Apparently she had made a mistake going too long without male companionship after her divorce. Harley had showed up unexpectedly and here she was, ripe for the picking.
As much as the idea of being plucked by Harley was appealing to her neglected body, her head knew better. He was not the one for her. She’d overridden her body before, and she knew she could do it again. The only difference this time was that Harley was so close, and would be for who knew how long. It was easier before, when she could just break off with him and return to college, where she didn’t have to see him every day.
But she could stay strong. She had to. It wasn’t smart to muddy the investigation with personal feelings. And feelings where Harley was concerned were a terrible idea. He might be attracted to her, but there were times when she got the sense he didn’t want to be. If they did hook up, that would be all there was to it. Neither one of them seemed keen to make the same mistake again.
“Okay, that’s done,” he announced, then slipped the phone back into its holster on his belt. “They’ll probably be out the day after tomorrow or so to get you set up.”
Jade just nodded. It wasn’t a bad idea, really. It would give her some peace of mind. “Thanks. It’s getting late, so if you’ve got all your things, I’ll let you get settled in for the night,” she said. The sooner she got him settled in for the night, the sooner she could put a couple walls between the two of them.
“Great.” Harley bent to pick up the small overnight bag and larger garment bag he’d brought into the house with him.
She led him down the hallway toward the bedrooms. The little bungalow had been perfect when she was looking for a place. Since it was just her, two bedrooms and a single bath were all she needed. Now, as she stood in the hallway and realized the two beds were technically only about eight feet apart, she wished her place was a little larger.
“This is the guest room.” She opened the door to the small room that had yet
to house any actual guests. She used it mostly for an office and storage, but she’d put a sofa sleeper in there just in case someone needed to stay. “I went ahead and unfolded the sofa bed. It has clean sheets and blankets on it, but if you get cold, there’s another in the closet. You probably saw it earlier, but the bath is here at the end of the hallway. There’s just the one to share.”
Harley eyed the space and then turned back to her. “And you’re right across the hall?”
