Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Jaxon
Iwas exhausted, having spent the night staring at the ceiling, wishing Lily weren’t moving back into her condo today.
Sure, she’d been commuting from Arizona’s old place to work since our worlds re-collided, but I couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling I had knowing she was returning to the life and home she’d made for herself.
I wasn’t above admitting I’d grown used to having her close, but now, as I pulled into a parking spot beside her car, with a few of her boxes packed in the trunk of my vehicle, I could already feel the uncomfortable distance settling in my bones.
Yes, I was thrilled for her to have her space back, as no one wanted to find themselves displaced from their home.
Still, the thing that ate at me the most was that I wished I were seeing her place for the first time under different circumstances.
What I wouldn’t give to be here in Rockwood to collect the rest of her belongings and bring her home with me permanently.
But I had to have faith that that day would come. Until then, I planned to do everything in my power to make this work.
I had no idea what to expect once we entered her condo, but I was super curious to learn about her style. The lake house had been designed based on what we dreamed of when we were teenagers, but I didn’t know what her style was now.
What made her feel happy and safe? What colors did she like? What fabrics and textures did she gravitate toward? Did she become a hoarder of trinkets like her mom, or did she like everything mismatched and out of place?
I watched from over Lily’s shoulder a flicker of hesitation slow her movements, as she held her keys tightly in her hand.
But once she turned the key in the lock, eased the door open, and switched the light on, I was utterly mesmerized, unable to stop myself from memorizing every detail of the space.
I blindly slipped my running shoes off by pressing the arch of one foot against the heel of the other and repeated the action before I lowered the two boxes I’d carried up from my car onto the butcher block counter and took in my surroundings.
The white kitchen cabinetry was a simple Shaker-style, with an open shelf between two upper cabinets, decorated with two potted plants whose ivy draped down, and four creamy-white mugs with black cursive writing hanging beneath.
My eyes tracked Lily as she carried another box of her clothing down a short hallway with four doors.
Once she disappeared into one of the rooms, I stepped into her main living space.
My sock-covered feet sank into the plushness of her white area rug and stepped around the round rattan ottoman, framed on two sides by an L-shaped gray couch covered in a multitude of shades of white throw pillows.
The walls were a light gray, with white gauzy curtains covering the patio door, and wooden shelves were mounted in the corner, accented by more planted greenery and a large hexagon mirror.
On the end table beside the couch sat a small faux Christmas tree, still standing long after Christmas, as almost three weeks had passed since New Year’s Eve. A quiet ache stirred in my chest at the thought of her having spent the holiday alone.
Christmas had always been her and Arizona’s favorite time of year, and just from one glance at the tree, I could tell her style of ornaments hadn’t changed over the years.
The tree was whimsical and far from aesthetically perfect, with mismatched ornaments scattered randomly.
It was the only thing that didn’t seem to belong in her calming space.
When I noted the few bare branches, I wanted nothing more than to help her fill them with memories, with joy, love, and everything she deserved.
It was then that my eyes homed in on a little police car tucked under the bottom branch, and the sentiment hit me square in the chest.
Was that car supposed to represent me in her own discreet way, I wondered?
Turning on my heel, I went in search of her.
Stepping down the hallway, I noted that the first door opened into a utility room catch-all, complete with a stacked washer and dryer, and a vacuum.
The next door revealed an empty bedroom minus a yoga mat and a few dumbbells lying on the floor next to the main bathroom, complete with a shower-soaker tub combination.
I didn’t detect the smell of fresh paint or notice anything that shouted this bathroom had been the culprit of the shower leak, as her toiletries, which included various bath bombs and bottles of bath salts, were present.
When I stepped into her bedroom, my eyes first landed on her bed.
It looked like a cloud, layered in textured covers of cream, whites, and olive-green, littered with a plethora of pillows stacked against a wicker headboard.
I’d never been a big pillow guy; I always tossed the accent pillows at my parents place on the floor, but I guess I was going to have to get used to them because clearly my girl had a thing for a ridiculous number of pillows in all varieties of shapes and sizes.
