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She walked him to the door of her condo. He turned to her and teased. “Now show me how to set the alarm before I leave.”
She giggled, and the sound made his heart speed up. “It’s simple. I enter my code.” She tapped a few buttons on the control panel. “Push the pound key, push the enter key, and it’s all set.” She turned and smiled into his eyes. “In the morning, I’ll shut off the motion sensors inside the condo with this cool app on my phone.” Pulling her phone from her pants pocket, she tapped a few times, opened the app and showed him how she could shut it off. “Then, when I leave for work, I reset the full alarm like I just did. I can log on and monitor from my computer at work or my phone. And the bonus of the system is, the app on my phone is also a locator, so if I lose my phone, you can find it.”
She smiled up at him, and his heart hammered. Her smiled reached her eyes for the first time since he’d seen her again. It dawned on him that most of that was his fault; he’d created a tense vibe in the air. He didn’t want to do that.
“Good girl. You’ve learned well,amore mio.” The Italian term of endearment slipped from his lips without thought. He’d called heramore mio—my love in Italian—when they were together. It was a dream of theirs to go to Italy one day. He’d never been and now was afraid to ask if she had.
A sob escaped her throat, and her hand flew to her lips. Tears instantly gathered in her eyes. At least he thought so; he couldn’t see through his. His arms reached out and pulled her tightly to him—one circled her waist, the other held her head against his chest. His hammering heart felt as though it might explode as his body shook. He found it hard to catch his breath, but he refused to let her go. What a mess.
When he felt her arms wrap around his waist and squeeze, he closed his eyes and prayed for strength to make the right decisions. He would need guidance for this situation.
7
Thoughts of David barraged her mind for most of the night. Feeling depleted and exhausted after he left, she’d curled up on the soft ivory chaise in her bedroom and watched the last rays of the sun flicker off the water. Ducks happily played and quacked, then squawked as boaters interrupted their swim time. Softly stroking Max, the tan, stuffed puppy that had belonged to her daughter, she rested her head back and drifted to sleep. Around midnight, she woke up, set her alarm and security system and climbed in bed where sleep alluded her for hours.
She’d never been a game player, and she wouldn’t start now, but she prayed she could find a way to help David understand that what she’d gone through had beenforhim, not to hurt him.
Pulling her phone from the nightstand, she smiled as she pulled up her app and saw the Haggerty Security logo. He’d done well for himself. She was proud of him.
Leaving her apartment for work, she felt lighter than she had in years. She had renewed hope for a bright future.
She’d only been in Harmony Lake full time for three weeks. Samantha helped her find her condo long distance as she wrapped up her housing in Madison, finally ridding herself of the last of Nicholas Campisi. It had been liberating selling the last house he’d lived in. She’d sold all of the furniture, too. Something in her believed this was the only way to make a fresh start, and now she felt it, too.
Driving into the office, she couldn’t help but notice that Main Street was alive this morning. The little coffee shop she’d found here was bustling with customers. It was still difficult for her to be in large crowds; she still felt watched. Her next order of business would be to find a new doctor here in Harmony Lake. She’d been with her other doctor for five years—since the accident. Finding a new psychologist wasn’t easy, but Dr. Troy promised to help her out with a referral.
Pulling up to the curb in front of the The Daily Grind, she watched as a couple walked from the shop, coffees in one hand, their other hands clasped firmly together. It made her wishful, hopeful that things would be good. Glancing down the street, she admired the large pots in front of each store filled with colorful flowers in varying hues. The beauty shop on the corner had a sign in the window announcing a big sale on shampoo. The candy store across the street from the coffee shop had the best cashew turtles she’d ever tasted in her life. The older couple who ran it with their daughter, Angelina, stood so proud when she’d commented on how delicious they were. This town was quickly growing on her. She could see why David wanted to live here.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped from her car and went into the coffee shop for her morning cup of “get up and go,” as her mother always called it. That and the practice of going out in public her doctor wanted her to do. It was getting easier each time. Stepping in the aroma of freshly-brewed coffees and bakery items made her mouth water. “Morning, Kiera, the usual today?” Lucky greeted.
