Garrett (Dark Water Security Book 2)

by Madison Quinn

  Afterward, we fell asleep, with her wrapped in my arms and all I could think about was that I didn’t want the night to end. Just as I closed my eyes, I had decided in the morning to ask her to keep in contact with me when I returned to duty. I wouldn’t ask her to wait for me, but I didn’t want to let her go either.

  I guess I was the only one feeling that way, because when I woke the next morning, the bed was cold and empty.

  Chapter 12

  Hope

  “Hope…wow…you look…stunning, absolutely beautiful,” Garrett says the moment I open the door to Abby’s apartment.

  “Thank you.” I feel my face blush at his compliment. “You look pretty good yourself.”

  Pretty good is probably the understatement of the year; he looks amazing. He stands before me dressed in a black suit with a dark red tie. Although I see him dressed in a suit often for work, he somehow looks complete different today. When his brown eyes find mine, I blush even further realizing he caught me staring at him.

  “Here’s your bag, Hope.” Thankfully Abby saves me, as she hands me the silver clutch I’m borrowing for the evening.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think you two have officially met. Garrett, this is my best friend, Abby. Abby, this is…my roommate, Garrett.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” He shakes her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.” Before I can stop her, Abby pulls Garrett closer, until she doesn’t think I can hear what she’s about to say. “Don’t hurt my girl tonight, or I will come after you.”

  “You have my word.” He nods, not seeming the slightest bit affected by her words. Meanwhile I’m certain my face is the deepest shade of red it’s ever been.

  “Should we leave?” I ask.

  “We should.” Garrett places his hand on my lower back. “Abby, just so you’re aware, we will be at Clary’s—”

  “Oh, I’ve heard their food is amazing! I’ve been wanting to try it, but I was told the waiting list is over a year long,” she interrupts.

  “It is.” He chuckles. “Their food is worth the wait though. If you’d like to go sometime, just let Hope know. My mom hosts several events there a year so I can usually get a table as long as I give them a couple of days’ notice.”

  “That would be wonderful! Thank you, Garrett!” I can tell Abby is doing everything she can to not jump up and down like a kid on Christmas morning right now. He probably has no idea just how he made her day.

  “Shall we?” he asks.

  We silently walk out of Abby’s apartment and take the elevator to the ground floor, before Garrett leads me out to the parking lot. It’s not until he opens the door to a slick black sedan, that I notice his hand never left my back the entire time. I’m both surprised and confused at how comfortable it felt to have him touch me and even more surprised that I didn’t notice for so long.

  On the way to the restaurant, Garret tells me a little more about his family since I’ll be meeting most of them tonight. The night we met, we spent hours on the patio talking about so many different things including our families, but I still feel like there’s so much I don’t know. I already know his mom is a nurse at the local hospital, and his dad owns a successful marketing firm where his younger brother works. His younger sister is currently finishing her master’s degree in business administration but hasn’t yet decided what exactly she wants to do when she graduates.

  “It should only be another minute or so,” he says as we wait in line for the valet.

  Up ahead is a large, beautifully lit, stone building that seems to glow from the ground up. The front room has floor to ceiling windows; as we get closer, I can see several people in what must be the reception area having cocktails. Immediately, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, sending a silent thank you to Abby for helping me pick the perfect dress for tonight.

  As Garrett predicted, only a couple minutes later, he’s helping me out of the car before the valet parks it.

  “You okay?” he whispers, once again placing his hand on my back.

  “Yeah.” I try to convince both myself and him, though I know my voice doesn’t convey any confidence.

  “You’ll be fine,” he tries to assure me.

  “Thanks.”

  “Oh, I want to introduce you to my parents,” he says as soon as we step into the large foyer. He expertly navigates us through the crowd, his hand never leaving my back. I’m blown away, not only by the amount of people attending tonight’s dinner, but by how perfectly they’re dressed. None of them look like they ever have a hair out of place, making me realize just how much I don’t fit in. Not only could I never afford anything they’re wearing, but I’m a live-in housekeeper for goodness sakes! What on earth do I have in common with anyone here tonight?

  “Mom, Dad,” Garrett pulls my attention back to him. “I’d like you to meet my date for this evening, Hope Williams. Hope these are my parents: Evelyn and Jacob.”

  “Mr. Foxx, Mrs. Foxx,” I politely shake their hands, hoping mine doesn’t give away how incredibly nervous I am.

  “Hope…” Evelyn pauses briefly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  It’s not until I actually look up that I realize why she paused; the woman before me is the last person I expected to be here tonight. And definitely the last person I expected to be Garrett’s mother. I can feel my breathing start to increase and know that I need to step away to get myself together or I’m going to end up having a full blown panic attack in front of everyone.

  “Excuse me,” I say as Garrett and his dad are making small talk about some game on TV last night. Evelyn’s eyes find mine and I have no doubt she remembers me.

