"Okay, okay. Just stop looking at me like that! Geez!" I blew out a breath. "You look like my nephew, all big, wide eyes full of innocence." Alright. Maybe he didn't really look like my nephew. Brody was full of sex appeal and masculinity, which was a whole lot different than six-year-old Cooper. But he definitely had the same charm as Cooper. All Cooper had to do was wiggle those cute little fingers of his, and Auntie Chloe gave him whatever it was he wanted.
"I'll tell you the whole truth, but you have to promise not to get angry."
"I promise." I had never met anyone as easygoing as Brody, but I think I was about to test him.
"Isaac thinks you're hot and spends a lot of time looking out of his window at your house, hoping to get a glimpse of you with no shirt on," I said, not feeling at all guilty, as Isaac should be with me facing Brody. I saw the look of shock cross Brody's face. "Anyway," I continued, "Isaac has seen a lot of strange things going on over there when you weren't home and was worried. He said it was the neighborly thing to do to go and check it out." I saw Brody's eyebrows disappear somewhere near his hairline, but thankfully he remained calm. "When we got there we knocked on your door, but no one was home so we went around the back. Isaac decided we should look in your windows." I swallowed trying to get some moisture back in my mouth. "When he leaned on your back door, it swung open. The rest of the story is the complete truth." I watched as Brody sat looking at his hands, his face impassive. After an eternity of silence, he eventually looked up at me. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. "We should never have gone in there. It will never, ever happen again. In fact, you can look through my house right now, if you like. Then we're even."
I saw the corners of Brody's mouth turn up, ever so slightly. Theo chose that moment to reenter the room. We both turned to look at him. I watched as Brody let out a snort of laughter.
"What happened to your hair, little guy?" he asked, reaching down for Theo to approach him. Theo didn't think twice. He was on Brody's knee before I could take a breath, Bunny hanging between his teeth.
"Brody, I was honest with you. Now I want you to be honest with me. What's the story with the woman we found?" I held my breath. I really wanted Brody to be a good guy, and if my dog was any judge, he was, but he needed to explain a few things to me.
"I honestly don't know. I have never had another living soul in that house with me." He sat scratching Theo behind the ears, thinking. "What strange things has Isaac seen at my house?"
"Oh, umm, just shadows moving, lights flickering, that kind of thing."
"I'll give you my phone number. If it happens again, will you call me?"
* * *
Later that night, after I had run Isaac a bath and poured him a glass of wine, I sat at the table and put my head in my hands. It was only six thirty. The happiness I'd felt walking to the park this morning felt like an eternity ago. How could it have only been twelve hours?
I picked up the bottle of wine and poured myself a glass. I wasn't usually a lover of wine, but this was actually pretty damned good. It seemed to evaporate pretty quickly though. My glass had been full a few minutes ago, and now it was nearly empty. Oh well, I'd better give it a quick top up.
As I poured the deep-red liquid, my mind wandered back to Theo's microchip. He seemed happy enough, and the new chip didn't seem to be bothering him at all. He'd made himself particularly comfortable on my knee not long after I'd sat down and was having a nap, his head resting on Bunny. It appeared that wherever Theo went now, Bunny went too.
Reaching down and giving him a pat, I ran my hand over the site of his old microchip. It was strange to think he had a chip in him, and I never even knew. It was a wonder Betty never told me about it. Maybe she'd told the animal shelter when she'd organized to have him handed in. I never did call them and tell them he wasn't turning up. It had never occurred to me that they might have been given some information that was important for his new owner to know.
I picked up Theo and the glass of wine and walked to the lounge, the effects of the alcohol starting to set in. I grabbed my handbag and literally fell onto the couch, Theo not looking particularly happy about his treatment. Reaching for my laptop and pulling the paper the vet had given me from my bag, I opened Google and attempted some research on microchips. Betty was always very protective of Theo, so I was certain there was some database out there with her contact details on it.
