4. Sahara
4
Sahara
M y body is shaking by the time the police arrive, and even though I’m hugging myself, I can’t seem to calm down. On my stoop, I speak to the officers for a moment, and after they take my statement, they walk inside to do a search of the place. Kalen is about to follow them in, but stops and turns to me.
“Sahara,” he says, and before I realize it, I’m in his arms, and he’s rubbing his hands up and down my back. “It’s okay. They’re gone.”
“I know.”
He inches back and the concern on his face as he looks me over does weird things to my insides. While I had a major crush on this guy in high school, I didn’t really know much about him other than the fact that he lived with his grandmother and was close to his younger sister. “I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen, okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
He takes my hand. “Are you ready to go inside and see what’s missing?” I give him a grateful smile, so glad he walked me home, because everything about his presence has given me a measure of comfort.
“Thanks, Kalen.”
He squeezes my hand. “Hey, of course.”
With my hand in his, I follow him in, as the officers walk through my space. In my living room, I notice my laptop is no longer on the coffee table. It’s not like I had a lot to steal. Jewelry and ‘things’ aren’t that important to me, and everything that I own of value, I left back at home in Darien.
“My laptop is gone,” I murmur.
“Shit. Was it password protected and backed up?”
I nod.
“Okay, let’s check the other rooms.” Kalen stays with me as we go from room to room and other than my laptop, some costume jewelry, and some money I had in a bowl in my bedroom, everything is okay. But the sense of violation I feel, to know someone has been in my place, in my bedroom, fills me with a new kind of panic. A hard shiver goes through me and once again, Kalen pulls me to him, holding me against his hard, but comforting body. We meet with the officers in the front hallway, and I let them know what’s been stolen. I glance at the doorframe and take in the broken shards. The thoughts of everyone leaving and being alone, with a busted door, terrifies me.
The officer puts his notepad away. “We have everything we need, but I have to say, chances of catching the guy or getting your things back are slim.”
“I figured as much.”
“You might want to think about getting a door camera,” he suggests.
“Good idea.”
“We can help you get this door in place and locked, but it’s not safe. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”
I open my mouth. I don’t know anyone other than Taylor, but Kalen speaks first. “She’s staying with me.” My jaw falls open, sure that shock is causing me to misinterpret his words. “Let’s grab what you need. You’re coming home with me.”
“Kalen, no that’s not necessary.”
“You’re not staying here, Sahara. Someone just broke into your house, and they could come back.”
Kalen wants me to stay with him?
Oddly enough, a part of me thinks he’s not ready for this night to be over. Heck, I’m not either. I loved talking to him. But the other part of me, that part that is shy and insecure, wants to believe there’s something more here, but is too afraid to believe it. Then again, that girl could be wrong, because the woman Kalen met tonight is very different from who I really am. What am I even saying? I have no freaking clue who I am.
“I’m sure?—”
“I think you should stay with a friend tonight,” the officer advises.
“Taylor would want this,” Kalen points out. “She’d kill me if I didn’t bring you home.”
Yeah okay. Of course, that’s why he’s offering. I’m his sister’s friend, and he’s a protector at heart.
It’s not like he wants you in his bed, girl.
Heck, maybe he’s not even interested in the outgoing version of me. Nevertheless, I don’t want to stay here and while I could go to a hotel, I think I need the company tonight.
“You should take your friend up on his offer,” the officer points out.
I nod. “I will. Thanks, Kalen.” I take a step toward the door, and my chest tightens with anxiety. I swallow, and turn back to Kalen.
He must read the panic in my face, as he instantly takes my hand. Without making me feel like a feeble, frightened female, he tugs. “You’ll probably need help carrying things.”
He guides me toward the bedroom as the officers both work to right my door, which is kind of them because it’s not in their duties.
In my bedroom, I grab a duffle bag from the closet and toss it on the bed. Kalen stays close as I open my drawer and toss some clothes into the bag, and Kalen tucks them in.