  Chapter 13

  Evelyn

  While Garrett and Jacob are chatting about the game, I take a good look at the young woman my son just introduced us to. When they first were walking towards us I thought I recognized her, but it wasn’t until he told us her name that I was sure this was the young woman I helped treat a few years ago in the emergency room. She looks different now; she is much thinner, but her eyes still have that lost look they had that night. The moment her eyes meet mine, I knew she recognized me as well. When she starts to panic, I begin to wonder if she’s told Garrett about the night I met her for the first time. I don’t normally work in the emergency room, but I was paged that night just for Hope. I treat hundreds of patients on the surgical floor, but Hope still stands out.

  “Hey, Sue. You paged me?” I ask the head nurse.

  “That was me, Evelyn,” Amanda, an emergency room physician I’ve worked with for several years, approaches me.

  “Did you need a consult? If so, I can get Doctor—”

  “I don’t need a surgical consult, I need you,” she admits. “I have a patient I could use your assistance with.”

  I can tell this must be tough for her; I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her calling for a nurse to consult on a case. A doctor? Sure. A nurse? Never.

  “What’s the surgical issue?”

  “There isn’t one.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “A young woman, twenty-one years of age, was found by the police about an hour ago and immediately brought in by ambulance,” she says as we walk into an empty room to talk further. “It’s obvious she was attacked, but the poor girl won’t say a word and refuses to allow us to examine her. I’ve tried every trick I know, but she won’t tell us what happened.”

  “Why not call in a psych consult? Surely they could—”

  “I did, but they’re backed up. It will be at least three or four hours before they can come down. They sent an intern down and I think the poor boy pissed himself when she yelled at him.”

  “Any visible injuries?”

  “She won’t let us get close enough to examine her. The dress she’s wearing is torn in and covered in blood. I can’t get close enough to determine the cause of the blood or if she even has any internal injuries. I don’t want to hav
e to sedate her, especially without knowing what trauma she’s already sustained, but I’m afraid I’m getting to that point.”

  “I’ll give it a try. I can’t make any promises though.”

  “I know, Evelyn. It’s just, I heard you’re amazing with kids before surgery, so I thought maybe…maybe it would work with her. You’re my last chance before I have to sedate her.”

  Amanda leads me to an exam room not far from the nurses’ station; as soon as we walk into the room I see the young woman, sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. There is a security guard standing firmly against the wall, obviously here to ensure she doesn’t harm herself or anyone else. There are three other nurses, plus myself and Amanda in the room. I’ve worked with enough anxious patients over the years to know that this many people in one small room has to be freaking her out even more. It’s going to be hard enough to get her tell me what happened, but add in five other people and it’ll be impossible.

  “Everyone, please clear the room,” I request.

  “Evelyn—”Amanda glances towards the male guard obviously trying to suggest that I allow him to stay in the room with me for my own protection.

  “Everyone,” I repeat, leaving no doubt about my decision.

  Reluctantly, they all leave the room, including the guard who is the final one to exit. He gives me a look as if to say he completely disagrees with my decision, but I simply nod and close the door behind him.

  “Hi.” I kneel down in front of the young woman, careful to keep my distance. “My name is Evelyn. Can you tell me your name?”

  As soon as Hope whispers something to Garrett, she’s gone. I take a few moments, contemplating if I should follow her or not. Deciding I need to talk to her, I make the excuse to Jacob that I see someone I need to speak with and head in the direction that Hope went. It’s not a huge surprise to see her enter the ladies room.

  I had no idea that Garrett was even bringing someone until he called late last night to let me know. It took some rearranging of seats to make room for Hope at the table, because every other time he’s come to these alone. He hasn’t said much about his roommate, but judging from how he looked at her when he introduced us, something tells me that she isn’t just a roommate.

  “Hope?” I ask as I enter the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

  “I’ll be out in a moment,” her shaky voice says from behind one of the stall doors.

  She emerges a few minutes later with puffy eyes and her face still filled with worry. Her breathing is at least more stabilized than it was when she darted off a few minutes ago.

  Hope,” I reach out and gently squeeze her hand. “I am bound not only legally but also ethically to protect any patient’s confidentiality that I treat, even years later. I will never betray your trust.”

  “Thank you…I appreciate that,” I immediately see some relief in her eyes, although there is still a good deal of worry in them letting me know she still has issues with trust.

  “How have you been doing, dear? I’ve thought about you from time to time over the last few years,” I admit.

  “I’m…I’m okay.” She smiles sadly. “I started a great job that I really enjoy.”

  “That’s wonderful.” We kept in touch for a few months after we met that night, so I know how hard that was for her.

  “I lived with Abby for about a year, but now I have a live-in position and share an apartment with Garrett.”

  “How is Abby?” That girl was Hope’s only visitor throughout her entire time in the hospital. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think Hope would have pulled through.

  “She’s good.” She starts to perk up a little more. “She started her own catering business a few months ago and it’s really starting to take off.”

  “Have Garrett send me her contact information. I’m always looking for new caterers—”

  “You don’t—”

  “Some people like to use the same services for every event, but I like to change things up. To give new people a chance. That’s how we found this place. Although,” I laugh, “this is the only place I still come back to over and over again. You have Garrett send me her contact information and I’ll put her on the vendor inquiry list.”

