by Jen Talty
“Long story short, I bid on a storage unit and won the contents,” she said.
“Is this like that television show about people bidding on other people’s junk? What is it called? Storage Wars? Or something?”
“You’ve got the name right, but I didn’t end up with junk.”
“Is that box from the storage unit?”
She nodded. “Which is why I’ll take you up on the offer to use your car. I need to take some things to the appraiser and bring some things home I can sell them on Offer Up or eBay.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. Please make sure you either meet in a public place, contact me, or have someone with you. I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve—”
“I’ve already gotten this lecture from my parents, and I readily agree, so don’t worry.”
“That’s like asking Trouble here to like water, which I bet he doesn’t.”
Trouble meowed, waving his paw in the air as if to say, no way.
Annabel set her plate on the table. “I hate to do this, but I have to get up early. I really should get home.”
Ethan glanced at his watch, shocked that it was pushing ten. “Yeah, I’m on duty tomorrow at six. I’ll drive you home and then leave the car with you.”
“That’s silly. Why don’t I just take it from here?”
“Because I want to kiss you goodnight at your door. Not here, where I’ll be tempted to be ungentlemanly.” That was all true, but he also wanted to scope out her place, making sure she was safely tucked inside with her doors locked, before he left.
Her laugh filled the night air. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re an odd duck?”
“My sister and every day of my life.”
“Why don’t you let me drive you back home?” Annabel asked as Ethan parked his car in her spot under the carport across from her building. “I feel bad having you walk.”
“It’s only a mile. And I don’t mind.” He pulled the keys out of the ignition, turned off the lights, and faced her. “Of course, you can always come back and stay at my place.”
She cocked her head and gave him the “look.”
He held his hands wide. “I’ve got two spare bedrooms. Your virtue is safe with me.”
“Tell that to my belly button.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Hey, I really had a good time tonight, and I kind of hate it to end. Besides, I am concerned for your safety. A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours, and I’m wondering if maybe these events have to do with your storage unit.”
“Me too. However, I doubt that. It’s all very anonymous. No one knows who got the unit and whoever it belonged to, hasn’t paid his bills in months, much less visited,” she said as dismissively as she could. “But as much as I’m enjoying being with you, I think it’s best we just say goodnight.” If she were being honest with herself, she simply didn’t trust herself around Ethan. It would be easy to let him crawl into her bed.
Too easy.
And nothing good would come from jumping into a relationship, even a casual one, with someone she could potentially see herself dating for the long haul.
Slow wins the race.
“Are you sure?” he asked with an arched brow and a wicked smile.
“Really, Trouble and I will be fine.”
“All right. But I’m at least going to do a walk-through of your condo, just to make sure nothing is out of place.” Ethan took her hand and kissed the back of it. Goosebumps rose on her arms.
He’d always been kind and sweet. Always the gentleman.
“It’s really not necessary.”
“I’d rather you not stay alone, but since you’re insisting on it, then I’d appreciate if you’d humor me and let me do this.” His pleading emerald eyes were irresistible. “Besides, I’m not letting you carry that box upstairs yourself.”
“I’m perfectly capable.” To prove her point, she pulled the box from the back seat of his SUV. Unfortunately, she yanked a little two quickly, and it caused her to fumble. She groaned as it toppled out of her hands onto the pavement.
Ethan chuckled.
The noise Trouble made sounded like he was laughing at her as well.
Annabel took a step back, brushing her hair from her face. “You take the box, I’ll take the cat.”
But it seemed Trouble would have nothing to do with that as he scurried across the parking lot.
“I guess he doesn’t want to risk being dropped, too,” Ethan said as he effortlessly lifted the cardboard box and its contents and sauntered toward the lobby door.
His biceps flexed under the moonlight. Annabel let out an audible sigh and said, “Ha, ha, funny man.” She paused midstep when she glanced at the catwalk. Lori, Vernon’s ex-girlfriend, stood at the door to his condo.
“You’re being an asshole,” Lori’s voice carried on the night air.
“That’s your opinion.” Vernon held the lobby door open, wearing a muscle shirt, showing off his many tattoos as well as his thick biceps.
“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Lori planted her hands on her tiny hips. “I was just being nice.”
“You were flirting with him.”
“That’s bullshit, and you’re just being a dick because you have commitment issues.”
Vernon laughed. “That’s classic coming from you, or do I need to remind you of when you—”
“That was over a year ago, and we’d broken up for a few weeks…oh, to hell with it. I’m out of here. I’m tired of having to prove to you that I love you.”
Vernon stepped back and pulled the door closed with a bang, not saying a word.
Lori stomped off down the catwalk toward the staircase, her high heels echoing with each step on the concrete.
“We might want to avoid the elevator,” Annabel said as she ran her key fob across the call box. A loud buzzer rang out into the night.
“Christ, that’s loud.”
“Yeah, well, I think my neighbor and his girlfriend already woke up anyone who’d been asleep.” Annabel pushed open the door, letting him pass.
