Chapter Thirty-Six
Adam
I spent the next five days getting settled in town.
I now had a South Carolina driver’s license, bank accounts at the credit union off of Main Street, a PO Box that I could have all my mail sent to, an insurance agent, and a real estate agent who was looking for long-term rentals for me. Preferably in Brian’s neighborhood.
The only things missing now were my Bronco and the rest of my things, which my brother was taking care of the following week.
I’d ordered some clothes off the internet to tide me over until then. Having to wash my underwear every three days was going to get old quick.
It was funny how easily and quickly Lainey and I fell into a routine.
I loved that I was able to let her sleep during the night.
If I were being honest, Conor’s two-thirty a.m. feeding was one of my favorite times—well, other than the obvious times when I was with Lainey.
But, holding that little boy while he took his bottle, listening to the little noises he made, made my heart feel like it might explode out of my chest.
I knew I’d do anything to protect him. And his mom.
I think it was easier to reconcile my feelings for Conor than how I was feeling about Lainey. It seemed like Shawn would approve of me having a relationship with his son in his absence. His girl… not so much.
But as shitty a friend as that made me, I knew I wasn’t going to walk away until I absolutely had to.
Unfortunately, it came sooner than I was expecting.
****
Lainey
Just before noon on Sunday afternoon, Adam walked into the bakery carrying what looked like dry-cleaning bags, but that didn’t seem possible since he’d been wearing the same five shirts, along with either jeans or shorts since he’d arrived.
“What have you got there?” I said with a grin from behind the counter.
He wagged his eyebrows at me.
“My uniforms.”
I remembered how hot I’d thought Shawn was in his dress blues. I’d bet Adam was as hot in his. I was excited to see him in his Haven Springs uniform.
“Oooh. You’re officially official!”
“Well, not yet. My boots didn’t come in, so I might have to go to Charleston and buy some if I can’t find any online with two-day delivery.”
“That might be a fun excursion.”
“Yeah? You wanna go tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure if Teresa and Hugh would be available on such short notice, but if they are, sure.”
The corner of his mouth turned up.
“You doing better today with him being gone?”
“I’ll admit, I was a little stressed—especially when they were late bringing him back, but yes, I’m feeling much calmer. I’ve only texted Teresa once so far.”
“That’s good! Hopefully it will get easier each time. Hey, speaking of excursions. Do you want to go look at a house with me at two? I promise we won’t stay long; I know Sunday is your cleaning day, and I’ll help you when we get back.”
It felt like someone let the air out of my balloon. He was going to be moving out soon. Still, I tried to keep my smile from falling.
“Yeah, I can get away for a bit. Where are you looking?”
He chuckled. “You’re not going to believe it. The place next door to Brian’s.”
“The one on the left or right?”
“The left. It’s got kind of beige siding and brown brick pillars.”
“The Garcia place?”
“Yeah, they’re relocating to Arizona to be closer to their grandkids, and they left last week to “try it out” until the spring.
They don’t want to sell their place yet, but my agent, Sylvia called them about letting me stay there.
They talked to Brian, who vouched for me, and they’ve agreed to rent to me, fully furnished, if I want it. I can get the keys as early as today.”
This time I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
“So, you’re moving out today ?”
“No! But my brother is going to be here on Wednesday, so this way I’ll have somewhere to put my stuff and have a place for him to stay without inconveniencing Brian. Plus, when we finally catch whoever sent the letter, I’ll be able to easily get out of your hair.”
I looked at him with a sad smile. “You’re not in my hair. I’ve liked having you here.”
He kept my gaze when he replied, “I’m glad, princess. I’ve liked being here.”
As I stared back into his bright, blue eyes, I realized, I might be in trouble.
****
Adam
I rode shotgun again in Lainey’s car. God, I fucking hated it. But she was right, me driving her Civic would definitely add to the rumors.
And as much as I loved the idea of getting out of town tomorrow so I could hold her hand when we walked down the street, and kiss her simply because I felt like it, that also would be gossip fodder.
We’d gotten a little bit of a pass once people learned about why I was staying with her—or at least why Brian had suggested I stay.
Brian being the instigator behind me crashing on her living room floor—allegedly—had also helped.
