Break (Lakefield Book 3)

by Jennifer Vester

  I grabbed the lock keys from the movers before I left and got the location. They got my cell number to contact after it was done.

  I went straight to the clinic. My car didn’t like the additional weight of things I had stuffed in every space available. I heard it grind a few times and it seemed to be creeping along at an incredibly slow pace.

  Parking my car in the lower parking garage next to all the reserved spots, I checked on Bells then headed up the elevator to the main breakroom. There were several posting boards in there with various flyers for different things.

  When I entered, I noted that there were only a few people sitting around. It was mid-day, so most employees were on their shifts and working. It provided me with a little privacy as I checked each flyer and note tacked to the overflowing boards to see if there was anyone looking for a roommate.

  I went through all six of the boards but didn’t find anything. I rethought my strategy. If I could maybe do a live-in nanny gig with someone then that might also work for a while. I was generally good with kids and most of these people knew me. If nothing else I would have stellar references. It was just temporary until I got my stupid car fixed.

  I turned my phone back on and called Andi.

  “Heloo,” she answered. “Miss me?”

  “Hey, I’m up here at work.”

  “You are? Why?”

  I hesitated. Being the crap liar that I was, I hoped she wouldn’t see through the whopper I was about to tell her. “Can you and your brother watch Bells for a couple of days? My house is being fumigated and it made her sick last time.”

  It was a partial lie. Bells had really gotten sick last time.

  “Sure. Did you bring her with you?”

  “Yeah, she’s in her crate and happy for the time being,” I said, as I looked at the clock on the wall. “You get off in about fifteen minutes or so, right?”

  “Yes, do you want to grab something to eat?”

  At least Bells would have a temporary safe home until I could get things worked out. “I have to do some errands, otherwise I would. I’ll just put her in your car and take off. Are you still leaving it unlocked on B Level?”

  “Like there’s anything to steal. Ha!”

  I gave a half-hearted laugh. “Okay. Thank you! I really mean it.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m great. I’ll put her food in there too. Love ya!”

  I hung up. I felt terrible about lying and about Bells having to live someplace without me for a bit. But that cat meant everything to me. She was like my kid. Her welfare came first.

  Finding a blank piece of paper on the counter and a black marker I wrote a note and tacked it to one of the boards.

  Live-in: Part-Time Nanny or Housekeeping Services. Available Now! With References. Please Call.

  Smiling, I penned in my phone number. It looked pretty good. Hopefully someone would respond.

  Bells got dropped off in Andi’s car. The windows were already cracked open otherwise I would have waited. She looked like she was settling in for a long nap.

  I went back down two levels in the garage and retrieved a couple of boxes out of my car. I had grabbed some of my food items out of the house before I left. I would just label them and put them in one of the four fridges we had in the breakroom.

  Finding space was easy for my food. When I put the final note on a package of crackers and shoved it into a cabinet, I felt like I might actually have my life together for the time being. Things were going to be okay.

  I heard the door to the room open behind me as I gathered my empty box, keys, and phone.

  “Kaitlyn?” I heard Logan say.

  My back stiffened and I froze.

  That man! Why did he have to show up just when I was having a happy moment?

  Turning around with my box I smiled. It was forced but it was a smile. My eyes darted toward the door. “Dr. Matthews. Just brought some snacks up. Have a lot to do so I was just leaving.”

  I tried to skirt around him and he grabbed my arm. My treacherous body instantly started to tingle. He turned me around toward him.

  His blue eyes looked sad today. I wondered why briefly, but reminded myself that I didn’t care. Not one bit. So, I shouldn’t want to ask him about it, but I really did want to at the same time. I clamped my teeth together.

  He made a frustrated sound and tilted his head at me. “You made it home okay? Did you take a cab?”

  I shook my head. “I got home fine. I drove, it’s not like I live that far.”

  His jaw clenched and a flash of anger slid across his face. “Fuck. Don’t do that again.”

  I looked up at him confused. “Wha—”

  He let out a low growl and let go of my arm. He looked out of sorts and ran a hand through his hair in what looked like a nervous gesture.

  “I’m sorry about last night. Take a cab next time though.”

  He looked so sincere, like he was apologizing for half a dozen things he wouldn’t name rather than just last night. His eyes wandered around my face and he made a sad half smile.

  I nodded slowly. “It’s okay. I’ll see you around.”

  Walking toward the door, I turned and looked back at him. He was still looking at me.

  Whatever was bothering him, I couldn’t help. I had my own little worries to deal with today and I wasn’t going to let anything break me down.

  When I got back to my car, I folded up the empty box I had carried with me and shoved it into the tightly packed back seat.

  I would go to a stupidly cheap motel overnight. At least I would get some sleep.

  The key turned in the ignition but nothing happened. I turned it again. Nothing.

  I rested my head on the steering wheel. Okay, not a big deal. Sleep in the car overnight, catch a shower in the nurse’s lounge. They liked me, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Charge my phone while I worked. Bells would be good. My food was upstairs. Lots of security. I even had a book to read. I might even enjoy the quiet time.