“I interviewed him after the break-in,” Ethan said. “He’s not a fan of Danny’s and kept going on and on about what a jerk he was and how he knew for a fact, even if he didn’t see it with his own two eyes, that Danny had been the one to break in.”
“I didn’t really know Danny, but no one in this building likes him after what he did. Let’s take the stairs.” Her building needed a few repairs, and the elevator should be on the top of the list. Not to mention, the walls were dinged and scratched from years of use. Her building could use a good paint job to boot.
Trouble raced up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. Must be in a hurry to go to sleep, Annabel thought. She didn’t blame the cat. It had been an exhausting day.
“Seems there’s been a lot of cheating going on around here these days.”
“I think we’re just sensitive to it, all things considered,” she said, though she had to agree.
“Okay, but why not just end it before going out and tasting forbidden fruit?”
Once on the catwalk on her floor, she glanced over the railing. Lori stood by her car, hands on her hips, staring up at the building.
A door screeched open.
“Don’t leave,” Vernon called. “You’re right. I’m being an ass.”
“Did you just say I’m right?” Lori asked.
Annabel thought Lori should focus on the part where he admitted to being a jerk. Devin had never once admitted to such a concept.
“I love you, Lori. I really do. I don’t want you to go. You live here now. Come on, babe, don’t make me beg.”
“Make him beg,” Annabel whispered as she flipped the light switch on inside her condo.
“Not very manly to beseech,” Ethan said setting the box on the table.
“But it can be sexy when done right.” She boldly patted Ethan’s chest, looking around for Trouble, who was nowhere to be found. “I mean, really, there is nothing sweeter than a m
an admitting he was wrong and saying he’s sorry in the same sentence. Surefire way to get laid.”
“I’m wrong, and I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Sexy enough for you?”
He brushed his lips across hers in a promise of everything decadent.
She blinked, taking a step back. “You know, I actually asked Devin why he cheated on me, with more than one woman.” Wow. Had she really just said that after Ethan had been so cute and, damn, that kiss.
Ethan coughed. “I don’t think I want to know his answer.”
“He didn’t really have one, other than new women intrigued him. They were something different.” She shrugged and looked away. “In an odd way, it made him want me more. Only all he ever did was go out and get more of different.” She didn’t know if admitting all this was her way of keeping Ethan at arm’s length or purging those parts of her relationship with Devin that she still held on to. She didn’t want to continue to wallow when she should be forgetting about him all together.
“That’s messed up.”
“No more than the fact I stayed with him for so long.”
He reached out, lifting her chin with his thumb. “But you’re not with him now, and I’m no longer with what’s-her-name, so can we live in the moment, not in the past?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep going back there, but this thing with you and me, it frightens me, and we do have a long history.”
“But our history isn’t defined by our past relationships, and I, for one, want to explore, slowly, whatever this might be.”
She nodded, licking her lips. “Slowly,” she whispered.
“I’d love to get a tour of your home. These places are really big.”
“A little over two thousand square feet,” she said. “And it’s all usable space.” The request for a tour of her condo was a welcome distraction, and the words tumbled out of her mouth. “As you can see, the main living space is wide open.” She took him by the hand, leading him from the open kitchen into the dining area. “That over there is a pantry and a hidden closet. The people who lived here before me did a lot of remodeling, except for the two guest bathrooms. I’m hoping to get those done within the year.” Normally she didn’t consider herself a nervous person, much less insecure, but she felt the surge of raw energy that she had no idea what to do with.
“That’s an awesome fish.” He cleared his throat and studied the wall hanging on the right side of the entertainment center in the family room, breaking the tension between them.
“I know, right. I found it at the Seafood Festival on the park. Over here is what I use as an office/bedroom.”
“Nice walk in closet,” he said.
“And a huge bathroom. The one in the front bedroom is a little smaller, but the room is a bit nicer.” She practically dragged him across the apartment to the front bedroom. “But this one’s view is of the parking lot, so it’s all a tradeoff.”
“And I take it that’s the master bedroom?” He pointed in the direction of her room. The door stood open a tad, showing off a corner of the bed.
“It is.”
“Can I see it?”
She cocked her head, biting down on her lower lip.
He grinned. “I’m just doing due diligence, making sure the boogieman isn’t hiding in a corner or under the bed. It’s a hazard of my job.”
“So, every woman who gets into a car accident, you take her home and check out her—”
“Only the ones I want to kiss goodnight.”
“No kissing in the bedroom.”
“Not yet, anyway,” he said as he winked.
Slowly she made her way into the master. It wasn’t much to talk about, and she didn’t have a view of the ocean, but she could see the lighthouse, and that was cool.
“Wow. Look at that.” He moved to the window and watched the beam of light flashing in the sky. “As a kid I used to love to sit on the beach and watch the flashes reach out into the night.”
“I always loved the evening tours to the top. My boyfriend my junior year in high school took me there on Valentine’s Day; it was quite romantic.”
“I bet I can do better than that.”
She let her lashes flutter closed over her eyes, holding her breath as she waited.
But nothing happened.
“You’re an intoxicating woman, Annabel Wilder,” he said as he closed the distance between them and kissed her forehead. “But I should get going.”
