by Rimmy London
He didn’t wait for permission and strode up to the house. It had definite potential, with a fountain that was the start of a grand statement. He opened the front door, scanning the doorframe and imagining the resurfacing it would need.
But once inside, Chase stopped analyzing and only stared. It was more elegant than he would have thought from the state of the outside. Something about the layout of the house felt friendly and warm but held on to a firm luxury as well. It was like no house he’d ever seen. Even the sprawling mansions he’d worked on before all boasted their luxury like a treat no one was allowed to taste, but this house… Something about it clutched at his soul, a call from back in time when life was about kindness and experiences.
He walked slowly through, his boots sounding heavy on the solid floors. The ballroom was impressive and elegant, but he continued up the staircase, admiring the railing and feeling a little disappointed in the lack of light and view. He wondered if Abigail had felt the same way or if she liked the more cozy, protected design.
There were more bedrooms than he’d anticipated, but he only glanced in the doorways as he passed until he came to the last one. It was larger and held a sitting area and a wide fireplace along one side. He tried to force the thoughts away, but they persisted. This could have been theirs, together. Him and Abigail.
“Ey, there!” A voice called from downstairs, jerking Chase from his thoughts. He left quickly, ready to get to work.
Chapter 15
Abby woke up later than usual, not having been jolted from sleep by the sound of hammers and saws, which meant the workers were either taking too many breaks or they’d finally started on the inside. It took them the entire first week just to clear the area, leaving her feeling frustrated and impatient, although she tried not to show it. Her working relationship with the crew had been great so far, and she wanted to keep it that way.
The first few days Vance had been her shadow, showing up on-site every morning and constantly re-explaining her wishes to the crew to ensure their work was perfection. It got to be a little grating if Abby was being honest. She could explain herself just fine and hated the assumption that she might need him around. She didn't. Secretly she was glad he had so many appointments filling up his days recently.
The morning was nearly slipping into afternoon by the time she left her cozy trailer. Champ bounded down the steps and took off into the forest, where he’d made a habit of exploring each day. But for the most part, he stayed close enough, so Abby didn’t mind. She suspected his presence had somehow stopped the appearance of dead animals on the porch.
The first few nights she’d spent in her trailer had been tense. Each morning, a freshly killed animal, head removed, was found on the porch. She made sure to dispose of the creatures and clean up the wood before Vance arrived, so he had no idea. But after Champ had begun exploring the redwoods, it stopped. No animals had been found for the last three days, although today she’d gotten up so late, she wondered if someone might have disposed of an animal without her knowing.
She walked to the house, watching the ground for she didn’t know what. Perhaps footprints? A trail of something being dragged? But there was such a large crew on site, it could be anyone or anything. The steps looked clean, as did the deck, and she doubted one of the crew would go so far as to wash off any trace of the animal.
Still, her stomach twisted at the thought. It wouldn’t leave her alone until she knew for sure. She pulled the porch screen open with a loud screech, reminding her that it desperately needed to be replaced.
Inside, there was the intermittent communication of construction. Someone called from upstairs and a voice in the kitchen replied just before the crew chief appeared. He gave her an eyebrow-raise of acknowledgment but rushed past. She held a hand up. “Wait—Mark.”
“Yes?” He turned but didn’t stop, so she rushed out her question loudly.
“Were there any animals on the porch this morning?”
His face contorted in confusion, and there was a pause before his answer. “Er—no, ma’am.” He clomped up the steps, and Abby sighed with relief.
She thought back to the few animals she’d seen recently and wondered just what was going on. After seeing them up close, she knew it wasn’t another animal killing them. Their heads had been severed from their bodies with something sharp and smooth. A knife was most likely. But the thought of someone performing such a sickening act over and over… It made the back of her neck tingle.
Through her thoughts, she could hear one of the workers behind her as he walked in the ballroom. His steps were heavy and slow as if he were unsure where he should be. It was an unusual cadence and brought her out of her thoughts enough to have her wondering. She wasn’t paying them to waste time. Suddenly, she realized he was coming closer and sounded almost directly behind her. It was such an eerie thought that she spun around.
Chase stopped in his tracks with his eyes locked on hers.
“Chase,” she breathed. In the brief silence, she noticed a few things very quickly, like the way he filled out his gray shirt. It was one he used to wear when they went running together, but now it was stretched across his chest in a way it never used to. And he’d obviously been working hard with the way it was clinging to him, nearly transparent; she could make out the ridges of his strong middle quite easily.
Her eyes flickered back to his. “What’re you doing here?” She’d wanted to sound stronger, more demanding. But her voice was weak and caught in her throat.
Chase hadn’t said a word yet, and he looked perplexed. Abby suddenly hoped there wasn’t a big smudge of dirt on her face. She wished he would turn away for a moment so she could wipe her hand across her skin.
“I…” Chase pulled in an impressive, sweeping breath. “I wanted to come help out. I’m sorry I’ve been so distant on this project instead of offering my help. I should’ve done that in the very beginning.”
