They didn’t need a second invitation to leave the confrontation. Trent watched them go, his hands on his hips once again. When he was confident they wouldn’t cause them any more problems, he relaxed his stance and looked to where Victoria stood. “Let’s go.”
He wished that he could hug her or somehow touch her to reassure her that she was safe. He would have done that with any other woman in the same situation, but something told him Victoria wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. They walked in silence to his car where he retrieved her stool and waited as she climbed in to the front seat.
When he settled behind the steering wheel, he didn’t start it right away. He could feel something—anger?—emanating off Victoria. And she was likely feeling the same thing from him.
“Don’t, Victoria?” Trent gripped the wheel in both hands. “They were bullying you, and that’s how you react? Why wouldn’t you respond to that?”
He could hear the frustration in her sigh. “I usually just ignore it and move on. They’re ignorant and not worth my time.”
“You usually…?” Trent turned to look at her, wishing the sun hadn’t started to go down so he could see her more clearly. “This has happened before?”
“Well, sure. It’s a fact of life when you’re different. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.”
“And you let them get away with it?” Trent asked, anger pumping through him with every beat of his heart.
“I’m not exactly in a position to take on a pack of teenage boys, now am I?” Irritation edged Victoria’s words. “Ignoring them is the best way for me to deal with it. Letting them see that what they say or do upsets me only gives them satisfaction. I won’t do that.”
“Yeah, well, they’re just lucky I didn’t have my gun on me,” Trent growled as he started the car up with a quick twist of his wrist.
“Your gun? You would have shot those kids?”
Trent let out an exasperated laugh. “No, but I might have used it to put the fear of God—or my gun—in them.”
“From the look of it, you managed to scare them without having to point a weapon at them. And I’m saved from having to call Marcus Black to bail you out of jail for threatening them with a gun.”
“Yeah, just these two guns,” Trent said as he lifted first one arm and flexed it and then the other.
The anger slowly eased away when he heard Victoria chuckle. “But really, you own a gun?”
“Several, actually, but I only carry one with me.” Trent backed out of the parking spot.
“Where is it?”
“In my laptop bag at your place.”
“Seriously? Why do you carry a gun?”
Trent guided the Jeep out of the theater parking lot. “Marcus and Alex insist that all of us are trained in firearms and carry at least one weapon.”
“At least one?”
“Most of us just carry a gun, but some—namely Justin—carry two guns or—depending on the situation—a gun and a knife.”
“Wow. I guess I must have misunderstood what you guys at BlackThorpe do. Eric has a gun, too?”
“Sure. He also has more than one. All of which I know he keeps well out of Sarah’s reach.”
“Is the work you do that dangerous?”
Trent glanced at her. “My particular line of work doesn’t put me on the front line like some of the other guys, but our clients and the information we have makes all of us a potential target. Marcus expects each of us to be able to take care of ourselves should something happen.”
“I guess I never realized…” She paused and then said, “I’ve always wanted to learn to shoot a gun.”
Trent chuckled. “Well, if you’re serious, I can make that happen for you.”
“Yeah, I’m serious, but I still won’t take on punks like those guys tonight.”
“Good idea. I’d rather not have to bail you out of jail because you shot some idiot who ran his mouth off at you.”
“I still can’t believe you and Eric have guns,” Victoria said. “And thank you, by the way. I do appreciate you standing up for me.”
“Anytime, babe. Anytime.”
As Trent pulled into her driveway, Victoria had to admit she was a bit disappointed that the evening was over. Though it had had its ups and downs, she’d seen different sides to Trent that she hadn’t been aware of before. Yeah, the fun, flirty side had still been present, but she’d also seen him be more serious and caring. And then the protective side had come out full force during that confrontation with the teenage boys.
“If you pop your trunk, I’ll put the stool back and then come in to get my bag.”
Victoria pulled out her keys while she waited for him to get her stool. She hit the button to open the trunk and then slid from the seat to the stool. Once she was on the ground, he easily picked it up and moved toward her car. She went on into the house, leaving the door open behind her.
“I will be working on your computer tomorrow,” Trent said as he came in and shut the door. “When would be a good time to bring it by?”
“You don’t need to spend your Saturday working on that,” Victoria protested. “I do have a laptop that I can use until you’re done. So there’s no rush.”
Trent shrugged. “I didn’t really have anything important planned tomorrow. I had thought about going out to the compound to spar with Justin, but I can do that anytime.”
“The compound? Spar?” Victoria asked.
“BlackThorpe has a rural property where they train people. That’s where the gun range is, among other things. Justin helps me with my physical training. Technically it’s called sparring, but I usually just call it Justin beating me up. Which is why I’m more than happy to do computer work instead. He’s not gonna argue with me if I tell him I need to help Eric’s sister out.”
“Well, if it will save you from a beating then I won’t protest you spending your Saturday on my computer. And anytime is usually fine. I’m at church Sunday morning and have a couple of appointments next week, but I should be home most evenings.”