She patted his chest, letting out a long sigh, trying to hide her disappointment, a disappointment that she knew she shouldn’t be feeling. “I’m glad you’re not driving then.” Taking him by the hand, she led him to the door. “Now I just have to find out where Trouble went off to. He disappeared up the stairwell ahead of us but obviously took a detour somewhere along the way.”
“I’ll go look for him,” Ethan said, waggling his finger. “You stay put with the door locked until I come back, got it?”
Being a black cat is a blessing, especially at night as I dart past Vernon as he leans over the railing, calling to his girlfriend to come back.
Not very dignified on his part. You would not catch a Brit groveling like that. Of course, a decent British gentleman wouldn’t play such games with a lady, and I get the distinct impression that even though Lori might be a little rough around the edges, as Annabel is, she has, as the Americans would say, gumption.
What concerns me is that Vernon does mechanic work on the side, and I’ve seen different cars come and go from the parking lot, all of which he drives. He also has a love for baseball caps. My instincts, which are generally infallible, tell me Vernon isn’t the man I’m looking for, but I will err on the side of caution.
Vernon’s condo is smaller than Annabel’s as it’s only a two-bedroom, but other than that, the set-up is the same.
However, his dark, run-down leather furniture leaves something to be desired. I’m all for owning one’s masculinity, but this place does need a bit of a woman’s fine touch to liven it up. Give it some character. Let people know a real-life, living, breathing person lived in the space.
I slink around the island in the kitchen, slightly surprised by the cleanliness.
We must never judge a book by its cover.
I sniff around the cabinets before quietly jumping on the counter. The boxes from Annabel’s storage have a unique musty smell. I don’t sense that scent anywhere in this Condo. Nor do I see anything suspicious in the kitchen.
“I’m not going to play games with you, Vernon. This is it. If you act like a jealous man again, I’m gone.” Lori’s voice echoes throughout the dark room as they both step inside.
She sets her purse on the counter I’d just leapt from. I make my way into the front bedroom. There’s a desk with stacks of papers on it and one small bed in the corner. More like a cot. The bathroom light is on, so I take a peek at what’s stacked on the desk.
Bills.
Junk mail.
The newspaper.
I found that interesting in today’s digital age. Vernon doesn’t seem to be the type to read The Times, but I can respect a man who keeps up with the news of the world.
I spy a small, velvet box set off to the side. It feels like silk against my nose, and one doesn’t have to be a great detective to know the box is used to keep jewelry.
However, that doesn’t mean it does.
I push it around and something rattles against the sides. I don’t have time to fiddle with it as I hear steps heading in my direction. I hide behind the door and watch Vernon snag the box, lift the contents, holding a shiny diamond ring up to the bathroom light, before shoving it in his pocket.
As soon as he leaves the front bedroom, I dash off to the master where I find a king-sized bed, neatly made. I jump up on the dresser and walk past a series of pictures, all of Vernon and Lori on various fishing trips. Quickly, I make my way into the bathroom. Nothing out of the ordinary. No jewelry. Nothing related to weddings anywhere.
I hear a gasp coming from the kitchen. I don’t like that sound, so I race out only to find Vernon on one knee, holding the ring, while Lori cups her cheeks with both hands.
I skid to a stop, and both humans turn in my direction.
Well, I was going to have to make myself known anyway, unless I wanted to spend the night here.
Which I most certainly don’t. I’d take that pink bed Annabel bought me any day of the week.
“What are you doing in here?” Vernon asks.
Slowly, as if I hadn’t a care in the world, I ease toward the front door. Vernon bends over and picks me up.
“I better go bring him to Annabel. Don’t you move. You haven’t answered me, yet.”
Vernon carries me toward the staircase, scratching the top of my head. While I found nothing in his apartment, I can’t totally rule him out, but there is a softness about him. I’m no human, thankfully, but I do know them better than they know themselves.
“There you are,” Ethan says from the middle of the stairs. “This is why you are named Trouble.” Ethan takes me in his arms.
I could dash up the stairs, but why bother when I’ve got a perfectly good human to do it for me.
“Where’d you find him?”
“In my apartment,” Vernon said with hint of frustration. I can understand why. “You’re that cop. Is there a problem again?”
“Nope. Just visiting with Annabel. But since I’ve got you here, can I ask you a few questions?”
Vernon glanced over his shoulder and let out a long breath. “I told you everything I know about Danny. He’s bad news.”
“How do you know? Is that just based on the fighting you’ve seen with him and his ex-girlfriend? Or is it something else?”
“I’ve kicked him out of the bar a few times, and he comes with a reputation for working with criminals. So, yeah, it’s more. I don’t trust him, and if I see him sniffing around here again, I’ll call you first, but I won’t wait.”
“Do me a favor and wait.”
I have to agree with Ethan on that thought.
Vernon nods, then turns on his heels and disappears. Not the friendliest guy in the world. I’ll still keep my eye on him.
Ethan stops in front of Annabel’s door, gripping the doorknob. It didn’t turn. He tapped three times. “It’s me. I’ve got Trouble.”