My conversation with Mr. Wilks played in my mind as I thought of Betty. She did have a few interesting quirks, but did I think she was hiding something? I tried to remember conversations I'd had with her over the time I had known her, but images were becoming hazy and logical thinking was becoming more and more difficult. Maybe a little lie-down and a nanna nap would be a good idea.
Relaxing my head back on the arm of the couch, it didn't take long for images of Betty to be replaced with images of Brody. He'd looked pretty fine today in his collared shirt, and if I wasn't mistaken, that was the smell of Giorgio Armani's Attitude he wore. I didn't have very many talents, but naming a fragrance was something I was pretty good at. I wasn't sure what good that would ever do me, but there you have it. It was the talent God had given me.
Just as my very relaxed mind was getting to the good part, Isaac raced into the room, wearing nothing but a towel, hands somewhere around his ears, screaming, "Oh my God! Oh my God!"
I sat up and glared at him. "What's wrong with you now?" I asked, my irritation hard to hide.
"I forgot I'm supposed to be in the city for my interview at seven in the morning. I'll never make it in time!"
"Isaac, I may have had just a little too much to drink, but I don't think it takes twelve hours to drive to the city. It's more like half an hour."
"Yes, but I'll have to drive there in rush hour traffic, plus I will need to be in an ironed shirt, my hair will have to be done, and you know how fast stubble grows on me. It will have grown back by the time I get there! What am I going to do?" He was almost hysterical.
"Calm down for a start. You're making my head hurt."
Isaac paced the room like a caged lion.
"I know!" he yelled, causing me to jump. "I'll book a hotel and go tonight." He headed for the hallway, muttering something under his breath.
Who cares what it was, I was getting a night of peace and quiet after all. I took a deep, calming breath and fell back onto the couch.
Thank you, God!
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next day was quiet at work. Theo had spent the afternoon at the dog groomer, and as I picked him up—thankfully they'd managed to get his tangled coat back to his smooth, soft, fluffy hair—Isaac rang me to tell me he had been reasonably successful at the interview, making it through the second round. Now he just had to wait to see if they called him with a job offer. Also, he would be moving his belongings home as Adam was away on a trip.
I gave a contented sigh as I opened my front door, placed Theo on the floor, and headed straight to the kitchen to put some coffee on. Caffeine was exactly what I needed right now. That and a large, pepperoni pizza delivered to my door in about an hour's time would make the night ahead an enjoyable one. Allowing the coffee to brew, I walked through the house and up to my bedroom in the hope I could get out of my jeans and into my nice, comfy pajama bottoms. Yes, it was only five thirty, but I wasn't expecting anyone, so that was okay, wasn't it?
Walking into my bedroom, I threw my handbag onto the bed and the first thing I noticed was the smell. Lingering in the air was the faint aroma of Brut. I knew it wasn't a lingering smell from Isaac. He was more a Hugo Boss kind of man. The hair on my arms stood to attention as a memory stirred in my mind. I rubbed my arms and chastised myself for being so silly, figuring the smell must have blown in on the wind.
I needed to pee, so I plunked my little tush on the seat and allowed my mind to wander. I loved how my bedroom suite was tucked into the eaves of the house and how the ceiling was sloped in some areas, utilizing most of the attic space. The only thing I would change if I could was
the fact that my ensuite looked into my walk-in wardrobe. Sitting there with my jeans around my ankles, I let out an impatient sigh as I looked into that wardrobe and saw my shoe collection.
They were everywhere. Bloody Theo, he must have been chewing my shoes.
Finishing my business, I walked in and bent down to reorganize them and put them back into pairs. It was from there that I saw the little trap door leading into the unused attic space was open. In fact, on closer inspection, I saw the lock was broken, looking like it was busted from the other side of the door.
My heart missed a beat, and when it started back up, it was at a massively accelerated rate. I stood up and backed out of the room quickly. Looking around wildly in case anyone was hiding, I opened drawers looking for a weapon. Thinking an intruder probably wouldn't fear a seriously bad make over, I tossed the makeup and brushes aside, followed by five different types of cream I applied to various regions of my body in order to keep the aging process at bay—at least, that's what my beauty therapist told me.
