Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
You holding up okay?
Q uinley stared at the phone in her hand as the message flashed on the screen. It was 4:33 a.m., and despite the drive and the drama with Rhys and her parents, and how worked up she’d become while recounting the meetings to Ana, she’d yet to sleep.
Ana had offered wine and hugs and ordered her to bed to rest, but Quinley had given up and grabbed her phone to mindlessly shop for her new home. Her new, very empty home. She had now had multiple carts with items ready to checkout but still hesitated to pull the trigger due to the totals.
New business start-ups cost money. And while she had a nice savings, she had to be careful.
But Elias’s text? Knowing he reached out to her?
Better than I thought I’d be. Can’t sleep either, huh?
I’m at Cole’s. My house was…crowded. I should’ve left you at the cabin. Gone for gas on my own. I’m sorry I made things worse for you. I’m glad they’ve made an arrest, though.
She frowned at the phone, hating that Elias was being harassed like Ana and her parents, and sank deeper into the bed.
Me, too. And for the record I’m allowed to ride with a friend.
So you’re okay? With the ex? Your parents?
Aww, do you care about me?
A lag followed, longer than the rapid-fire responses he’d been sending.
Friends care.
She smiled and sank her teeth into her lower lip as she pondered her next words and their time at the cabin.
I’m okay. Rhys is hurt, but he will be fine. My parents are… Well, I doubt my father will speak to me again in this lifetime now that he knows my plans, but who knows? And my mom. IDK I said something to her about my dad and how he treats her—treats us. I think she needs time to consider. Until then, celebrate the future, right?
Right. I should let you sleep. Big day tomorrow.
She smiled again. She had a home, was ready for her new life—thanks in part to Elias. She wanted to ask how he faired, if he was worried about the attention of their return.
Are you okay? Did your bros give you a hard time?
Another lag. As though he considered how much to say to her.
They’d give a priest a hard time. I’m fine.
And that was that, she supposed. Whatever his brothers had said to him, Elias wasn’t going to share it with her.
G’night, Elias. Sweet dreams. And thank you again. For everything. It means a lot to me.
She curled up on the bed, setting her phone aside when the lag stretched and she gave up on getting a response from Elias.
But then it buzzed once more.
I’d do it again. Sweet dreams.
The following morning, Quinley insisted on driving herself to her new home, even though Axel and another guard stayed right behind her little Audi TT in the SUV.
Dawson Blackwell emerged from the house as she pulled under the shaded parking. He waited on her small porch as she exited. She hurried toward the entry, hoping no one would notice her or the guards, at least for a while.
She’d already signed the lease, so Dawson introduced himself and gave her a quick tour while Axel remained out front and the second guard checked out the back door and yard. Rhys’s PA had texted her this morning, alerting her to the fact her clothes and items would arrive soon.
Quinley was well aware of Dawson’s curious gaze on her, assessing her like a man used to sizing up opponents in the workplace as they finished the tour.
A noise sounded outside, and Axel opened the door, allowing a familiar face inside. Rhys wasn’t taking any chances, it seemed, as his PA’s assistant entered the house carrying luggage.
“Ms. Anders,” the young man said in greeting.
“Hi, Paul. Just set them anywhere. And thank you for seeing to it yourself.”
“My pleasure. Due to heightened security, Mr. Lachlan didn’t want to use a courier. A couple of trips should have everything inside.”
Dawson made small talk while Paul made a second trip with more luggage, then a third. On the next came a few boxes. By the time Paul finished, Dawson openly gaped.
She avoided the man’s gaze and thanked Paul again for his help, walking him to the door.
“You don’t have furniture?”
Quinley lifted her chin and flashed a breezy smile she didn’t quite feel. “It’s called glamping. Like I’m back in my college days. I’ll make an order for an air mattress and some sheets, and be good to go. No worries.”
Her composure nearly broke when Dawson’s gaze seemed to soften, looking so much like Elias’s she swallowed hard.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he said. “You have my contact information for anything that pops up during the day. Otherwise Sophia and I will be next door after office hours.”
She should be an actor the way she smiled and nodded as she walked him to the door. And the moment it clicked shut?
Quinley leaned against the paneled wood and stared at the empty space, save for her luggage and a few boxes. Her life was so different than what she’d thought it would be a year ago. A week ago. So different.
Her eyes stung, and she wrinkled her nose to combat the burn and swallowed the lump in her throat, tossing her head determined to not shed another tear.
The house might be empty, but it was her new beginning, and she loved it.