  “Thank you, Evelyn. That’s so kind of you.”

  “Are you ready to get back to our dates before they send a search party for us?” I joke to try to lighten the mood a little further.

  “Yes.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Thank you again, Evelyn, for…everything. That night and—”

  “You don’t need to ever thank me, Hope.”

  Chapter 14

  Hope

  I feel much better after speaking with Evelyn; I should have known she wouldn’t have said anything to Garrett about that night. Seeing her tonight, though, brought everything from it back, just like it happened yesterday and the only thing I could think about was Garrett finding out about it. Especially while we were here. This was not the type of place where I wanted him to hear about it. Eventually I know that if we’re going to become close friends, or if perhaps Abby is right and it leads to something more like she was hinting at earlier today, I’ll need to tell him what happened. I know he deserves to know the real reason I ran out of the hotel room in the middle of the night, but I want to tell him on my own terms and maybe with a lot of alcohol one night. I don’t want it to be in a room full of strangers or in front of his parents.

  I should have trusted my gut, knowing that Evelyn wouldn’t have betrayed my trust like that. There was something about her from the first time I met her; I knew she was someone I could trust. That night she seemed to know exactly what I needed, what would make me feel safe, whereas no one else did, not even me.

  By the time I make my way back to Garrett and Jacob it’s as if only a few minutes had passed instead of the twenty I knew I was gone for. They are still deep in conversation about some new recruit that the baseball team they both follow just signed and whether or not he is worth the price of the contract. As soon as I approach, Garrett reaches for my hand and tugs me closer to him. A smile forms on my lips. He’s held my hand nearly the entire time since we stepped out of the car. I tell myself not to think too much about it; if I let myself believe that he might like me as more than just a friend I will immediately worry about how complicated things are between us.

  “Did you guys look at the silent auction table yet?” Jacob asks me during a lull in their conversation.

  “Not yet.” I glance to the other side of the room where a large banquet table displays several items.

  “You should; Evelyn managed to organize quite a variety of items this year.”

  “Do you want to check it out, Hope?” Garrett asks.

  “Sure.”

  With my hand still in his, he leads me over to the table filled with everything from gift baskets to vacations to an iPad to countless gift certificates to local businesses. I’m surprised by the amount of items both in the terms of quantity as well as the value. I instantly recognize the Dark Water Security logo on the custom home security installation kit.

  “Everything has been donated, so the winning bid goes directly to the charity,” Garrett explains.

  “I’ve never taken part in a silent auction; how does it work?”

  “You write your bid on the piece of paper with your name.” He indicates the pad in front of the gift certificate closest to us. “You can come back throughout the night to check to see if you’ve been outbid and, if so, you can raise your bid. Is there something you want to bid on?”

  “I was thinking about getting some sort of a tablet so I can bring recipes from the apartment into the main kitchen. I use my laptop currently, but it’s kind of big to carry back and forth. Plus it would be good to have something to keep a shopping list on that I can just throw in my purse.”

  “The iPad would be perfect.” He leads me to the other end of the table where a new black iPad sits in a white box. “It could easily be linked to the wireless sy
stem in the apartment, but it comes with a one year paid data plan so you could use it while you’re out at the store or something.”

  “Okay,” I smile up at him. “You convinced me.”

  Before we leave the silent auction table, Garrett takes a minute to bid on a spa gift basket that he says his mom will love. From there we enter the banquet room which is absolutely breath taking. The entire room is dimmed, accented by candles and small white Christmas lights. There is a large dance floor in the center, surrounded by tables on both sides. It looks very similar to how a different banquet room was set up for a wedding the night Garrett and I met. The moment I realize the similarities to the rooms, I expect the panic to come rushing back as it usually does whenever I even think about the slightest detail from that night. Tonight though, it doesn’t.

  “Would you like something to drink?” Garrett pulls my attention back to the present, as we sit down at the table we’ve been assigned to.

  “A glass of wine, please.”

  I watch as he walks towards the bar just a few feet from our table, still slightly confused about the lack of reaction when I thought about that night a few minutes ago. For a moment, I’m able to think back to the night we met, to the way we immediately clicked with each other, without remembering what else happened that night.

  “Hope, I’d like you to meet my sister Stephanie and her date David,” Garrett introduces as soon as he reaches the table. I immediately stand to greet the couple.

  “I’ve heard so much about you, Hope!” Stephanie exclaims and embraces me in a welcoming hug before I have a chance to react. Garrett simply chuckles before tugging his sister back and giving me an apologetic look. Before I have a chance to sit back down, Garrett’s parents and his younger brother, Chris, join us.

  It’s fun to watch everyone interact over dinner. Even though Garrett and his siblings look very similar to each other, they couldn’t be more different. Chris is clearly the jokester of the family, liking to be the center of attention, which is the exact opposite of Garrett. Stephanie is easy going, but very talkative, reminding me a little of Garrett. Their parents just seem to like to sit back and take everything in.