Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
B y the time we dropped off Tilly late that night, she had groceries, rain pants, new boots, and an electric blanket—Dominic had insisted on paying for all of it. I’d had a credit card ready, the one with a tiny balance available. He’d stared me down until I put it away. He’d also paid her rent through to the end of the year.
“Thank you so much.” Tilly smiled at him, blushing, then staring at the ground. She leaned forward and gave him a quick hug.
“Of course.” Dominic patted her back a couple times.
Tilly threw her arms around me. “I really like him,” she whispered in my ear.
“I’m glad.” I squeezed her tighter. “No more creepy basements.”
“Yeah. Once was enough.”
“See you in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving.” I forced myself to let go of her and step back.
“Great. And thanks—not sure what I’d do without you.”
“I had Grandmother before she died when I was in college. I’m proud of how hard you’re working.”
Shrugging, she picked up her bags. “Thanks. See you.” She trotted up the steps to her door, rosy-cheeked and smiling, wearing the winter parka I’d found in the townhouse.
Dominic slid an arm around my waist, startling me. “How old is she?” he asked.
“Twenty.” I leaned into his side, my eyes burning a little—he’d seemed like a different person with my sister. “She was my parents’ last effort at producing a boy. They had four daughters.”
“Ah.”
I turned to face him. “Thank you. That was…life-changing for Tilly. She was going to drop out.”
He stared down at me, one side of his mouth turned up. “With you, I’m a good person.”
With you, I’m safe. I closed my eyes and shook my head a little. “You’re amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s a farmers market here in the morning, I think. Getting low on apples yet?”
He picked me up so my feet dangled off the ground. I grinned, scrambling to grab his shoulders. “Not really. But we’re going. Any chance you’ll bake fruity desserts?”
“Apple cobbler tomorrow.”
He kissed me. We pulled apart when a pack of college students swarmed past us. “Come on.” He put a hand on the small of my back. “Let’s go have another glass of wine in the hotel bar.”
The next morning, we made it to Eugene’s downtown farmers market. We strolled around drinking coffee and browsing over the tables piled high with corn, squash, pears, and apples. He bought a jelly-filled croissant and convinced me to eat half of it.
He used his thumb to wipe away a smear of jelly from the corner of my mouth. The more sex we had, the more he touched me in casual ways. There was a constant awareness between us, an electricity that made a single look shoot sparks down my spine.
In public, Dominic was calm and withdrawn. People, especially women, glanced at him wherever we went. He was like a mountain lake, serene, reflecting back the busy energy around him undisturbed. I wanted to stretch out beside him and relax.
I checked my email while Dominic waited in line to buy a bag of locally grown kiwis. There was an email from my manager. I held my breath as I clicked on it.
Good morning, Kelsey,
The investigation has concluded, and you were found not to be at fault. We’d like you to return to work as soon as possible.
Valerie
Pressing the phone against my chest, I hunched over, dizzy and my chest tight. It was over. Right. You still have a job—with people who won’t be able to look you in the face. The naked photos of me were still on the internet.
Dominic took my elbow. “There’s a bench over here.”
I stumbled after him until I could sit down. “I’m cleared at work. They want me back right away.”
He frowned, not sitting down—probably because the bench was wet. “Is Sagan still there?”
“Not sure. I’ll call in a minute…” My head was spinning. Did I have something I could wear to work? Did they expect me there today? Where would I sleep?
“Tomorrow’s Friday.” Dominic sighed, gazing down into my wide-open eyes. “Oh well. Back to Portland it is. You’ll commute from my condo.”
I stood up, wiping futilely at the wet on my pants. “Thank you—I’d like that for now. I’ll have my own place soon.”
His eyes narrowed, then he turned around and strode toward the hotel. I scrambled to keep up, barely seeing where I was stepping. It was an hour’s drive from his condo to River Gorge, without traffic, and could slow down to a crawl around the city.
As Dominic checked us out at the reception desk, I called my manager.
“Valerie here.”
“Hello, it’s Kelsey Owen.”
“Ah, good. How are you?”
“Really happy to see your email this morning. Thank you. I’m looking forward to being back at work.”
“Yes. It’s behind us now. All I’ll say further is that the situation has strengthened management’s position that workplace romances are problematic.”
“I understand.”
“Good.”
“I am out of town today, helping a family member. Is tomorrow morning soon enough for me to return?”
“Of course.”
I swallowed. Ask, you coward. “Um, should I expect to see Gerry in the building?”
She cleared her throat. “Gerry Sagan will not return. I can’t say more than that.”
“Right.” I blew out a breath. “Thank you for telling me.”
“See you tomorrow.”
We hung up, and I put a hand over my mouth. How unhinged is he going to be now?
Dominic came over to me from the counter and picked up my bag. “Well?”
“Gerry was fired.” I took a deep breath.
He nodded. “Good.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go.”
Baffled, I stared at his stiff back as he stalked off in front of me. We listened to the news again in the car, Dominic remote beside me. I updated my lawyer in an email then called my bank to see if Gerry had made his share of the mortgage payment. He hadn’t.
Autumn emailed me that she had listed the townhome using old photos from the last time it had sold, and a for sale sign was placed in the yard. She hadn’t been able to track down Gerry. Actually showing the home was stalled, along with cleaning the interior. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would cooperate.
Back in Dominic’s condo, I searched through my clothing, not happy with the choices I had for my first day back at work. I’d packed to be flirty, not sit in an accounting firm.
I found Dominic crouched over his computer in his office while he ate an apple. “Hey.” My hand twitched—I wanted to run my fingers down his back. “I’d better drive back to River Gorge tonight. I need to pick up some of my work wardrobe. It’s stashed in Maria’s garage.”
He straightened up, tossing the apple core in a bin. “Where would you sleep?”
“Maria’s couch. That will give me time to go through my things?—”
“No.”
“What?”
He sat down on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. “You sleep here.”
I gazed at him, not believing what I was hearing.
He reached out and pulled me between his legs. “Not on some couch. You,” he said, his hands sliding under the back of my sweater, “belong in my bed.”