Abby only stared back at him, feeling more confused than before. Hadn’t he been completely adamant about not helping? Wasn’t that part of his ethical stance on the situation? And yet here he was, working with her, and he didn’t seem to be holding anything back, judging by his sweaty shirt.
“Thank you,” she finally said, realizing it had been quite a long pause. But he had to admit, it was a big change from the adamant way he’d rebelled against her entire decision to fix up the house.
“You’re welcome, Abigail.”
His voice was soft and sincere, and she looked up into his face, noticing the way his eyes traced over her features. It sent her heart racing, although she tried to hide the flush she knew was overwhelming her cheeks. She smiled quickly. “I have to go find Champ, see you later. Thanks for coming.”
“I’ll see you later.” He turned back to the ballroom, and she meant to turn away too. But instead, she gazed across his back at the strength there, amazed this was the same man she knew a few weeks earlier. He looked incredible. Memories of being held in his arms burst into her mind, and she sunk into them easily. The gentle way he moved, how he smelled. Instantly she wholly, desperately, and overwhelmingly wanted it back again.
“Ms. Tanner?”
She jumped, glancing back at Mark. “Yes?”
“You said something about animals?” He shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. What kind of animals? And don’t you have a trail cam somewhere up there? My roofing guys said they noticed something like that.”
The trail-cam!
“Yes, I do. Thank you. I’m sure it won’t be a problem anymore.”
He nodded and went back to the kitchen. It had been stripped clean, leaving only a few holes in the walls with bunches of wires protruding. He pulled at the nearest bunch and scooped up a set of pliers from the floor.
It was nice to see the work getting done. Abby pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a quick picture. She wanted the entire project well documented. All except for the grotesque display of animals on the porch
—she wished she could rid her memory of every last trace of them.
She marched back to the porch and looked up into the eaves where the camera was still concealed. She’d completely forgotten about it, and for a moment, she wondered if Vance had, too, since he hadn’t said a word about it either.
After dragging the tallest ladder she could find back to the deck, she leaned it against the roof, making sure to angle it just right. The feet set into the soft dirt so well, it seemed very stable. She gripped the sides, attempting to shake it. The ladder held firm, so she climbed up quickly and pulled the trail cam from its place. There was a little red light flashing, signifying a low battery.
“Careful, Abby!” Vance shouted from his car, where he’d just pulled up.
In her surprise, she flinched and the ladder lost a bit of its grip. It began to wobble, making her knees shake and her balance waver. She gripped the ladder with one hand, holding the camera in the other. But the ladder slid a bit like it was going to tilt to the side and fall off the roof completely.
“Whoa,” she mumbled, trying to hold on with her other hand. Instead, the camera just clunked against the side of the ladder. She could feel it tipping, and she stepped down quickly before she could fall. But the camera slipped from her hand and crashed to the ground.
She reached for it too quickly and lost her balance. The ladder was knocked from her grip and she gasped, sure she was going to land sprawled on the deck like one of those animals.
She tried to get her feet under her and heard some commotion just before landing partially on her feet and partially in Chase’s arms. He’d dashed under the ladder just in time and, breathing hard, he stood with his arms around her.
Shocked and gasping, Abby only looked back at him. His eyes were wide with adrenaline, and he glanced across her quickly. “You okay?” he asked, still breathless.
Abby held on to a strong arm and shoulder as she got herself onto her feet. But she wasn’t ready to leave his arms just yet. She could tell he was about to let her go, seeing that she was standing on her own. But she made sure to keep her hands tightly holding on to him, not stepping away from their closeness.
He seemed to notice, and his head turned back slowly.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Even when her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure the whole house could hear it, her voice managed to be buttery-soft.
His face calmed, and he moved one hand gently to her back, leaning closer, ever so slowly.
“That was close, Abby! Are you okay?” Vance came barging in with his loud words, making them both jump.
Chase glanced longingly across her face once more before stepping back and releasing her.
Abby felt plunged in ice water. After finally being so close to him again only to be ripped apart, her head was swimming.
Vance squeezed her in a tight hug so quickly she hardly had time to react. He stepped back and smacked Chase on the shoulder. “You were in the right place, that’s for sure. Great job, man.”
Chase stiffened a bit, his eyes glancing at Vance’s hand still on her shoulder. “Yeah,” he answered, “glad I got here in time.”
“Do you think the trail cam is broken, Abbs?” Vance asked, using the nickname he’d made up that she completely hated. She wished she’d told him that the very first time he’d used it. Now that it had been a few days, it was going to be more awkward to tell him the truth. He bent down to investigate, and Abby looked back at Chase.
He was staring at her almost coldly, and she nearly flinched. What was going on with him? She was sure he’d been about to kiss her, and now? Now he looked angry.
“You don’t need to feel obligated to help here, Chase,” she said quietly, although it still sounded rude even in her own ears.
Vance even glanced between them for a moment before returning to his study of the trail cam.
“I assure you, I don’t feel obligated,” Chase replied. “I just know how much work this will take.”