“I shouldn’t need much,” I begin. “Probably just one night.” He nods, but he doesn’t look convinced as he pulls his phone from his pocket and slides his finger across the screen. “I can try to find someone to come by tomorrow or the next day to fix the door.” I probably can’t get someone that quickly. But I don’t want to overstay my welcome.
“Yeah,” is all he mutters, distracted by whatever it is he’s searching for. I make my way to the bathroom to grab a few things, and he follows me, standing guard in the hall, and his presence gives me comfort.
Once I gather my toiletries and face products, I exit the bathroom, and he doesn’t move, which forces me to squeeze by his large frame. My body brushes his and I fight down the shivers racing through me.
He tucks his phone away. “My buddy Ash is going to fix your door and install a camera.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he’s a jack of all trades.”
“Ash Wheeler, the defenseman for the Bucks is going to fix my door?”
“Yeah. Do you know him?”
I shake my head and drop my things into my duffle bag. Am I in the twilight zone or something. “Not personally. Just from the team, and I can’t ask him to do that.”
“You didn’t, I did.”
“Okay, but still. I can find someone, I’m sure.”
“You don’t have to. Gina would kill me if I didn’t call and ask for help.” I arch a brow. Who the heck is Gina? Reading my curiosity, he explains. “Gina is his wife. They have a daughter, Zoe.” He chuckles about something.
“What?”
He glances over his shoulder, like he’s making sure the coast is clear. “When Ash met Zoe, he was terrified of her. She’s like seven years old.”
“Big Ash Wheeler, afraid of a seven-year-old?”
“Yeah, but you should see him with her now.” His eyes almost glaze over. “He loves her so much and vice versa. There was this whole lumpy pancake wish thing…”
“What?” What the heck is he talking about?
“Nothing. Anyway, she loves helping her daddy out, and she’ll probably come with him to help fix this door. It’s adorable.” As he grins, that look of melancholy back on his face, he zips up my bag and tosses it over his shoulder. “You got everything you need?”
“I think so.”
“Let’s go.” He takes my hand again, and guides me to the front door.
We walk through the open door, and the officer who took my information tugs the door shut behind him. “This will hold for now, but you should get it fixed right away.”
“Already on it,” Kalen tells him.
“I’ll keep you updated,” the officer informs us and joins his partner in the car.
“My car is parked at the pub,” Kalen tells me. We head down the street, and he doesn’t let go of my hand. We reach his car and he hits the fob to open the doors and pulls mine open for me.
I climb in and he tosses my bag onto the back seat. I watch him circle the vehicle and when he climbs in, he suggests, “Why don’t you text Taylor and let her know what’s going on.”
I pull my phone from my purse and shoot a text to Taylor, and she returns a message full of shock and concern. I let her know I’m okay, and that we’re on our way.
As Kalen maneuvers his car through the downtown streets, I take in the worry in his eyes in the dashboard light. He scrubs his chin, and casts me a fast glance. “Not a great welcome to Boston.”
“It’s been good so far,” I tell him and hug myself. “I’m just glad I wasn’t home, and nothing of real value was stolen.”
He flicks on his signal and turns. “Me too and I’m so glad Taylor lives with me.” His fingers tighten around the steering wheel. “I’m not ready for her to be out on her own.”
My heart squeezes. I love how much he cares for her. I know my folks care for me too, and want to see me successful. I’m just not sure I can fit into the mold they want for me. “You’re a good big brother. She’s told me that.”
He laughs. “Are you sure she didn’t tell you that I’m overprotective?”
I laugh with him. “She might have dropped a hint about that,” I tease. It does make me wonder what happened in their lives to make him so protective. Heck, my parents are completely overprotective too, or maybe the better word is controlling. Since high school, all I wanted was to get out from under their thumb. I almost tell Kalen that he needs to be careful, otherwise he could drive his sister away, but it’s not really my business so I keep my mouth shut.
“Are you sure all of this is okay, and that Ash won’t mind fixing my door? I mean I will pay him.”
Kalen nods. “You can try. He probably won’t take anything.”