Trent bent over to pick up his bag from where he’d left it earlier. “I’ll give you a call once it’s ready to go.”
“Thank you. I really do appreciate you helping me with this. Especially since I haven’t always been…friendly.”
Trent smiled at her, creases bracketing his mouth. “I’m sure you have your reasons. But no worries, I have no expectations because I’m helping you. Dinner was payment enough.”
“Not hardly,” Victoria said with a laugh.
“Hey, don’t discount the pleasure a home-cooked meal brings a single man. Why do you think I accept every invitation Eric issues to a family event? Your mom is a great cook, and it appears she’s passed that on to you.”
“Well, then if you give me enough of a heads up, I could probably make a meal for you when you come drop it off.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Trent turned toward the door. “I’d better go. I’ll give you a call about the computer.”
Victoria followed him to the door and then out onto the porch. “Thank you again. For everything.”
This was one of those times when she hated her lack of height. If she’d been an average-size woman, she could have given him a quick, friendly hug, but hugs were a bit awkward unless he bent down to her level. She wasn’t about to ask him to do that and something told her he wouldn’t be initiating that contact either.
“You’re welcome. Stay safe.”
As he walked down the porch steps, Victoria went back inside and shut the door. She flipped the locks then leaned back against it. As she stood there, she took a deep breath and willed herself to relax.
Pushing away from the door so she could lock it, she allowed herself to grimace at the pain that was throbbing in her hip. She opened the closet near the door and pulled her crutches from behind the coats. After getting them on properly, she moved with considerably less pain toward her bedroom.
Victoria hadn’t given much thought to how long it migh
t take Trent to get back to her, but she hadn’t expected him to call her Sunday afternoon to let her know it was ready.
“Wow. That was quick.”
“Well, like I said, I didn’t have anything else to do that couldn’t be put off, and I managed to get all the parts I needed. When do you want me to come drop it off?”
“I’m home the rest of today and any evening this week. Whatever works for you.”
“Okay. I’ll be by in about an hour. Shouldn’t take too long to get it set up and running.”
As she hung up, Victoria wondered if he’d worked on it so quickly in order to get it over with. He hadn’t even given her enough time to make a meal for him like she’d promised. And she was sweaty and gross from working out in the yard after she’d gotten home from lunch at her mom and dad’s.
There was no contest between taking a shower or throwing a meal together. The shower won out, hands down.
She might not be dressing to impress him, but she also wasn’t going to look like a slob.
Trent stepped from his car, inhaling the scent of freshly mowed grass that hung in the warm summer air. He opened the door to retrieve the tower and the peripherals he’d bought for it from the back seat. She wasn’t going to be too pleased with them most likely, but her monitor was way too small, and he’d noticed that some of the letters were beginning to wear off on her keyboard. If she was going to upgrade, might as well do it across the board, particularly since she wouldn’t be shouldering one hundred percent of the cost.
Shifting the tower to free up his hand, Trent pressed the doorbell and waited. As he stood there, he heard a lawnmower fire up in the distance. It was far enough away that it didn’t drown out the sounds of children at play and dogs barking. These were all the sounds of neighborhood living that he missed out on in his apartment.
The door swung open, drawing his attention. “Hey, Victoria.”
“Hi, Trent. Come on in.” She stepped back.
As he walked past her, Trent noticed that a light floral scent hung in the air. She wore a white blouse that was tied at her waist and open over top of a dress that reached her ankles. Her hair hung in straight silky strands across her shoulders and appeared to be slightly damp like she’d just gotten out of the shower.
Pushing aside his thoughts on her appearance, Trent walked to her desk and set down the tower and other things he’d brought.
“That’s more than just a computer,” Victoria commented when she joined him.
“Everything needed an upgrade.” He gestured to the keyboard. “You do realize that you’ve worn off some of the letters on that thing, right?”
“Sure, but I don’t look at the keys when I type so it wasn’t a big deal.”
Trent laughed. “Still. I think it was time for a new one. And your monitor is pretty much obsolete.”
“From what you’re saying, the whole system is obsolete.” Victoria rested her arm on the desk which was at just the right height for her.
As he sat down on the office chair, Trent grinned at her. “Babe, that system was obsolete within about a year after you bought it. Computers have rapidly evolved over the past few years.”
“I don’t necessarily need to have the fastest computer with the biggest hard drive, do I?”
“No, you probably don’t need that, and that’s not what I’ve given you here. If you ever get into gaming or doing a lot of graphic intensive stuff, we can revisit your computing needs.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You never know.”
“Are you into gaming?” she asked as he bent to unhook the cords from the old tower.
“I used to be. I’ve kind of outgrown it now, though I do step back into it from time to time if I’m really bored. I’d actually rather do this kind of stuff.” He gestured to the new tower.
“You didn’t give me time to prepare a meal as a way to say thanks.”