Taking in the rest of the space, I noted a white rectangular dresser and a large leafy plant in the corner, and honestly, I was impressed by her green thumb skills.
Then again, having spent a few years around Arizona’s mom before she passed, she’d clearly picked up on a trick or two along the way.
It made me smile until it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen any personal photos anywhere in the condo.
I wanted to ask if she rented the place furnished or not, because if this were her style and aesthetic, it was giving me all kinds of ideas for the lake house.
But when I walked into her en suite bathroom, it was clear my presence had startled her, as she jumped and quickly tucked something small and black into the back pocket of her cutoff jean shorts.
“You good?”
“Yes, of course. Why?” she asked with a shaky tone.
But the truth was evident, as her natural, warm, dewy skin tone was paler than her creamy-toned bed linens.
“You just seem . . . a little tense is all.” I didn’t want to call her out on it, but it left me with more questions than answers about her past.
“No, not at all.” She turned and adjusted her hair clip to pull back the strands of hair that had fallen loose. “All good, here,” she squeaked and brushed past me in the doorway back into her bedroom.
I let her be and didn’t pry, but something was definitely off. I felt the energy shift the second I stepped into the room.
“Was this the shower that leaked?” I asked over my shoulder, even though I was sure it was, as there was nothing personal in the small space at all that consisted only of a small shower stall, toilet, and one sink vanity, while I eyed the contractor’s work.
“Yes.”
“And you had no idea there was a problem before you came home that night?”
“No, nothing,” she replied from where she sat in the center of her bed, cross-legged and hugging a pillow.
“Did building maintenance or your landlord say where exactly the leak originated?”
“Apparently, there was a crack in the shower pan, and the caulking along the trim wasn’t done right originally.”
“How old’s the building?”
“Not sure, to be honest, but I don’t think it’s that old if I had to guess. I’m only the second renter.”
It was entirely plausible that the shower had a leak that affected the condo below, as there could be a laundry list of reasons.
All it took was for one thing to be done or installed wrong to lead to problems, since protecting the surroundings from water was no joke, but something about this suddenly wasn’t sitting right, and I didn’t know why.
“When I came back to get my stuff with Ari and your brother, everything had already been ripped out. Jameson asked to see the old shower pan, but the contractor had already done a dump-run. He poked around and seemed happy with the work they were doing.”
“I’m glad he did that.” But it should have been me here, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking. “I’ll be back in a few. Just going to grab the last box.” I needed a minute to clear my head as every instinct I had was signaling to my gut that not everything was as it seemed.
I left Lily in her room and headed toward the front door.
I slipped my shoes back on, but the second my eyes landed on not one, but two deadbolts and a three-inch reinforced lock brick meant to stop forced entry should the locks be compromised, I knew I wasn’t imagining things.
My hand reached out for the wall to brace myself as the most intense, unsettling feeling gripped me by the throat.
Was my girl just being cautious, given she lived alone, or had something more sinister happened in her past that made her abundantly cautious?
Swiping Lily’s keys off the table just inside the front door, I locked her condo before I pulled my phone out and brought it to my ear.
“Hello.”
“Is there someone in Lily’s past that she’s afraid of?” I asked as I took the stairs so I wouldn’t lose signal in the elevator.
“Well, hello to you, too, Jaxon.”
“Sorry. Ari, I’m losing my mind here. Please tell me. I need to know.” My heart raced uncomfortably in my chest.
“I wish I could, but I don’t know, and that’s the honest to God truth.”
“So she’s never said anything or even hinted at someone giving her trouble?”
“No, and whenever I brought the subject up of her seeing anyone before she moved here, she always shut it down.”
“Fuck.” I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.
“Did something happen? Why are you asking me this now?” Arizona’s voice was full of worry.
“Just a feeling I’ve got.”
“I take it you’ve seen the locks on her door?”
“Yes.” I sighed.
“Listen, our girl has—ugh, I’m torn here, Jaxon. I love her so much, and the last thing I want to do is to betray her trust, but I also don’t want you to go full police mode and trigger an attack or anything worse.”
“An attack? What is it you’re trying not to say, Ari? Because you’re freaking me the fuck out right now.”