Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Sutton
Iknew Rendi was there. And I was pretty sure she was okay with me knowing that she was there. I was also pretty sure the interest she was showing in me wasn’t sexual, which was great, but what did she want?
She was sitting in the armchair to the left of the couch, facing the front door.
She’d been quiet when she came in the room, but my body was on high alert, and I felt the room change the moment she’d walked in, and I woke up immediately. I’d love to say that it was my training, but I’d been like that before. There had always been a reason to be on alert when my father was home.
It was still dark outside, so the room was far too shadowed to make out what she was looking at, but there had to be a reason she was just sitting there in silence. Did she not realize I was awake?
“What are you looking for? I’m pretty sure your hot bodyguard told you to stay away from the windows.”
I was thoroughly confused, but the gasp from the window cleared things up pretty quickly.
“Jeez! Are you crazy? Why are you sitting in here in the dark?” Marti demanded, breathlessly.
I turned my head slightly, horrified to find that she had somehow made it into the room and all the way to the window without me even realizing she was there.
Maybe I’d been too distracted by the worry that Rendi might be over there fitting me for a casket, or maybe sweet Marti was far too good at stealth.
This was ironic considering how she was anything but stealthy at the diner.
I could almost hear the smirk in Rendi’s voice as she spoke. “I’m not ready for the sunlight yet.”
“His car’s still here,” Marti said softly, turning back to peer out the window. “Do you think he slept in there? Should I take him breakfast? No. You should take him breakfast. I’d probably empale myself on a garden gnome if I got too close to him.”
She must not have been able to see me. That kind of made things awkward, and I knew I was going to scare the crap out of her as soon as I spoke, but it was probably a good idea to let her know I was there.
I just wasn’t sure how to do it. I started to sit up, opening my mouth to say something, but Rendi beat me to it.
“I don't know why you can’t just act like a normal human being around him.”
Marti finally turned completely from the window, moving away enough to make me a bit more comfortable, though I didn’t think there was enough light in the room for someone outside to see in.
“Oh, you mean how you act normal when you see Langston?” She said as she moved closer. “Didn’t you play dead the first time you saw him?”
Wait. Did Rendi have a thing for Langston? Did Marti have a thing for me? Wellston thought she did. Sometimes I thought so too, but then she would do anything and everything she could to avoid me, and then I’d think maybe it was just wishful thinking.
Maybe I should pretend to be asleep. If she knew I was hearing this conversation, she’d definitely be embarrassed.
“I panicked,” Rendi snapped. “Did you see the way he looked at me? He definitely wanted to kill me, and I have never bashed my face in with a cabinet door just because he was in the same room as me.”
“Can you blame him? You were trying to snatch Milly’s wig off her head.” She continued to move closer, and I knew at any moment she was finally going to see me, and it was going to be awkward for both of us.
“She got snippy with my Mom”
“She’s ninety-seven, and your mom always just snips back. It’s their thing.”
I saw what was going to happen before it even happened, so I should have been more prepared. Marti apparently never did see me still lying there on the couch, because with an amused huff, she turned and plopped directly on my stomach.
I grunted, she screamed and Rendi blurted out a surprised laugh.
Marti tried to scramble up, but all she really did was flail and dig her rear even deeper into my diaphragm.
Working to sit up while avoiding all her limbs, I finally managed to wrap my arms around her, pinning hers while finally getting upright.
“Easy,” I grunted when I could breathe. “Stop flailing. It’s me.”
Marti finally went completely still. We both did, the moment was even more awkward than I had predicted earlier since she was sitting in my lap with my arms wrapped around her, both of us breathing hard and afraid to move.
Rendi’s laughter was the only sound in the entire room. Maybe I should say Rendi’s laugh was all the noise in the room. As if we choreographed it, Marti and I turned our heads slowly to look over at her amused friend.
The lighting was still pretty low, but the sky outside was starting to brighten. Our eyes had adjusted enough to make out that she was stretched out, holding her side like she was fighting off a cramp,
We both watched her for a moment, until the reality of the situation started to creep back in, and it was obvious that we couldn’t stay like that all morning.
I unwrapped my arms, hoping my grip hadn’t hurt her, and lifted her easily, settling her on the couch next to me.
My hands lingered for a moment on her waist.
She scrambled away, tucking herself into the corner of the couch and covering her face. “Sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I didn’t see you there.”
I suppressed a smile. Not that she could see it with her hands covering her eyes.
Glancing at her friend, who was laughing so hard she looked like she was going to slide out of that chair right onto the floor, I shook my head.
“I have a feeling we were both set up on this one. I’m going to go to the restroom. Stay away from the window, okay?”
She nodded, still hiding behind her hands. “Okay.”
I stood and quickly made my way to the hallway, finally allowing myself a small laugh that I hoped the very embarrassed Marti couldn’t hear.
“You are the worst person in the whole world,” I heard her practically growl at Rendi.
“Ow. Cramp!”