“Some other time.” Trent smiled at her before turning his attention back to the old tower. When she didn’t respond, he glanced back to find her watching him, her expression serious. “What?”
“I just feel like I’m taking advantage of you. It doesn’t feel right.”
Trent pulled the tower out and set it aside then lifted the old monitor off the desk. “Can’t take advantage of me when I’m offering my services so don’t worry about it.”
“Still.”
He sat back in the chair and looked at her. Lifting his hands, he said, “No strings. I promise. I’m happy to have this to do. It’s not like you asked me to shovel out a horse stall or something like that. I probably would have still done it but wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much.”
Trent wished he could read what was going on in that head of hers, but her expression gave nothing away. He reached for the box that held the new monitor. “Do you have a pair of scissors?”
“In the drawer there.” Victoria pointed to the side of the desk.
Trent pulled it open and leaned over to look into the drawer. He spotted the scissors almost immediately but then spotted something else. “Hey, I never did see the pictures from Eric’s wedding.”
“Uh, yeah, my mom gave me some copies of the pictures the photographer took.”
Trent took the photo from the drawer, his mind going back to that day. This particular pose had obviously been taken while he and Victoria had been negotiating their positions for the picture. They were looking at each other and smiling. He remembered how his heartbeat had kicked up a notch when she’d smiled at him before the photographer had called for their attention. He hadn’t realized the guy had taken that shot before the more formal pose.
Though the image on the photo was now burned in his memory, he was going to have to see if he could get a copy of it for himself. Slowly, he put the picture back, retrieved the scissors and closed the drawer. He didn’t look at her as he tackled the tape that held the monitor box closed. No doubt she was waiting for him to make some flippant comment about the picture, but he wasn’t going to take that route this time.
CHAPTER FIVE
HERE, can you open these things for me?” Trent bent and picked up the packages containing the keyboard and mouse.
“Sure.” She took the items from him and moved over to the coffee table where there was more room for her to work.
Over the course of the last day, Trent had decided that a different approach was needed when it came to Victoria. For the past several months, he’d tried to get her attention by flirting with her and being around where she was. He’d felt a bit like a teenager with a crush. All that had done was make her skittish and wary of him. So much so that she’d risked all the information on her computer before finally biting the bullet and calling him.
Clearly, he needed to just back off and let her become more comfortable with him and then see where things went. He had nothing to lose by changing tactics. It wasn’t like the way he’d approached things so far had been working for him. In fact, it had probably worked against him. Not that he could completely turn off the teasing banter, that was just part of who he was, but he needed her to see him in a more serious light if he was going to have any chance at all.
They’d been working in silence for a few minutes when he suddenly heard music playing softly. He looked over to see that Victoria had hooked her phone up to some speakers. The song was familiar to him as they’d just sung it that morning in church. Humming along, he sat down on the floor and ducked under the desk to get the monitor and tower plugged in.
“Here you go.”
He made sure he was clear of the desk before straightening. As he did, he found himself in the rather odd and unusual position of looking up to Victoria. She held out the keyboard and mouse, now free of their packaging.
Their positioning must have struck her as well because she grinned. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen the top of your head.”
Trent ran a hand through his hair and returned her grin. “Thankfully, I’m putting my best hair for
ward today. Would’ve been a shame if the first time you saw the top of my head my hair was a mess or I was bald.”
She tilted her head. “Well, you’re definitely not bald.”
Before he could respond, he heard the doorbell ring. Victoria’s brows drew together as she turned away from him. “I’ll be right back.”
As he plugged the keyboard in, he heard a child’s voice greet Victoria.
“Hey, Tori!”
“Hi, Bridgie. How are you?”
“I’m good. Mom sent me to see if you want to come over. Dad’s barbecuing, and Uncle Seth is there, too.”
“Thanks for the invite, sweetie, but please tell your mom I can’t come over tonight.”
“You can’t? Why not?” Disappointment was clear in the girl’s voice.
“I have company at the moment.”
“That their car in your driveway?”
“Yes, that’s his car. So just tell your mom maybe another time, okay?”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“Who?”
“The dude whose car is in your driveway.”
“No. He’s a friend who’s helping me with some stuff today.”
“Okay. That’s good. Mom really wants you to hook up with Uncle Seth.”
Trent glanced over at that comment, but there was a wall between him and the door so he couldn’t get a glimpse of the kid.
“Well, tell your mom to call me this week and we’ll chat about that.”
“Cool! See ya!”
Trent heard the door shut and quickly returned his attention to the computer. When Victoria came back to the desk, he said, “You know, if you want to go to your neighbor’s, I’m almost done here. I can come back another day to show you all the ins and outs.”
Victoria’s eyebrows rose and then lowered again as they drew together. “No, I’m perfectly fine having an excuse not to accept that particular invitation.”
“Not interested in hooking up with Uncle Seth?” he said as he ducked under the desk but not before seeing the scowl on Victoria’s face.
When There is Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 3) Page 4
