5. Delia
5
DELIA
I t’s been days and for once, I’m not stressed about Princess Peppercorn and my next-door neighbor.
Lifting my hand, I smile when he comes home. “Hello, Brandon,” I call out.
He grins back at me. “How’s Princess?”
“She’s good. Just annoyed. I’ve kept her indoors and she’s not happy about it.”
“Better safe than sorry, I always say.” I think I understand Brandon a little more and there’s something there that makes me think that he’s…different than I thought he was.
“Do you want to come over for dinner later?” He asks me and I jump, surprised.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I was just gonna barbecue some burgers. I can add one more.”
I duck my head and groan. “Ummm. Actually, I don’t eat meat.”
His dark eyes widen like he can’t believe what I’m saying. “You don’t eat meat…huh. Well, I’ve got some corn I can throw in to boil. I just thought maybe you’d like to get out of the house tonight. And since I’m off, I can keep an eye on things.”
It’s sweet. And I don’t know really what to do with that. “That’s okay. I’ve got leftover succotash and a vegan burger that I was going to reheat.”
His dark brows lift and there’s just a touch of humor in his dark eyes. A flash of gold. “What the heck is that stuff made out of?”
“Black beans. It’s actually really good.”
His firm lips twist and I giggle. “I’ll take your word for it. If you’re sure you don’t want to come over?”
“No…that’s okay. I’m working on an order for the library. Our head librarian, Mrs. Hogglesworth is home sick. She’s not doing well lately and I’ve been covering for her.”
He snorts. “Isn’t she about ready to retire? She seems like she’s worked at the library forever. From what I heard anyway.”
“Yeah. She’s retiring in about a month and I’m trying to convince the board that I’m ready for the position. Another reason I’ve been covering for her. It looks good with my argument.”
He nods. “I get it. Well, I’ll see you later. Holler if you need me.”
He leaves me standing there staring at him. I’m not sure exactly what’s been going on with the two of us but I feel safe with him around. That’s not normal for me. Men tend to make me feel…insecure, I guess is the right word. Insecure and unhappy. Like my dad did. All men leave.
But not him.
I sigh and walk back inside, staring around at my home. A home that I would have sworn just a week ago is my refuge. My safe space. But the energy feels off and I pull out a smudge pot and light it, going from room to room, wafting the smoke around me as I wave the pot back and forth in each space, reclaiming it as my own.
I should have done this days ago. I haven’t felt like my space is my own since the night Brandon brought me home.
My eyes dart over to where I can see him in his backyard, firing up the grill. He’s changed into a pair of athletic shorts and a sleeveless tank that shows off his broad shoulders, slim hips and muscular thighs. The guys dang near perfect and I rip my eyes off of his sleek form, growling under my breath.
I don’t need a guy, don’t want a guy. I’ve got my life with the library and our brand-new Valentine book club and it’s a perfect extension of me. I don’t need anything else.
Sitting down at my dining room table, I fight the urge to look out at his backyard and pull up the ordering site. I need to get this done. And then I need to get my butt to bed early because I’m flat-out exhausted.
Numbers blur together as I focus on my work, fidgeting and yawning.
I yank myself up and it’s pitch dark. My eyes are gritty and tired and my cheek feels like it’s been pinched repeatedly. I rub my skin and realize I’ve got deep indents where the keyboard dug into my skin when I fell asleep on it. Pushing back from the table, I groan and stretch my back.
“I need to stop doing that. I’m gonna end up with permanent marks on my face,” I mutter under my breath.
Thud! My eyes dart up to the ceiling and my breath catches, my heart stalling in my chest.
Pulling out my phone, my head shifts furtively right and left. I sneak a toe out and slowly, gently tiptoe out of the room and down the hall. Nobody stops me and there’s no more noise. Not even an indrawn breath stirs the dark, silent air around me. Like the house is holding its breath, waiting to see what’s gonna happen.
That makes two of us.
One stealthy foot forward at a time, I creep out into the hall and down towards the stairs, heading for the upstairs. Which is probably stupid as heck. What am I doing?
Another soft rustle from upstairs makes me freeze, my heart pounding up into my throat, strangling me.
I want to whisper, “Hello?” But I clamp my mouth shut on the stupid impulse, almost biting my tongue off. It’s an impulse you see in every slasher flick out there and it always ends badly.
A shadow passes the window upstairs and I choke on a scream. A body hurtles past me on the stairs, shoving me into the banister and I grab onto it like it’s a dang lifeline, my nails sinking into the wood, scratching at it.
“Stop! Wait!” The front door opens but I can’t see anything but a vague outline in the darkness outside. The door slams and it jerks me out of my frozen state, sending me careening down the stairs and slamming into the door.
“OW!” I rip it open, rubbing at my shoulder and scanning the yard.
“Meh!” I screech and turn to find Annie standing behind me, chewing and staring at me.
“What are you doing out? Come on, let’s go.” I grasp the halter of the stubborn escape artist and yank her along to the barn but my eyes shift, searching blindly in the night.
They’re here. I can feel them.
“Why do you keep coming to my house? I don’t even have a tv,” I huff under my breath. The only thing that they could steal would be one of my animals or my fifteen-year old laptop.
“What are you doing out here so late, Del?”
I screech and whip around, knocking into my shoulder again, hissing under my breath.
Brandon comes at me quickly, his dark eyes concerned, touching my shoulder and making me flinch.
“Are you alright? I thought you were in bed. I never saw your lights come on.”
“I-I…I fell asleep on my laptop working.”
He grins. “Is that where the cute pattern on your face is from?” But the smile fades quickly when my head darts back and forth. “What’s wrong? What are you looking for?”
“Did you see them? They had to go by your house to get off this street. Unless they went the back way into the woods.”
“Who?” His warm hand on my shoulder settles me. I feel…calm. Safe.
And that terrifies me. I shouldn’t feel safe with any man. But Brandon Courtney is getting under my skin and I don’t like it. I mean, I do. But I can’t.
“There was somebody in my house,” I blurt out, panting slightly.
“What! Why the heck didn’t you tell me that first? And what are you doing out here? Are they still in the house?” His keen eyes search the windows and the open front door like he can see in the dark.
“No. They came outside. I followed them.”
His head comes around and his eyes narrow. “Are you telling me that instead of calling for help, you chased an intruder into your yard…alone?”
I gulp. “Yeah.”
“Have you lost your mind, woman?”