Hearing Mr. Meyer refer to Hope as Ms. Williams always catches me off guard. When we’re working she’s Ms. Williams, but when it’s just the two of us she’s Hope. But to me she’ll always be the girl from the wedding two and a half years ago. That night she was so carefree, so happy, like she didn’t have a care in the world. I can’t reconcile that girl and the one I now share an apartment with. Now she walks around with the weight of the world on her shoulders for reasons she won’t share. I know something happened after she left my hotel room that night, but I have no idea what.
When I first saw her the night I met with Mr. Meyer, I was dying to know why she left my room that night. However, in the short time we’ve lived together, I’ve realized whatever happened that night must have been something traumatic that still deeply affects her. I know she doesn’t sleep at night; I hear her wake up every night and go to the gym. Rather than force her to tell me what happened, I’m trying to just gain her trust, hoping one day she’ll open up and tell me what happened. It took me a little while, but I do believe her when she says she didn’t leave because of something I did. I’ve contemplated asking Emily to run a more detailed background check on her, but then I’d feel like I was invading her privacy and I would lose any credibility I have. For right now, I think we’re both comfortable with each other and our new living arrangements.
When I walked into the apartment, it was obvious that I had woke Hope up, who yet again must have fallen asleep on the couch. I don’t think she realizes how often she falls asleep there; I can only assume it’s because of how little she sleeps at night. As soon I walked in, she was all about taking care of me even though I reassured her I was fine. Eventually I gave up fighting and let her clean the small cut that I forgot I had on my forehead.
When I stood to thank her, something changed between us. All I could think about was how close her lips were to mine and just how badly I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her like I did that night. I never felt like I did that night with another woman. No one has ever been so burned into my mind as she is.
Tonight was another first for me…and maybe for her. We sat on the couch watching a movie together like we do most nights, but after sometime I noticed I was the only one laughing. A quick glance over tells me why—Hope was fast asleep. I contemplated waking her up, but I knew how desperately she needs sleep. I considered carrying her into her room, but worried that if I did that she might wake up in the process. Instead, I settled for grabbing a pillow and blanket from the ottoman for her to use. I gently lowered her from her sitting position, until she was lying with her head on the pillow on my lap.
Despite the adrenaline rush from earlier, that’s how we both fell asleep. She’s still fast asleep, her head still on my lap, and as I look down and take her in, I hate the thought of waking her, but the time on the TV alerts me that I can’t prolong it any further.
“Hope?” I gently rub her arm.
“Hmmmm?” she moans without opening her eyes.
“You need to wake up.”
“Why?” I shouldn’t find the whine cute, but I do.
“It’s a few minutes after seven, Mr. Meyer—”
“What?!” She practically jumps from my lap.
“It’s okay. You have an hour or so before he expects breakfast to be ready,” I remind her assuming she was worried she might have missed having his breakfast ready.
“I slept here?” She seems to finally take in the pillow and blankets on the couch. She glances around the room as if searching for something, though I have no idea what that might be.
“We fell asleep watching the movie last night.”
“I…slept,” she mumbles her voice full of surprise.
Chapter 10
Hope
I jump off the couch and rush to my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. How is it possible I slept the entire night? How is it possible I slept without a nightmare? I haven’t slept through the night since right after…that night. What was different last night? I’ve slept on the couch probably just as many times as I slept in here, so it’s not that. Which means the only difference was—
Garrett.
Why did he stay on the couch with me? Why didn’t he go to his room and just leave me on the couch? How did I end up with my head on his lap anyway? Maybe I had more than one glass of wine and that helped me sleep? Nothing helped me sleep after… Not sleeping pills, meditation, yoga, exercise, anxiety medication, nothing.
I shake my head and force myself from the bedroom door that I somehow ended up leaning against. For the first time in more than two years, I don’t feel exhausted. I jump in the shower and toss on my uniform before heading back into the living room. As I pass by Garrett’s closed door, I can hear the shower water running. Not knowing what his plans are today, I decide to make us both a quick breakfast before I need to start Mr. Meyer’s.
I rush through eating my own breakfast, the knots in my stomach killing any appetite I might have had. I barely manage to finish my breakfast before Garrett’s door opens. Not wanting to face an already awkward situation, I dash into the main apartment.
“Good Morning, Ms. Williams,” Mr. Meyer greets me just as I finish plating his omelet a short time later.
“Good Morning.”
“I assume Mr. Foxx has informed you of the schedule change for today?” I follow him into the dining room, placing his plate on the table just as he sits in his usual seat at the head of the table.
“Yes, sir. What time would you like lunch prepared?”
“Let me check.” He pulls up his schedule on his phone before answering. “Can you bring something to my office around one? I will probably be on a call, so just bring the dish right in if I don’t answer.”
“Of course, Mr. Meyer.”
