Chapter 5 #3
After waving goodbye to Spence and Hetty, Genna headed outside with Parker right behind her. She got into her car and started it. Driving away, the sight of Parker’s large pickup truck in her rearview mirror comforted her.
As she pulled up into her own driveway, hitting the button to open her garage door, she wondered if their strategy to block the front door had worked. If not, she realized the possibility existed that an intruder might still be inside.
After turning off her engine, she waited for Parker to get out of his truck. Catching sight of her expression, he lightly squeezed her shoulder. “Do you want me to go first?” he asked.
“Yes, please.”
Staying close to him as he stepped inside, she fought the urge to reach for his hand. Instead, she focused on switching on the lights.
In the living room, the furniture they’d carefully piled against the front door appeared to be undisturbed. Relieved, she exhaled.
“It doesn’t look like anyone tried to force their way in,” Parker said. “Let’s get all this moved so your door guy can work on this.”
Once they’d done that, she offered him a soft drink or an iced tea. He asked for water instead.
Right after she’d brought him a glass, her doorbell rang. Since the front door wouldn’t close all the way, she was glad they hadn’t knocked.
“I’m with Shelby Alarm Service,” the young, bearded man announced. “I understand I’m here to do an installation.”
“Come in,” she said, suddenly glad Parker had insisted on keeping her company. “I’m sure they told you already, but I signed up for the full package. Window and door sensors and motion sensors. With monitoring.”
He consulted his clipboard. “Yes, ma’am. That’s what I show on my work order.”
“Perfect.” She stepped back. “Then I’ll let you get to it. I’m expecting someone else to repair my front door.”
That contractor arrived a few minutes later. He took one look at the splintered frame and damaged door and shook his head. “You’re going to need to replace all of this,” he said. “It’s not repairable.”
Hearing him, she glanced at Parker for confirmation.
“I don’t know about that,” Parker said. “Can you show me why you can’t just replace the frame?”
Genna went to check on the alarm guy while the other two men discussed the front door.
She found him installing sensors on all her windows. “When your system is armed, if anyone tried to open a window, or a door for that matter, it will alert.”
“Just here?” she asked. “Or at the monitoring center, too?”
“Both. Once it alerts, if you don’t deactivate it, we will call you and ask for your password. If you don’t answer or give an incorrect response, we contact the police.”
Which was exactly what she wanted.
“I heard another body was found,” the man said, not looking up from his work. “I bet we get a ton of installation calls now. It’s not possible to be too safe.”
“I agree.” That said, she left him alone to work and went back to check on the front door.
Parker smiled when he saw her. “Looks like you’re getting a new everything,” he said. “He’s putting in a reinforced steel door instead of a wooden one.”
“Perfect,” she told him. Then, because she imagined installers would much prefer to do their work without the homeowner standing over their shoulders, she took herself off to the kitchen.
To her surprise, Parker followed her. “When all this is done, how about we go out and grab dinner together?” he asked.
Surprised, she looked up at him. When she saw the heat in his eyes, she sucked in her breath. “As friends?” Her answer came out a bit shakier than she would have liked.
“Sure. Why not?” But the hint of mischief in his smile said otherwise.
She almost turned him down. Almost. But the part of her that had made her kiss him had her deciding to go.
After all, she could either spend the rest of her life attempting to ignore the attraction between them and keep things on a friendly level, or she could go along with the flow.
Judging by the way her luck with men and relationships went, it wouldn’t take much to make Parker realize they’d be better off as simply coworkers.
Possibly even friends. But nothing more.
“Sure,” she answered, looking down so he couldn’t see the conflicted emotions in her expression. “As long as it’s not too late.”
She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the leftover bottle of wine they’d shared during the storm. “Do you want a glass?” she asked. “I’m about to pour myself one and go sit out on the back porch. You’re welcome to join me.”
Since her yard was enclosed by a six-foot-tall cedar fence, she figured she’d be safe enough alone for a few minutes. Even if she wasn’t, this was her home. She refused to spend every waking moment inside her house quaking in fear.
“I’ll be out there in a few,” he said, evidently reaching the same conclusion. “After I check on both contractors to see how much longer they’ve got.”
“Let me know,” she replied, pouring a generous glass. “And help yourself if you want wine.”
Taking a small sip, she made her way outside. Already, she’d begun to reconsider agreeing to go out to eat with him. But then again, doing so seemed like the least she could do after all he’d done to help her.
She shook her head. She’d never been in the habit of lying to herself and didn’t intend to start now. If she ever intended to regard Parker as nothing more than a friend, she had to get whatever this was out of her system. Starting tonight.