I nibble my lip and think about that. I’ve heard about hockey culture, of course. The guys are like a family, and the wives and girlfriends are pretty close too. I think that’s really special. We drive in silence and I sit up a bit straighter when he pulls into his driveway, parking beside Taylor’s car. On the other side of Taylor’s car there’s a vehicle and I assume it’s Elias’. I grin as I think about her crush on him and I can see why she’s not about to pursue it. Her brother really is protective.
Kalen hops from the car and grabs my bag from the back. The front door is flung open and Taylor comes rushing out. She pulls me into her arms. “Ohmigod, Sahara. That must have been terrifying. I’m so glad Kalen brought you here. You can stay as long as you like.”
I laugh. “I’m sure one night will be enough.”
“You can’t go back there. What if it happens again? You at least have to move.”
“I can’t move.” I’m here on my own, making it without my parents’ help or finances. I think they want me to go crawling back to them, so they could say I told you so. They never thought I’d make enough as a new librarian, and things are tight here in Boston, but I refuse to ask them for help. If that is all I can afford at the moment, that is where I’ll live.
“But you can, Taylor,” Kalen says as he comes up behind me. Taylor arches a brow, confused. “Move,” he orders playfully. “You’re in the way and we’d like to get inside.”
Taylor rolls her eyes at her big brother. “Come on. I got the spare room ready for you.”
I reach for my bag, and Kalen keeps it over his shoulder. “I’ll carry it up. I want to make sure you have everything you need.”
Dressed only in a pair of sweats that hang low on his hips, Elias comes down the hall, a bottle of water in his hands. “Sorry to hear about the break in.”
I swear to God Taylor is about to melt into the floor beside me as she tries, unsuccessfully, to tear her gaze away from Elias. He really is handsome. I can see why Taylor likes him. I can really see how torturous it is to be here.
“What about a roommate, Sahara?” Taylor croaks out. Poor girl is a mess living here with Elias and not being able to do anything but dream about him.
“I…uh.”
Kalen glares at his sister. “You have school to finish before moving out.”
Taylor folds her arms and glares at her brother, and just when she’s about to protest, Elias puts his hand on her arm.
“T, you do need to think about school. Living here is where you need to be right now.”
Whoa…while his words are full of love and worry, the want I spot in his eyes really grabs my attention.
Taylor opens her mouth and closes it again, the hand on her arm totally messing her up. Needing to help her out, I say, “If you could show me to my room.” I slide my arm through hers, and guide her toward the stairs. “I think I might get lost looking for it on my own.”
“Yes, of course.” We hurry up the stairs, and I’m fully aware of Kalen’s presence behind us as he follows. Along the stairs I notice numerous pictures. Some of a woman I assume is their mother, and some of him and Taylor as kids. I see no evidence of a father.
His home is warm, cozy, and I can feel the love through his pictures. I have no idea why I felt it would be monochromatic decorating, done by a decorator, with no warmth at all. Maybe he did this all for his sister…or maybe there’s just a lot more to the man than I ever realized.
We pass a few rooms and Taylor waves her hand to the right. “That’s Kalen’s room.” A couple more steps she waves to the left again. “That’s my room. Elias and I share a Jack and Jill bathrooms. It’s meant for kids, but Kalen doesn’t have any.”
“Keep moving,” Kalen grumbles.
We stop outside the open door across from Elias. “This is you. You’re beside Kalen.”
I step in and take in the big bed against the far wall to the left of the window, which I think might overlook the back yard. There’s a closet, chair, night tables and a dresser. Everything I could need.
“This is perfect for tonight.” I turn back as Kalen enters, his big, hard body, and protective nature doing crazy things to me as he sets the bag on the bed.
He glances around, like he’s inspecting the room for the first time. He hovers at the end of the bed, running his fingers over the wooden footboard.
His gaze finds its way back to me. “Do you have everything you need, Sahara?”
Oh, God, everything in the way his fingers are still grazing the wood sends my mind spiraling in a direction I don’t want it going. “Uh, yes. I’m pretty tired so I’ll just wash up and get to sleep.”
“Help yourself to anything you want.”