“Let’s assume dinner around six as usual. I will let you know as the time gets closer if I’ll be eating in here or in my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
I spend most of my day upstairs, cleaning the rarely used library and a few spare bedrooms that are equally rarely used. Every time I pass his office, I hear Mr. Meyer screaming at someone. I can’t imagine what it must be like to work for him in that capacity. After serving him dinner in his office, I change out of my uniform and settle in for dinner with Garrett which has become our routine since he moved in.
“Hope? Can I ask you a favor?” Garrett asks just as we sit down.
“Sure.”
“Are you busy this weekend?” Okay, not what I was expecting.
“No, I don’t think so.” I hadn’t really given much thought as to what I might do, so Garrett’s question catches me a little off guard.
“My parents are hosting a charity dinner that I completely forgot I said I would go to. I was hoping…maybe…you could accompany me on Saturday?” he avoids eye contact with me as he struggles to get out his question.
“Uh, I guess I could go,” I hesitantly reply. When he asked if I could do him a favor, I figured it had something to do with our jobs. I definitely wasn’t expecting this, but how could I say no? It’s not like he’s ever asked me for something. Besides, I kind of feel like I owe him in a way. I’ve completely avoided talking about the night we met, and he’s respected my wishes by not bringing it up. The least I could do is accompany him to a dinner.
“Really?” He seems almost as surprised as I was by his question. “It’s probably not going to be very much fun but the food is always good.”
“What’s the charity that the dinner is raising money for?”
“Hmmm let me check,” he starts looking at something on his phone. “This one is to raise funds to provide additional resources to victims of violent crimes.”
Of course, it would be something like that.
“There will probably be around one hundred and fifty to two hundred people in attendance. The dinner will include a silent auction and there will be professional photographers there who will have prints available for purchase. All proceeds will go direct
ly to the charity. Everyone there would have donated their time.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“My mom has been on the board for this charity for as long as I can remember.”
“How did she become involved with them?” I ask.
He spends the next few minutes telling me how his mother, who works in a hospital, met a patient one night that had been the victim of an assault. The same woman came back a few months later, again assaulted by a group of friends of the man who attacked her. Seems they didn’t want her to testify about what had happened that night. His mother immediately felt for the woman and contacted a local victim advocate group to see how she could be involved to make sure something like this didn’t happen to someone else.
“What time is the dinner?” I ask.
“It starts at tsix and will probably go until around ten, but we don’t need to stay that late,” he adds. “I hate going to these things; they’re always so boring. But mom makes us go to this one every year, at least.”
“You have a sister and a brother?” I try to remember our conversation from the wedding.
“Two brothers, but one is currently overseas, so Asher won’t be there.”
“That’s right, he’s in the Army right?”
“Yup.” His smile brightens. “He enlisted two years before I signed with the Marines.”
“How long is he staying in?”
“Probably forever.” He chuckles. “I don’t know, he won’t talk about it. I think he wants to try to make a career of it.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Not something you wanted though?”
“No, I was good with my four years.” He has a distant look in his eyes making me regret bringing up his time. I wonder if that has anything to do with his nightmare the other night.
“I’m thinking I’ll get ready at Abby’s on Saturday,” I say in an effort to change the subject, yet again. “Do you want me to meet you here—”
“I’ll pick you up if you give me the address.”
“That works.”
“Thanks for coming with me,” he says shyly.
Chapter 11
Garrett
“There are meals in the freezer for you to heat up for lunch. Each one has instructions on how to warm it,” Hope says as she puts on her jacket.
“Thank you,” I chuckle. “I’ve managed this long, I’m sure I can figure out food for the day.”
“I know.” Her entire face lights up as she laughs. “I was making meals to freeze for Mr. Meyer so it was easy enough to just double the batch so we could have some in our freezer for times like this or when you have to work late.”
“I’ll pick you up at five-thirty at Abby’s.”
“I sent you the address, right?” She’s searching her phone before I even have a chance to respond.
“You did, don’t worry.”
“Okay…See you in a few hours. Bye.”
I watch as Hope walks out of the apartment we’ve shared for the last three months, still surprised that she even agreed to accompany me tonight. As hard as I’ve tried, I can’t figure her out. Every so often I see the girl I fell for at the wedding, but just like that she’ll disappear.
I grab a beer from the bar before taking a seat on the stool and turning around. My eyes search the room even before I realize what I’m doing. I watch as the crowd comes in, as everyone finds out what table they’re assigned to, as people make small talk while waiting for the bride and groom to make their grand entrance.
I search for the woman who I couldn’t take my eyes off of throughout the entire two hour ceremony. I can’t complain about it though, because for the two hours that the ceremony lasted, I was able to study her. I have no idea who she is; I wanted to ask Mike but he’s been so busy that I haven’t had a chance. She sat in the third pew, watching the ceremony unfold. She smiled and laughed with the woman she sat next to, which is what caught my attention. Her entire face lit up while she was talking. Her soft brown hair was up, but it had several curls that surrounded her face. When she glanced up, it was her blue eyes that did me in. I sought her out every chance I got, only barely paying attention to the ceremony itself.