I looked at my hair dryer and flat iron, but thought unless they were plugged in they probably wouldn't do me any good. Hmm, actually, maybe my flat iron would be good to hit someone with. Then again, maybe not. I thought hitting someone with it would probably break it, and that was not a scenario I wanted to contemplate.
I was trying to be as quiet as possible, so I would be able to hear any noise that would alert me to someone being where they shouldn't be, but I had so much crap in my bathroom cupboard that it was getting harder and harder to find something useful. I gave up. Maybe there was something in my bedroom that would be better.
Why the hell wasn't I prepared for something like this? A woman living on her own really needed to be more organized. Maybe a guard dog would be a good idea.
Hang on a minute, I already had one of those. He obviously wasn't doing a very good job, though. In fact, where the bloody hell was he?
I wanted to call out to him, but thought better of it, so I picked up the crystal candlestick Mum had given me for my birthday and went looking for Theo. The candlestick felt like it weighed a ton, so I was sure I could inflict some damage to someone with it. As I crept around the corner of my bedroom into the small hallway, I saw a shadow move across my path.
Instinct kicked in, and I raised my candlestick, ready to strike. Fortunately, I looked before I struck. I saw Brody raise his arms, ready to protect his head.
"Ahh! What the hell, Brody? You scared the shit out of me!" I yelled, dropping the candlestick to my side, adrenalin pounding through me and making my body shake.
"Chloe! What are you doing?" he yelled back, dropping his arms back to his sides.
"Why are you sneaking around my house?" I demanded. Actually, I probably didn't really have the right to question him about that after being caught doing exactly the same thing in his house.
"Your front door was open. I called out, but got no answer, so I came in to make sure you were okay. What's going on? Why did you nearly attack me?"
"Because I thought you were an intruder. And why was my front door open?" I needed to sit down. My knees barely held me up.
"I called out. Why didn't you hear me?" Probably because I was making so much noise searching my bathroom for a weapon, that's why. "Do you need to sit down?"
"Yes," I replied. As I sank to the floor and sat on my bottom, I put my head between my shaking knees. Brody sank down next to me and looked at me with concern.
"Chloe, why did you think there was someone in your house?"
"The door leading into my attic space had been opened, and not by me. And I don't know where Theo is."
That thought made me want to cry. In fact, it did more than that. It made me ignore the wobbling knees and get up and look for him.
Brody followed me around the house, both of us calling Theo's name until we found him cowering behind the couch, shaking. Whoever had been here was obviously not friendly.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Brody emerged from my roof space and informed me that a number of my roof tiles were out of place, leaving a hole just big enough for someone to climb through. I felt a shiver run up my spine.
"Not much water has come in, so I don't think the hole has been there long," he explained. "Maybe someone noticed the house was empty and decided to take advantage. Is anything missing?"
"No, not that I can tell. It's a wonder nobody spotted someone on my roof."
"They've come in from the back. It's harder to see your roof from the alleyway out there."
Did you notice anyone in the street when you walked over?" I asked.
"No, but I wasn't looking for anything out of the ordinary. I saw your door open and assumed you'd left it that way."
"I never leave my door open. I'm too afraid someone will walk in and attack me." I rubbed my arms to alleviate the goose bumps. Brody looked back at me, his thoughts unreadable.
"I think you came home and interrupted them before they had the chance to take anything," he said. "Lucky you." Concern caused his normally perfect forehead to crease.
"Yeah, lucky me." I picked up the glass of wine Brody had poured and downed it in one go.
"I'll get up on your roof and put the tiles back into place before the next downpour of rain." I felt, more than saw, Brody staring at me.
"Thanks." Feeling the alcohol burn the back of my throat, my thoughts took a few steps backward. "Why did you come over, anyway?" I asked, finally looking Brody in the eye.
"Oh, I found this in my spare room and wondered if it was yours," he said, as he reached into his pocket and retrieved something.