  No big deal. Life was still good. Nothing to get worked up about.

  Chapter Four

  Sleeping in the car overnight hadn’t been terrible. When I took that road trip to Colorado eventually I was determined to do it cheaply and I discovered a few things about car sleeping that would be helpful. Learning experiences were good.

  First, you had to have enough room to lay down. For some reason my body wasn’t good with lounging back in the seat. I had tried multiple positions before I reshuffled some things late in the night and was able to lean the car seat back more.

  Second, parking garage lights were not your friend when trying to sleep. Luckily when I reshuffled, I also blocked out a particularly annoying light shining through the passenger side window.

  Third, even the smallest noise in a parking garage became louder in an enclosed area. I would remember to buy earplugs because no amount of toilet paper blocked out bike engines.

  Last, when you had to pee, you really had to pee. Peeing before you got in the car was best, instead of running barefoot into the building with your pass in the middle of the night to use the restroom. Luckily no one had caught that.

  I took one of my backpacks with me into the building in the morning. It had a change of clothes and my bathroom supplies. My shift didn’t technically start until seven but I was up early with the sounds of car engines so I figured I might as well make an early start to my day.

  I showered in one of the small stalls in the nurse’s area. No one even questioned why I was there. Upstairs, I ate “breakfast” which consisted of microwaved ravioli and crackers. Then I drank a large cup of coffee in the hopes that my restless night wouldn’t totally make my energy crap out today.

  My phone was nearly dead when I turned it back on while sitting at one of the tables. I checked for messages, hoping that someone might have seen my advertisement. If not, I was going to have to branch out and post it at some of the other facilities in the neighborhood.

  Nothing. T
hat could have been disheartening but I was determined to have a good day.

  I looked over my shoulder to the spot where I had pinned my ad. It was missing. My eyebrows shot up. Maybe someone had seen it.

  It made me do a happy wiggle in my seat. Someone would call soon hopefully.

  After washing my bowl and putting it away, I left and walked down the hall toward my rehab room. I couldn’t wait to get started on the mats today.

  A large hand wrapped around my waist and jerked me to the side.

  “Oh!” I yelped, nearly falling over.

  “Come with me Kaitlyn.”

  I looked up to see Logan scowling as he veered us down the hall. I tried to struggle against him but he had a tight grip around my middle.

  I pushed at his hands. “Let go! Half the clinic is going to see you manhandling me.”

  “No, and I don’t give a fuck at this point.”

  We passed by some nurses walking down the hall and I gave an embarrassed shrug. They both smiled and one even winked.

  So, strange. What if I was being kidnapped by some weirdo? Smiles and winks? Really?

  I was pushed into Logan’s office and I turned to see him lock the door behind us. This wasn’t standard protocol. Ever. I backed away from him.

  “What are you doing?”

  He gave me a very serious look like I was about to be reprimanded for some terrible offense. His eyes were burning holes into mine.

  “What are you doing sleeping in your car and why is your house for sale?” he said in a low growl.

  I gasped and ran into a chair behind me. “How did you know about that?”

  “Fucking Brock. I don’t like to deal with Brock on a regular basis but he called this morning and said he found it unusual that your house hit the market when none of us had heard about it. He even called Julia to verify.”

  I shrugged and looked away.

  He stalked forward slowly. “Then when I went by there some sleazy moron told me that you had been evicted yesterday due to a pending sale by the owner. They were chopping down half the trees.”

  I grimaced and gnawed on my bottom lip.

  He tilted his head to the side and his blue eyes were piercing me. I tried to back up further but only hit the wall.

  He took another step toward me and I could see anger flaring in his face. “Then it dawned on me that I saw a lot of your food labeled in the breakroom and an ad on the board for a live-in maid! It had your number on it. What the hell is going on Kaitlyn?!”

  I rolled my eyes and looked away from him.

  “Oh, no,” he stepped forward and pressed me against the wall. “You don’t get to avoid talking to me today.”

  His body was warm against mine. The feel of his chest against my breasts wasn’t the only thing that was making contact. His legs were also partially pinning mine to the wall and when I shifted slightly he pressed a little closer into me with his hips.

  I closed my eyes and fought the inevitable yearning in my chest. He smelled like soap and a musky cologne again. My eyes were level with his neck when I opened them again and I just stared at the soft skin below his ear.

  I was unwilling to speak because of all the things my body was reacting to. If I answered it would probably sound more like a whimper and I wasn’t going to let him know that I was turned on by his proximity.

  His head bent down and I could feel his minty breath against my cheek. A shiver ran through me when he put a hand on my hip.

  “Are you going to tell me?” he asked. His hand squeezed my hip.

  “Life just happens Logan.” I breathed.

  He growled. He sounded like he was in pain. “Why are you sleeping in your car though? Tell me. Now.”