As soon as the wedding party was excused for photos, I made a beeline for the reception area, desperate to find her once again. I don’t remember ever feeling so enamored with someone before, especially someone I haven’t even met yet.
I find her just as the DJ asks everyone to clear the dance floor for the newly married couple. Unfortunately, she’s on the other side of the room, about as far from me as she could get. As fate would have it, after the dance I’m dragged to the head table by the groom. As much as I want to say no, he’s one of my best friends and has been since grade school. Hell, there were years I spent more time at his house than at my own.
Dinner seems to drag on, but finally the opportunity arises to leave the table, and I immediately head over to the bar. Fate must have been on my side this time, because I step in line behind the woman who hasn’t been able to leave my mind for the last few hours. She sways back and forth to the dance music playing, the dark blue dress hugging her curves perfectly. Without a second thought, I step closer to her, placing my hands on her hips. She nearly jumps at my touch, but I simply move to the music as she was only moments ago. She relaxes slightly against my chest as we wait in line.
“You look beautiful in this dress,” I lean down and whisper in her ear.
“Thank you.” I can feel the heat on her cheeks from the compliment.
“My name’s Garrett.”
“Hope.”
She turns around, the blue eyes that captured my attention earlier, finally finding mine again. She smiles at me, taking my hand and leading me back onto the dance floor, our drinks long forgotten. Once we secure a spot in the crowd, she boldly wraps her arms around my neck, allowing me to pull her close. I have no idea what song is playing or if we’re even moving to its beat. All I can think about is how amazing she feels against me.
By the time I’ve lost count of how many songs have changed, I decide to find out if she’s as into this as I am. I cautiously lean down, giving her every chance to pull away, but she doesn’t. She gasps just slightly when my lips find hers, as if surprised that I’m kissing her. Her lips are soft against mine, instantly yielding to me. I groan when she seeks entry, immediately granting her request. We both pull back, breathless, a few minutes later. I find myself wanting to know more about her, but the music is so loud in here I know we won’t be able to hear each other.
“How about we get that drink? There’s a bar on the patio that probably has less of a line than this one does,” I suggest.
“Sure.” She glances around, likely for the woman she came with. She seems to spot her at the same time I do, making out with a guy not too far from where we are standing. I see the hesitation in Hope’s eyes, which I understand, given she doesn’t know anything about me.
“We’ll just step out on the patio, I promise,” I assure her.
“Okay.”
We make our way through the crowded dance floor and out double patio doors. The warm night air hits me the moment we step outside, in contrast to the cool air inside the ballroom. The patio is set up for intimate conversations; several small tables lit only by candlelight are spread out over the large area. Unlike inside, they’re not on top of each other, giving couples the privacy they’re looking for.
We both order a bottle of beer from the bar before I lead Hope to one of the tables farther away, but still within sight of the doors in case her friend comes looking for her. The table overlooks a beautiful lake, illuminated by dim lights adding to the serene feeling.
We chat for some time, the conversation easily flowing between us as if we’ve known each other forever. I learn that Hope grew up only a couple of hours north of here and still lives in the same small town. Her dad lives only a few miles away, but they talk to each other almost daily. She briefly mentions her mom who wa
lked away from them when she was only a baby. I learn she’s going to school to become a teacher and that she hopes to teach kindergarten or first grade in the school she went to as a child.
When it becomes obvious that Hope is worrying about her friend, I suggest we go back inside. We find Abby, whom I learn Hope met in high school, and that they have been best friends ever since. We spend the night dancing and kissing on the dance floor. The only thing I can think of is asking her to come back to the room I reserved upstairs. I almost didn’t even get a room. My parents only live an hour away, but when Mike told me he already had a room held for me, I didn’t refuse. And, right now, I couldn’t be more grateful. As the night winds down and people start leaving, I finally get up the courage to see if I’m not the only one turned on.
“I have a room upstairs.” My lips brush against hers as I say the words. “Come up with me?”
“I…” She pauses and I immediately pull back just enough for our gazes to meet. Her heated eyes find mine, leaving no doubt that she wants this just as much as I do. But I don’t press her, letting her come to her own decision.
“Hope, if you don’t want to—”
“I just…need to tell Abby.”
Her hand shakes with nerves, but she places it in mine and leads us over to where Abby is still dancing with the guy we saw her with earlier. I wait off to the side as Hope pulls her to the side, whispering in her ear. Abby’s blue eyes find mine, clearly assessing me before she says something back. Hope nods and turns away, a small smile on her beautiful lips as she places her now steady hand back in mine.
Every detail of that night is burned into my memory, but none more than when I unknowingly took her virginity. Yeah, she left out that small detail. I have no idea how someone as beautiful as she was managed to remain a virgin, but at the same time I was touched even more realizing just what she decided when she agreed to come upstairs with me that night.
Garrett (Dark Water Security Book 2) Page 6
