Chapter 4
Nicole
“Huh, these don’t look like the normal gemstones,” I murmur, as I bag the stones from one of the vases I use to put water lilies in. Shrugging, I close the Ziplock bag and place it in the box. While I’m unsure of what they are, I’ve got too many things to do to worry about the mystery of it for long.
“Another box finished,” I say in triumph as I tape it shut then carefully label it before I carry it over to the wall where all the other boxes are currently stacked.
It took me hours to fix the disaster I came home to, but thankfully, when I got home from work today, everything was as I left it. I was supposed to be off, but one of my coworkers called out and my manager called me in a panic earlier this morning. While I wish my manager wasn’t letting me work out a two-week notice because I’d really prefer to have everything ready when Tressa gets here, the money will come in handy once I get to Zephyr Hills. Now with an extra four-hour shift added into my paycheck, I’ll probably have overtime, which is always a good thing.
“Should I keep going or stop?” I wonder out loud. “Eh, may as well keep going since I’m on a roll.”
* * *
Several hours later, I’m out of boxes so I decide to run up to the big box store and buy some more. I also need more bubble wrap since I’ve got a ton of knick knacks that need to be carefully wrapped and packed. It doesn’t take me long to slide some shoes on, grab my purse and keys, and head out. As I slide into my driver’s seat, I think I hear a motorcycle starting up, and I briefly wish that Stealth was here.
“Wishful thinking, Nini, you’d have better luck winning the lottery,” I mutter to myself as I navigate out of my driveway and to the stop sign so I can travel into town to grab more boxes, wrap, and stuffing. “Tressa’s just all loved-up from being mated to Chaos, so she’s seeing things that aren’t really there. There’s no way Stealth sees me as more than Tressa’s friend.”
My phone rings through my Bluetooth so I hit the button on my steering wheel. “Hello?”
“Whatcha doing?” Tressa asks.
“Speak of the devil, I was just thinking about you,” I reply. “I’m heading into town to grab some more packing boxes, as well as some bubble wrap. Why did you let me buy all of those glass figurines?”
“Because they were of Beauty and the Beast , remember? Oh shit, that’s right, you’ve got a lot of them.” She starts to giggle so I make a face at the screen that depicts our phone call.
“It’s not funny.”
“Well, you can always grab something to eat at Tsao’s Chicken. We don’t have anything like that here so you’re going to wanna get your fill. Tick tock… time’s winding down, Nini.”
“That’s not a half-bad idea. I think tonight’s half-price wing night too. Bonus!”
“Okay, so I have it on relatively good authority that Stealth may already be there, have you seen him?” she asks.
“Wait, what?” I shriek.
Suddenly, I feel flushed, as though I went through a round of cardio, which I can guarantee is in no danger of happening any time soon. Taking a deep breath, I blow it out then say, “I need you to repeat that, please. I thought I just heard you say that Stealth may already be here.”
“Yep, you heard me correctly. He took off from here already. Are you sure you haven’t seen him?”
I shake my head while saying, “Nope. Of course, I’ve been at home when not at work, so he might be, and I’ve missed him.”
“Huh, that’s weird. I’ll call you back, maybe I misheard. Love you, bye.”
My music comes back on, only I’m still stuck on the bomb Tressa dropped on me. If he’s here, does that mean what Tressa thinks is going on is true? Could I be his mate? A shudder courses through me when I remember the somber yet intense man. Actually, he’s probably very intimidating to those who cross the club; he likely crosses those thick, muscular arms over his wide, well-developed chest and glares at them. I start giggling at my farfetched thoughts, then quickly sober because I went toe to toe with him more than once during my brief stay at the clubhouse.
Yet he was always respectful and acted like what I was saying or doing had merit. “You were a shrew, Nini,” I whisper, horrified by my actions the day I met him for the first time. “A screechy, demanding nag. There’s no way if you’re his mate that he’s going to be happy about that fact. Not at all. Aside from the fact he deserves someone who’s tall and svelte, something you’ve never ever been, he probably won’t be able to handle your silly habits.”
Another song comes on, but I’m so lost in reciting all my flaws, I don’t sing along like I normally do. Instead, I continue my litany out loud. “Okay, so you’ve got some good qualities, Nini. You’ve got great hair, you’re organized, maybe too organized for some people, but still, it’s a good thing, you get along with most people, you can cook and bake, and you like your living area neat and clean. These are all attributes, but I don’t think they’ll hold a man like Stealth’s attention for very long. Now, the not-so-good things include the fact that you’re curvy with plenty of bounce to the ounce, you’re not very tall, and you’re sometimes directionally challenged.”
Another deep sigh erupts because outside of the fact he’s definitely someone I wouldn’t want to cross paths with in a dark alley, he also exuded a gentleness toward me. Jeremy wasn’t gentle, not even when we first started seeing one another. Everything was always about him, with little to no regard about what I wanted or liked. So, just thinking that someone like Stealth could possibly be interested in me makes me slightly giddy. Even if the reality of it all is, it's only in mine and Tressa’s imaginary mind.
* * *
I end up stopping at Tsao’s Chicken for dinner because Tressa’s right, their food is awesome and if they don’t have anything comparable in Zephyr Hills, I need to eat it while I can. Thankfully, they’re not too busy since it’s a weeknight, so I’m in and out in under forty minutes. Now fortified with some great food, I’m ready to accomplish the rest of my room. As I drive toward home, I sing along with the radio, determined to turn my previously morose thoughts around. In less than two weeks, I’ll be in a new place and the opportunities are endless. Plus, I’ll be with my best friend.
When I finally get into the house, I feel like something’s not right, but shrug it off since whoever broke in the other day is highly unlikely to come back, right? After I lock the door, I grab something to drink then take one of the rolls of bubble wrap and head to my bedroom.
“I’m losing my mind, I don’t remember closing my door,” I whisper as I reach over and shakily turn the knob. The condition of my room doesn’t immediately register but when it does, my drink slips through my hand, the bottle exploding when it hits the floor. “What the hell is going on?” I cry out, my eyes taking in the utter disaster strewn across my floor and bed. As fear settles deep inside and tears well up, I reach for my phone, only to realize I left it in the kitchen on the charger. Rushing down the hall, I start to tremble when I see a shadow cross in front of the living room window. A sharp knock nearly drives me to my knees until common sense reminds me that if it was the person who managed to decimate my hard work in less than two hours, it’s highly unlikely that they’d knock and ask my permission to come inside.
Peering through the peephole, I see… Stealth? His deep voice rumbles out, “Nicole, I know you’re home, your car is in the parking lot. Let me in.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” I mutter, undoing the locks and flinging the door wide. I’m pretty sure I look like a hot mess with tears streaming down my face, but I’m so glad I’m not alone right now, I don’t think about the fact that it’s Stealth seeing me this way.
His arms pull me close before he cups my face in his hands, his thumbs swiping my tears away. “Why are you crying?” he asks, sounding harsher than he did a few seconds ago. “What has upset you?”