"Why would anything of mine be in your spare room?" I asked. I watched as Brody raised his eyebrows and smiled. I felt the blush start at my ears as I remembered the day Isaac and I had broken in.
"That's right. I remember now," I mumbled. I looked into my empty glass and willed it to be full once more as I waited for Brody to start talking again. When the silence continued, I was forced to look up at him…and felt my breath hitch. Brody was looking at me, those gorgeous, full lips tilting into a smile. His eyes were all soft and sensual, and suddenly the air around me felt charged with electricity. My stomach flipped and somersaulted.
"You're so cute when you're embarrassed," he whispered, his smile turning up to full wattage, his eyes burning into mine.
Just when I thought my face would burst into flames, Brody reached forward and handed me the object he'd pulled from his pocket. Grateful for the distraction, I took it from him, his fingers curling around mine as I did so. I felt the shock all the way to my toes as they curled into the carpet. Oh boy. I was in so much trouble.
"I…I might just open the window and…and let in some fresh air," I stuttered, standing up and dropping the object in my hurry to distance myself from him. I reached down and grabbed it before Brody had the chance, breaking the spell he cast. I took a deep breath and tried to slow my heart rate.
As I looked in my hand, I saw the object was a pedometer. Now I probably should have been counting my steps in an attempt to get fit, but this was definitely not mine…and I didn't think it was Isaac's either. I turned it over and saw the Weight Watchers logo stamped on the front.
"Do you think this belonged to the woman Isaac and I saw?" I asked, hope rising up in me with the thought that this could be proof that Isaac and I were telling the truth.
"It could have belonged to the previous tenant. I've never used that room and only found this under the curtain today."
"No, I don't think so. Betty was in her seventies, and I don't think she needed to watch her weight, to be honest." I thought back to Betty, who stood approximately five-foot eight-inches tall with the figure of a stick. "But the woman we saw wore gym clothes. I bet she lost it when her chair fell over." My pulse picked up slightly as my thoughts raced over all the possibilities. I looked back at Brody. He didn't seem quite as convinced as I would have liked him to be. "Maybe we should go to a Weight Watchers meeting and hand it in. We
can see who claims it, and I'd be able to identify the woman," I said excitedly. Brody smiled back at me, his eyes all soft and sexy again.
"Why not?" he replied, lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I'll hop online and see when the next meeting is," I gushed. I ran off to find my laptop, grateful for the distance I could put between Brody and myself.
Coward? Yes, I was.
* * *
After Brody had climbed onto my roof in the dark and fixed the tiles, he nailed a piece of timber across the broken door in my wardrobe and offered to spend the night on the couch. I thanked him profusely for his concern and his lovely offer, but there was no way in hell I was going to spend the night under the same roof as him. I did not, in any way, trust myself not to sleep walk in the middle of the night and go all Fifty Shades on him. No, sirree. It was far better he was safely tucked away across the road. I had his phone number if I needed him in an emergency. And let me tell you, that was temptation enough.
I did sleep well that night though, for which I should probably thank Isaac and the remains of his bottle of wine. I woke the following morning refreshed and revived and ready for a trip to the animal shelter to speak to Lucy and see what information Betty had given her. This time I hoped to actually get in the door. I remembered the day I sat in my car with Theo, and what I should have hoped for was to get out the door without another animal to take care of. I looked down at Theo and gave him a pat. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without him, though.
So I dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and my favorite, pink hoodie and forced my car back down the dusty laneway—over the bumps, dodged the potholes, and pulled to a stop outside the brick building.
I stepped out of my car and beeped the doors locked as I was once again surrounded by the sounds of hundreds of dogs barking. Trying my best to swallow the lump that formed in the back of my throat, I walked into the reception and asked to speak to Lucy. The girl at the counter looked about twenty, was a bit on the plump side, and if I had to guess, I'd say she took her makeup lessons at clown school, as nobody else I'd ever met wore that much lipstick. She seemed friendly enough though as she gave me the directions I needed.
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