Lucky was always pleasant and happy—the best person to see in the morning before hitting the office. “Yes, please. How are you today? Did you get your kitchen painted last night?” Today her hair was a kaleidoscope of bright blue, pink, purple, and green chunks, which amazingly blended well together, and Lucky was able to pull off each color. The girl appeared to have boundless energy.
Laughing, Lucky began whipping up her usual–white chocolate macchiato—which she amazingly remembered. “I did, but it took me until one o’clock this morning and then I was up and here at four.” She set Kiera’s coffee cup on the counter, squirted whipped cream on top, placed the cover securely on the cup, and gently slid the coffee across the counter. Tapping the computer screen in front of her a couple of times, she said, “I’ll crash when I get home this afternoon. But it was worth it. Three dollars and fifty cents, please.”
“I’ll bet it looks fabulous.”
“It does, and my offer still stands. I’d meant it when I said you should come to my Stitch and Bitch on Wednesday with my friends. We get together, chat, gossip, bring our latest crafty project--knitting, crocheting, whatever, and work with friends. Please consider joining us; we could use some new blood.”
“I’ll give that some thought. I just started crocheting a hat. The company would be nice.”
“It’s settled.” Writing her address on a piece of paper, she handed it across the counter. “That’s my address; we start at six, but you can get there whenever. I supply leftover baked goods from here; you bring your own drinks. Easy peasy.”
The sudden paranoia cloaked her in, and she felt the queasiness in her stomach crawl up her throat. “Um, I’ll see … I don’t want to …” Swallowing, she looked into the bright blue eyes of her new friend. “How many people come to your Stitch and Bitch?”
“There’s only four of us. Five with you. You’ll love these gals, and they’ll love you.” Tucking the slip of paper into her new black purse, she nodded slightly as she reached for her coffee. “Please join us, Kiera. You’re new in town, and I’d love to help you meet some nice people.”
Looking at the earnest face of her new flamboyant acquaintance, the words of her counselor crawled through her brain:Doing the things that you’re afraid of is where growth and strength come from …Taking a deep breath, she replied, “Okay. I’ll be there.”
Leaving the coffee shop, a smile spread across her face. She was going to meet people and maybe make some friends. She hadn’t had friends since college. It made her giddy and frightened to think about it. At the moment, giddy was winning.
* * *
Taking the stairs from the third floor to the second, David whistled as he walked. At Gray’s insistence, he’d moved his offices to the Kinkaide building a year ago. They’d been friends for years now, and once Gray and Samantha met, fell in love and married, she’d taken over more and more of their day-to-day business operations. Not only that, but she’d been instrumental in getting this building in shape and moving the company up to the second floor. The offices were unique and inviting. She’d then cracked the whip to get the architects working on the third floor, though Ethan Kinkaide, Gray’s son, had a lot to do with that. The demolition company run by Gray’s other son, Jax, was housed on the third floor, along with a gym, and now, Haggerty Security. He got a cut on the rent for supplying the building with security, and he had great offices for himself, his son, Mattox, and his five employees.
Now, there was the added bonus that Kiera was just downstairs. At least, he’d hoped it was a bonus. He couldn’t get her out of his head. He tossed and turned last night, unable to stop thinking about everything—what she’d gone through and why his anger and frustration and not being able to find her. She’d never made contact all these years. Now, what? Was she divorced? Widowed? He’d like to know. Of course, he could investigate her, now that he had her information in his system. But, he hoped she would tell him.
Opening the door to the second floor, he walked through the reception area, waving at Maggie, the Kinkaides’ receptionist, and straight through to the offices. He wasn’t sure which one Kiera was in, but it would be easy enough to find out. Sam had the offices fitted with sliding barn doors, the hardware painted a flat black, and the doors were all reclaimed wood of varying colors and varieties. The exposed brick walls and bright windows made the old factory building come alive. The offices on his floor were similar to those down here.
Entering the main office area, he scanned the offices lined up on either side of the building. His stomach tightened as he scanned the occupants in their respective offices. Two architects per office and their assistants sat at desks just outside of the doors. The desks were ensconced in wooden spaces, with ample desktop area that matched the door of their counterparts. A full glass wall with Kinkaide & Associates enclosed an area of the building that held a fireplace. Bookcases along one wall beautifully showcased a conference table in the middle. Class.
