Chapter 8 #3
“It suits her,” Kara said simply.
“Yeah. Come on, let’s finish the tour so you can get clean.”
Suddenly, the thought of being in a shower and getting the filth off her body—filth that, in part, Nolan had contaminated her with—was something she was desperate to do. Now that the opportunity had arrived, Kara couldn’t think of anything she wanted more.
“Kitchen is there. Pantry is there. I’m slowly renovating the place, so it’s in a lot better shape than it used to be.
Help yourself to anything you want, at any time.
That doorway leads to the main bedroom, and those two are the guest rooms. They aren’t big, but since I don’t really spend time in either of them, that’s never bothered me.
There’s another half bath between them. Your room will be that one.
” He pointed to the door to the right of the main bedroom.
“My mom decorated it, so it’s a little girly and a lot granola, but comfortable. ”
Arrow led her over to the door and opened it. Kara had no idea what “granola” meant, but the second he opened the door, she fell in love. The room was a little bohemian, with natural colors and a slightly eclectic aesthetic.
There were plants everywhere. She couldn’t tell if they were real or fake, but it didn’t matter.
There was a patchwork quilt on the double bed, beads hanging on one of the walls, a sculpture made out of rocks on a table in the corner, a huge picture over the bed that reminded Kara a lot of the landscape behind Arrow and his mom in the picture in the other room.
The drapes were made out of a gauzy material, and there was a lamp next to the bed that also had beads hanging off the shade.
It was eclectic and cozy at the same time.
“Those rocks are a fountain. My mom says the sound of the water running reminds her of the stream behind her house in Maine. For me, it makes me have to pee, but she’s my mom, so I deal.”
Kara giggled.
“Come on, let me show you the rest.”
He led her to the door to the right of her own, showing her the second half bath, then to the right of that, a plain-looking guest room, especially after the one she’d just seen.
It had white walls and a bunch of weights on the floor, along with a few boxes along the walls.
Another large TV was set up, obviously so he could watch television while he worked out.
“PT at five-thirty in the morning isn’t enough?” Kara teased.
Arrow chuckled. “Aerobic exercise is good, but don’t want to lose any muscle.” He didn’t sound cocky, just matter of fact. “Come on, one last room, then we’ll get you off your feet.”
All the bedroom doors opened to the living area, each room side by side and looking out onto the backyard. The only hallway in the house was the short one leading to the garage. It was an interesting layout, one she’d never seen before, but Kara found that she liked it.
He opened the far-left door, the one to the main bedroom, and Kara decided it fit him perfectly.
There were things strewn on top of the dresser against one wall, and she could see a laundry hamper overflowing with clothes just inside the small walk-in closet.
The comforter on his bed had been haphazardly thrown over the sheets.
“Sorry it’s so messy,” Arrow said with a grimace.
“It’s fine. It’s lived-in. I like it.”
And she did. The bedspread was another quilt that looked homemade, but this one was dark greens and blues.
More masculine than the colorful and quirky one in the other room.
There was another picture of Arrow and his mom on the wall, along with one of all his Night Stalker teammates in front of a helicopter.
She wanted to look at it closer, but Arrow was standing near the bathroom waiting for her.
The second she looked inside, Kara’s desperation to get clean returned tenfold.
The bathroom was amazing. Granite countertops, two sinks, a separate shower with beautiful tiles and a glass door…
and the pièce de résistance, a huge bathtub that looked as if she might be able to actually lay down inside comfortably.
Most tubs were way too short for her five-eleven height.
She ended up being all scrunched, and if she did lie on her back, her legs were mostly out of the water.
And it was deep too, so she’d be able to fully submerge herself.
“This is what sold me on the house,” Arrow said.
“It was in bad need of a reno, but I started here and think it turned out great. The rest of the house is nice, though nothing super-special. But this? I like a good soak sometimes, especially after a hard mission, and I actually fit in this tub. And yes, I tried it out in the store, getting in there like a weirdo when I was looking for fixtures. I had to make sure I fit and that it would work for me. It does.”
Kara saw a variety of bottles on the edge of the tub, as well. She leaned down and picked one up, seeing it was a eucalyptus-scented bubble bath.
“Bubbles?” she asked with a grin, turning to him.
He shrugged. “Dudes can like bubbles. This bathroom is much nicer than the guest one. Give me two seconds. I’ll go get the bags Pyro put in my car and be right back. You can use this one to get clean.”
When he was gone, Kara turned to look at herself in the mirror.
She winced. She looked…bad. As if she’d been to hell and back, which she supposed was appropriate.
Pulling down the neck of the T-shirt, she studied the ugly bruises around her throat.
Seeing them made her realize anew how lucky she was to be alive.
That flood had saved her life, but it sucked that it had to take so much property with it. And so many lives as well. But she’d survived, with Arrow’s help. She was going to make the most of her new chance at life. Was going to be a different person. More appreciative. More positive.
But probably a little more cautious with strangers.
She didn’t know how long she’d been standing there staring at herself when she heard Arrow call her name.
Looking out the bathroom door, she saw him standing by his queen-sized bed with a befuddled look on his face. “They went a little overboard,” he said, gesturing to the half-dozen large bags he’d placed on the bed.
“Holy crap,” Kara said. “Is that all for me?”
“Well, it’s not for me,” he said with a small smirk.
Kara watched, dumbfounded, as he started unpacking all the bags.
Apparently, “necessities” included not only toiletries, but more clothes than Kara thought Chaos had in his drawers and closet at the moment.
Socks, shirts, pants, flip-flops…even several different sizes of tennis shoes, with a note saying they could return anything that didn’t fit or that she didn’t like.
And along with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and brush, they’d also purchased makeup, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, ChapStick, tampons, pads, and razors.
She picked up the stuffed bear Bowie had included, and the little girl was right. It was extremely soft, and even though it was “flat,” it was one of the best teddy bears she’d ever had.
It was extremely thoughtful of everyone…and Kara felt herself swallowing hard to keep from bursting into tears.
Arrow, as always, seemed to be able to read her mood. He squeezed her arm softly, then said, “I’ll leave you to it. You’re safe here, Kara. Take all the time you need. I’ll go order the pizza. It’ll be at least forty-five minutes or so before it arrives.”
With that, he left the room and shut the door firmly behind him.
The tears started before he’d even left, and continued as Kara tried to figure out which of her new clothing items to put on after her shower. Then she paused.
Making a decision she might regret later, but right now felt right, she walked over to Arrow’s dresser.
She opened a few drawers, until she found a pair of boxers, another T-shirt, and a clean pair of sweatpants.
She headed back to the bathroom with her bounty in her arms, shut and locked the bathroom door, and turned on the shower.
She stripped, refusing to look in the mirror again, knowing it would just make her cry harder. She moved the shampoo and conditioner and scented liquid soap into the stall, then closed herself inside. The second the hot water hit her, the tears started in earnest.
Kara slid to the tiled floor, with the water cascading over her head and shoulders, and sobbed.