We pulled into the driveway directly adjacent to Brian’s, and I noticed his cop car in the drive. Before I’d even opened my door, I saw him standing on his porch in a pair of jeans and a black polo shirt.
It was weird seeing him out of uniform.
I realized there was no way I’d be able to pull off continuing to see Lainey once her stalker was caught. For that reason alone, I wanted to find something to hate about the house.
Brian jogged down the porch steps and came toward us once we got out of the car. He immediately pulled Lainey in for a side-shoulder hug and kissed her hair.
“Where’s my godson?”
“He’s with the O’Briens today.”
“I’ll bet Teresa is on Cloud Nine.”
She laughed. “Yeah, they even went out and bought a car seat, so I don’t have to reinstall mine every time.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t already have one,” he mused.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Me, too.”
Sylvia’s Lexus pulled up to the curb on the street, and she got out wearing a pink sheath dress that showcased her muscular arms and nude three-inch pumps that emphasized her long, lean legs. Her perfectly coiffed hair didn’t have a strand out of place.
“It’s a good thing she’s so nice,” Lainey murmured through her smile as we watched her strut up the sidewalk. “Otherwise I might hate her for being so beautiful.”
Brian groused, “Her husband’s a prick,” then nodded to Sylvia with a tight smile.
Her greeting in return was a little too sweet as she approached.
“Sergeant O’Shaughnessy! Lovely to see you.”
A ghost of a real smile formed on his face.
“Come on, now, Sylvia. Since when did we become so formal?”
She didn’t answer the question, just turned to me and asked, “Are you guys ready to go inside and check it out?” and I couldn’t help but wonder what the story was with those two.
Lainey glanced at me, and I swear I could read her look that said, “I’ll tell you later.”
~~~~
Thirty minutes later, we were back in the same spot, and Sylvia asked me, “So what do you think?”
I reluctantly had to admit, “I love it.”
“Perfect.” She reached inside her satchel and produced a manilla folder. “I’ve got the lease already drawn up, so all you have to do is sign.”
I glanced at the papers she handed me.
“That’s all they want for rent?”
“Yeah, they’re happy to have someone trustworthy staying here.”
Lainey glanced at the number over my shoulder, “Wow. I don’t think you could even find a rundown one-bedroom studio for that much.”
“So, you think this is a good deal?”
That was as close as I dared come to asking her opinion in front of everyone, Although, she’d murmured “Oh my, that’s beautiful,” and, “Oh, look at this,” enough on our tour of the house that I thought she liked it.
“Absolutely.”
I signed without hesitation and handed the lease back to Sylvia.
She tucked it back in the folder and said, “I’ll make sure to have a copy for you when I give you the keys tomorrow.
If you really do like it, and the Garcias decide to move, I think you already living here will put you in a good position to buy it without it even going on the market.
” She shot a dirty look Brian’s way and added, “Like Brian did.”
His eyes widened and a slow smile spread across his face.
“Aw, is that why you’re mad at me? You didn’t get a commission from the sale of my house?”
Sylvia pursed her lips and didn’t respond, so he continued. “I got you this rental commission didn’t I? And if all goes well, it will be an easy sales commission in nine months.”
Her nostrils flared, and she planted a hand on her hip when she turned to openly glare at him.
“ You got me this commission? How do you figure that?”
“Mr. Garcia called me to ask what I thought about letting Adam stay here while he’s gone. I could have easily discouraged it and reminded him I’m already looking after his place.”
I chimed in. “Well, I appreciate you not doing that and putting in a good word for me.”
“Of course.” A devilish grin escaped him. “Besides, this way I’ll know if you’re home and available to work overtime.”
I glanced to where Sylvia had tucked the lease in her satchel to determine how easily I could get it back and tear it up. Brian noticed where my gaze had gone, and chuckled. “I purposefully kept that to myself until after you signed.”
“Grrrreat.”
Sylvia interjected with a smug smile cast in Brian’s direction. “You can still change your mind. You have twenty-four hours to rescind your agreement.”
That was good to know. I still wanted Lainey’s opinion, but knew I needed to wait until we were alone.
So, with more confidence than I was feeling, I shook my head. “Nah. It goes both ways.”
Brian seemed proud when he nodded. “Touché, rookie. Touché.”