CHAPTER FIVE
The crunch of the gravel pathway beneath the wheels of her chair sounded like a five-alarm warning to the animals of the night. Coop was silent, not sure of what to say or what to do. When they stopped in front of her cottage, she shook her head.
“No. No, this can’t be mine. It’s too fine. It’s too beautiful.”
“All of the cottages are the same,” he said lowering himself to lift her in his arms, taking the steps carefully. He set her feet on the porch and opened the door, then linked her arm in his own, crossing the threshold.
Shivers went up his spine. It was such a simple thing, walking across the threshold of a new home but this seemed different. It felt like more than just a simple act.
“Cooper?” she whispered. He cleared his throat and smiled.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about all the work that Aunt Claudette and the others have put into these cottages. So many of the items are antiques that belonged to the Robicheaux family. I feel certain that you’ll be comfortable here.”
“I have no doubt,” she said shaking her head as she walked down the hallway, looking into each of the rooms. “I’ve never had a bed so large or furniture so fine. I don’t feel worthy.”
“You are more than worthy,” he said pushing back a strand of dark hair. “Uh, there are towels, toiletries, perfumes, even make up all in here. Avery and the others do a great job of stocking everything.”
“Avery?” she repeated, a hint of jealousy rising in her chest.
“She’s married to one of our operatives, Skull. She owns her own cosmetics company. Make-up, perfume, hair care, everything you see in there is created by her.”
“That’s amazing,” she whispered, a blush creeping up her neck.
“Mom and the others put some clothes in the closet and the dressers that they think will fit. If it doesn’t, let us know and we’ll order more.”
She opened the closet and gasped. She’d worn nothing except simple sundresses, shorts, and t-shirts almost her entire life. She’d never had a fine gown. She didn’t have a reason to have a fine gown.
There were five pairs of shoes neatly lined the floor.
“I-I don’t need all of this,” she said shaking her head. “Just sandals or tennis shoes are fine.”
“You’ll need more than that,” he smirked. “Here you need a sturdy pair of rainboots, warm shoes for winter, exercise or running shoes, sandals, a nice pair of dress shoes, probably even more than that.”
“Cooper, this is too much,” she said shaking her head, her voice barely a whisper.
“It’s not too much. You deserve all of this,” he said smiling down at her.
“Is this about you feeling responsible for what happened?”
“I am responsible for what happened,” he frowned. “I should have kept you with me. I should have never told you to leave and I’ll have to live with that the rest of my life. I can only pray that you’ll forgive me.”
“Cooper, I forgive you. What you did was care for your team, for your friends and family that were there to end what he was doing. I was the one who was stupid. You said to go back to the village and I should have. It was my fault.” She gripped his wrist and he felt the searing heat of her fingers.
“No. If you’d gone back to the village you would have been killed just like the others. There was nowhere safer than with me.”
“Cooper, let’s just agree that we both made mistakes. I’m going to get better thanks to you and your family. I can’t thank you all enough for that. When I’m well enough to work, I’ll talk to those people at your General Store and see if they think my purses will truly sell here.”
“They’ll sell,” he said smiling at her. “Can I get you anything before I leave? Do you need water, coffee? Anything at all.” She gave a soft laugh, slowly shaking her head.
“I’m okay. Do I lock the doors? Set an alarm?” she asked nervously.
“There are multiple locks on the doors and an alarm system. But no one is on this property that doesn’t belong here or live here. No one. You are surrounded by gates, fences, electronic monitoring, and so much more.” She nodded, nibbling on her lower lip.
“Bianca, are you worried about someone coming for you?”
“I-I don’t know. I can’t describe this feeling I have but I feel like someone is still watching me. I know that’s ridiculous. There’s no one left.”
“My cottage isn’t far,” he said looking down at her.
He walked toward the door, staring out of the glass window on the top.
“Right over there, the one with the black rocking chairs on the porch. If you get scared, just pick up the phone and hit this number.” He slid a sheet of paper across the table to her and she smiled, nodding.
“Thank you, Cooper. Really. Thank you for everything and I’m sorry I slapped you. The second time,” she said with a smirk.
“Well, I’m sure I deserved it. I’ll come and get you in the morning for breakfast. Sleep well.”