Gulp…
“The kitchen is downstairs, just at the end of the hall from the front door,” he continues. “If you get hungry or thirsty, help yourself. There might be some cookies left in the pantry. I can’t be sure. Taylor eats them as fast as I get them in the house.”
I catch the grin on Taylor’s face and quickly avert my gaze because I’m sure my face is turning many shades of red. “I think I’d like to take a shower. Wash the night off. Is that okay?”
“Of course.” He points to my door. “Just a few doors down. You can’t get lost.”
“Actually, I think I could get lost in this place,” I joke as I unzip my bag. “I might have to leave myself a popcorn trail.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t want to end up in the wrong bed,” Taylor kindly points out, an all-knowing grin on her face as she steps up to my window to draw the curtains closed to give me privacy.
“No, we wouldn’t want to do that, would we, Taylor?”
Kalen’s glance goes back and forth between the two of us, like he’s trying to figure out if we’re sharing some kind of secret. He gives up and shakes his head. “I’m calling it a night. See you both in the morning.” He’s about to leave and then turns back. “Wait, do you need to be anywhere tomorrow? You can use my car. I can get a lift to the arena with Elias. Or maybe Taylor can drive you to where you need to go.”
My heart leaps. Honestly, I never told Taylor acting was my full-time job. I’m not sure how she came to that conclusion and I feel bad for not correcting her. I just don’t want Kalen seeing me as a boring librarian, especially when I’ve been pretending to be the outgoing girl from the play. After tomorrow night’s game, I don’t expect to run into him again, so in the meantime, I’m just going to pretend to be that other girl.
“I do have some things to do tomorrow, but I can grab an Uber.”
“No, here.” Kalen takes his keys from his pocket and hands them to me. “If you can avoid going to your place until Ash gets it fixed, I think that would be for the best. There’s a house key on there too. Come and go as you please.”
Taylor folds her arms. “Yeah, you’re not going back to your place,” she states, and from the determination in her eyes, I think she wants me to stay here forever. “Besides, there’s too much testosterone in this house.” She fakes a shiver. “It’s nice to have another woman in the house. Someone to have a conversation with that doesn’t involve hockey.”
I laugh at them both and shake the keys. “Thanks, Kalen.” I point to the door. “I’m going to go get cleaned up and hopefully the door is an easy fix for Ash, and I won’t need to put you out.”
“Oh, he doesn’t mind being put out.” She whacks Kalen’s stomach before walking to the door. “Right, bro?”
I nearly choke on my tongue when Taylor gives me a cheeky grin.
“Right. G’night.” They both leave my room, and I follow, turning in the other direction. I hear them talking in the hall as I search for the bathroom. I find it three doors down, or maybe it was four. I’m not sure. Nevertheless, that doesn’t matter, not when there’s a huge tub calling my name. I drop my pajamas on the counter and find a bottle of bubble bath on the shelf above the tub. I run the bath water and pour in a generous amount. As it fills, I brush my teeth and fight a yawn. I have no doubt I’m coming off a big adrenaline rush after finding my place broken into.
After the tub fills, I slide in and moan as the vanilla scent and warm water relax me. I stay in the bath for a long time, letting my eyes fall shut. Quiet reaches my ears, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard such silence before. My place is just off a busy street and I hear cars racing at all hours of the night. Kalen’s place must be sound proofed.
I remain in the tub until the water grows cold, and then climb out. There’s a big fluffy towel on the shelf and I help myself to it. Breathing in the fresh laundry scents as I dry myself off. I lightly towel dry my hair, and pull on my pajamas. I open the door and I’m met with darkness and silence. I run my finger along the wall, searching for the light but don’t find it. Dammit, I should have brought my phone in with me. At least then I’d have my flashlight app.
I start down the hall on tiptoes, not wanting to wake anyone and when I reach my door, I quietly open it. The curtains are drawn, and a sliver of light spreads across the edge of my bed against the far wall. As my body aches for sleep, I walk quietly, slide in and when I roll, my body connects with something hard, something that is rousing from sleep…something that is reaching for me.
Oh God…