Chapter 12 Sam
Sam
Inearly jumped out of my skin as an ear shattering scream echoed through the Victorian. I was on my feet and running towards the sound before I took my next breath.
“Ew, no, get away, arrrggghhh!”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but Livi sounded terrified. The urge to protect her was strong as I raced into the kitchen.
“What? What is it?”
Livi was standing with her back pressed against the wall, a spray can of foam sealant in her hand and pointed like a gun. Her eyes were so wide I could see the whites as she stared towards the sink.
“It tried to kill me!” she screeched.
“What?”
I followed her gaze to see a fat gray squirrel on the counter. It was sitting on its haunches holding what looked like a peanut, calmly watching the crazy lady with the foam in her hand. He’d clearly gotten into the paper bag of peanuts that someone had left on the counter to share with the crew.
“It’s just a little squirrel,” I said calmly.
It made a chittering noise, as if agreeing with me.
“It’s a filthy rodent!”
Her voice was pitched so high I was surprised that the glass didn’t shatter in the kitchen window. Meanwhile the squirrel continued binging on peanuts, stuffing his face like a chipmunk.
“Well sure, technically squirrels are rodents, but he’s not going to hurt you,” I said placatingly.
“You didn’t see the look in his eye. He wants blood.”
“Squirrels don’t attack humans,” I said patiently.
At that exact moment the squirrel threw a nut at us. Livi screamed again, moving behind me like I was some kind of a human shield, her fingers digging into the top of my shoulders. I resisted the urge to laugh.
“Told you,” she wailed.
“Shoo squirrel,” I said in a firm voice.
The squirrel picked up another nut and whipped it in our direction. It didn’t seem aggressive though. If anything it looked… amused, like it was playing with us.
“You need to move along Mr. Squirrel,” I said. “We need to close up the house and go home now.”
The squirrel just stared at us. With a sigh I walked closer, intending to shoo him out the open back door where I assumed he’d entered the kitchen.
We were all in and out of the house so much during the day we just left the doors open.
The squirrel made that chittering noise again and ran across the counter in the opposite direction as Livi screamed again.
The squirrel paused at the edge of the counter, and I swear he was daring me to come after him.
“Damn it!”
I spun around, spotting a plunger someone had left on the counter after the sink got clogged. Brandishing it like a weapon, I moved towards our furry intruder. He lobbed another peanut in our direction.
“Be careful,” Livi whisper shrieked. “He probably has rabies. Or the plague!”
The squirrel looked unimpressed at my choice of weapon.
I approached it and shoved the rubber part of the plunger in his direction.
When I got close, he lunged forward, making me jump.
After proving his point, he turned on his paws and sauntered out the door, taking his sweet time.
The instant he crossed the threshold I closed the back door behind the furry intruder.
“You saved me!”
Livi flew across the room, and when she crashed against me, my arms automatically wrapped around her waist. She gave me a squeeze, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Thank you so much. I would have been killed or foaming at the mouth with rabies if you’d come any later.”
I rolled my lips in to keep from laughing at her dramatics. “The squirrel doesn’t have rabies, Princess. He was just hungry.”
Livi shuddered. “Maybe he was planning to take a bite of me.”
I rubbed her back to comfort her, feeling conflicted about how protective I felt.
“He was not going to bite you. Jeez, don’t you have squirrels at that fancy mansion of yours?”
“Sure, but they stay in the trees where they belong.”
When Livi didn’t say anything else I added, “Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”
I lowered my head, subtly taking a whiff of her hair like some sort of weirdo. I was dying to know what that floral scent was.
“Did you just sniff my hair?” she asked, her face still pressed against my shoulder.
I stiffened. “Um. No.”
“You smell good too,” she reassured me.
“That’s the adrenaline from the squirrel encounter talking,” I said jokingly.
I pulled back but she only let me move a few inches, her hands sliding down to my waist to stop my movement.
I mean, I could have pulled away, I just…
didn’t. Instead I looked down into those blue eyes, watching her watch me, and when Livi licked her lips, I couldn’t help the groan that escaped my mouth. We shifted infinitesimally closer.
Then I heard a noise, the creak of the house maybe, and I came to my senses.
“We should get out of here,” I said, my voice rough.
A brief flash of disappointment crossed her face. “Okay.”
She took a step back, her hands falling back to her sides, and I immediately missed the warmth of her body.
“Hey, you’ve done a really good job this week. I’m impressed with how hard you’re working.”
Her face broke out with a big smile. “It’s been fun.”
At my skeptical look, she explained, “You know I work for my family company right?”
I nodded.
“Because of my last name, everyone assumes I got the job due to nepotism. They think I’m just some vapid heiress who doesn’t understand the business.”
“Do you?” I asked curiously. “Understand the business?”
“I’ve got a master’s in business administration from Stanford.
I’ve worked every single job in the company, starting when I was a pre-teen.
I’ve lived and breathed the company my entire life and sure, I got the opportunity because of who I am, but I kept the job because I proved myself,” she said vehemently.
“My dad doesn’t tolerate anyone not pulling their weight, and he’s been clear with me my entire life that my role in the company was not guaranteed, that it had to be earned.
But here, people judge me by my work, not by my name. And I kind of love that.”
She was sincere, I realized.
“Well, we’ve been grateful for your help,” I said. “You’ve helped us get back on schedule. Now let’s hit the road. I have a big night ahead of me.”