Abby tried not to let his words set her off. She tried to hide the angry warmth that was spreading into her face. But she was sure Chase could tell. He knew her well enough to realize what he was saying—that she wasn’t capable of doing this without him. And she resented him for that. It was a devastating twist in her emotions to want him so badly one moment, and the next, she was trying not to ball her hand into a fist.
“I’d better get back.” Chase turned and pulled open the screen with a screech, disappearing into the ballroom again.
Abby hadn’t even had time to reply. She wanted to tell him she was fine on her own—happy even. She didn’t need anyone else. But she’d be lying even to herself. The truth was, she missed him every day. The pain that was spreading through her chest was excruciating, and she worked to fight it off… just in time for Vance to stand up with the camera in one hand.
“Where’d you put the charger?” he asked. “I think it’ll still work if we just get it charged.”
Abby snatched it from his hand. “I’ll do it,” she answered, heading back to her trailer quickly enough to relay the message that she didn’t want company.
She hurled herself up the tiny steps and inside her trailer and let the door slam behind her. Breathing hard, her hands were trembling. Whatever was going on inside her, it felt close to destruction. She was still dizzy from being in his arms, but anger had somehow pushed away whatever affection she’d felt only minutes before.
Their relationship had never been like this. Not once in their two years together had she been anything more than perhaps a little irritated, and that was usually on a bad day, anyway. And when they’d kissed before, it had been enjoyable, but never had she felt nearly faint in his arms. Never had she been so desperate for him to be close to her. Her heart was still pounding, and her anger was bordering on tears.
It was all so confusing. This was Chase! The dependable, rational guy who was always well prepared. Was it just his new physique that was setting her off so much? Was she that shallow? Still, it was the only thing she could think of that had changed.
Abby walked to the counter and plugged in the trail cam. If his newly built self was causing so much trouble inside her, at least she realized now what the problem was. She just needed to concentrate on something else and not let herself admire him quite so much.
There.
Problem solved.
The small camera beeped, and the screen flickered to life. It had been activated a few times, and she rewound the footage quickly, anxious to finally discover the mystery of her porch. She pushed play and felt immediately disappointed. The screen was streaked with disruption, likely from when she’d dropped it to the deck. Static flickered across it constantly, but she squinted her eyes and peered through it.
At first, it was just a bird landing on the deck and pecking at it for a few minutes. It seemed the angle was off, providing a view of the door and deck more than the surrounding property in front of it like she’d wanted. Someone could sneak right up to the stairs without triggering the camera. She grumbled to herself about letting Vance install it. But he’d seemed so confident, like he’d done it a hundred times before.
Then the last video flickered on, and a few leaves brushed their way across the wood planks. Abby exhaled in a gust of disappointment until something big and furry flopped into view. An arm was outstretched, visible to about the elbow before it retreated. She gasped, erupting into chills across her legs, arms, and neck.
It had been a man's arm, although lean. The picture was so fuzzy not much else was visible. But there was a man on her property, feet from where she’d been sleeping in her trailer. He’d killed an animal and left it on her porch.
She glanced at the time on the screen. 4 a.m. It sunk in slowly that this was real, and her throat began to feel strangled. She’d been foolishly sleeping out in the forest alone while some creeper was sneaking around—it was terrifying.
A knock on her door had her jumping back from the camera in shock. It hung from the cord, dang
ling off the counter.
“Abigail?” Chase’s voice was soft, like he wasn’t sure he wanted an answer. Maybe he was just feeling guilty and needed to clear his conscience.
She tried to calm down but was still breathing hard when the door inched open.
“What’s going on?” Chase asked, entering cautiously. He stopped when he looked at her face, appearing unsure of how to continue. “Is Vance here?”
Abby shook her head in confusion. Why would Vance be in her trailer?
Chase glanced at the camera and back at Abby before lifting it to the countertop. All Abby could think of was his arms around her. She closed her eyes, willing herself to stop thinking.
“May I?”
Her eyes flickered open and she nodded, watching with him as the same footage repeated. Only this time, when the arm appeared, she nearly jumped to the ceiling.
Chase glanced back at her with concern lining his face. It made her eyes water and threatened to have her stepping into his safe embrace again.
“Abby, you can’t stay here,” he said seriously.
“I don’t—” Her voice caught, and she shrugged, not wanting to finish that sentence. She didn’t have anywhere else to go. This was now her home.
Chase turned back to the camera and rewound it. After only a few seconds, he paused the screen, studying the blurry arm more closely. He tapped at the image. “This is a tattoo,” he said quietly. Abby inched closer and leaned in next to him, recognizing the dark design just above the wrist on the inside of the arm.
“Can you tell what it is?” She squinted, trying to make it out.
“I don’t know… looks like stars, maybe?” Chase’s voice was deep and close and sounded like pure comfort. Abby wanted to wrap herself in all its smooth, creamy tones.
She quickly reminded herself that she was only being shallow and took a few steps back, making sure to keep her eyes on the trail cam. Nothing else.
“I’d better get back to work,” Chase said. “I just wanted to apologize for earlier. That was rude of me.”