  “I—my car died. I was going to go get a motel around the corner last night but it died. I could have just walked to work rom there but that car isn’t very good and it crapped out. I need to get some work done on it.”

  Logan’s hand left my hip and came down on the wall beside me. Hard!

  I flinched.

  “You don’t stay in a motel around the corner Kate! Those places are not safe! This neighborhood isn’t safe. People get robbed and assaulted around here all the time. You don’t sleep in your car either! You call me and I take care of it.”

  I began to squirm under his lecture. “I guess I could have called Julia or Brock about it.”

  His hand came down on the wall again and his face dipped close to my ear.

  He growled. “Not Brock! Stay the HELL away from Brock! You call me!”

  Flinching again, I inhaled his scent. I wanted desperately to be anywhere but near him. I didn’t want to have to smell him ever again. My clenching heart couldn’t take it.

  “Logan, why are you angry? We’re not even friends. Besides, it’s my life. I made a mistake, I’ll call someone. I can’t call you anyway, you have a girlfriend. Won’t she think that’s a little weird?”

  He surprised me by rubbing his forehead against mine and burying his nose in my hair. I could feel his breath skate across my neck.

  My knees nearly buckled. Oh, this man!

  “We’re not friends?” he asked.

  The timber of his voice tickled at my neck and started shooting tingles down my body. I shivered and placed my hands against his chest. He flinched at the touch but didn’t move.

  “Logan, move back,” I begged. It sounded pained, even though I meant it to be forceful. “Please.”

  He sighed. “I’m no good for you, Kaitlyn. You deserve someone pure. You’re like a light in a very dark place.”

  I frowned. What was he talking about? “I don’t understand.”

  His lips brushed against my cheek and I whimpered. “You’re pure. I’m so far from it you would be ashamed. I breathe on you and you whimper. I touch you and you shiver. I’m the last person you should be with.”

  My body wanted to lean into him and let him make me shiver more. I was starting to pant from the feel of his breath on my skin. His hand had slipped back to my hip and was branding me with his touch. I could feel the heat of him through my pants as he held me still. If only he liked me.

  I huffed in frustration and confusion. “Then why am I supposed to go to you? I don’t understand. You have a girlfriend!”

  He sighed and pulled back. His eyes were hooded when he looked at me, like he’d been in a trance. “Who?”

  I growled. “That stupid blonde bimbo that was following you around this month! Remember her? I can’t even keep track of your girlfriends at this point. There was the redhead, the brunette, another brunette, a blonde and now this one!”

  He pulled back all the way and gave me some much needed breathing room but didn’t remove his hand from my hip. “Have you been keeping track? Paid escorts and two pharmaceutical reps. The reps I dated a few times, the others weren’t like that.”

  I flinched. “Whaaat?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me and he said softly, “Hmm, am I coming down off that high horse you’ve placed me on yet? Are you starting to see why I might not be your dream guy?”

  “No. I mean, I never had you on a high horse. Why would you—”

  “Don’t you know? I’m scarred all over my back. It’s a fucking nightmare.”

  He let up off the wall and walked around his desk. His expression had turned to one of indifference again.

  I let out a slow breath. This was not what I thought I would hear at all. This beautiful man was embarrassed by his scars so he paid women to be with him? What? Maybe I had held him a little higher in regard than I should have. It wasn’t based entirely on how he looked though. I had seen his kindness toward people. Surely he thought more of himself than the sum of his scars.

  I peeled myself off the wall, prepared to leave.

  “You put up a flyer.”

  Looking anywhere but directly at him, I replied, “Yes.”

  “I need to hire you.”

  My eyes snapped back to his face. He was being totally serious. No smile, no emotion o
ther than a business-like attitude.

  “Uhm, I’m not an escort.”

  He grimaced. “I’m not going to pay you for that Kaitlyn. I don’t need your virginity.”

  I gasped. “How did you know?”

  He smirked. “I just know.”

  “Well, regardless, I’m not working for you!”

  He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. His muscles pulled tight at his dress shirt and his chest expanded. He had a smug look on his face that irritated me.

  “I’m leaving,” I said and turned toward the door.

  He laughed. “Good luck. Your car is in the shop and your stuff is at my house already.”

  “WHAT?” I asked, as I swung back toward him.

  “Sit down,” he ordered. “As soon as you rolled out of your car this morning, I had it towed and Aiden’s guys removed your items from it. I nearly had a heart attack when I got to work. Seeing you in there, sleeping. You’re lucky I didn’t drag you out. Sit down!”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. You’re a pig.”

  “You have no idea,” he mumbled. “Sit down. Now.”

  I jutted my jaw out and stared at the wall. I wasn’t going to be ordered about by Mr. Indifference. He had multiple issues, including a problem with women. It should have made me feel better that he hadn’t actually hated me completely these last few months. It should have made me mad that he preferred the company of an escort.

  Instead, all of this just made me feel more defiant because it seemed like I had been getting mixed signals for months. He didn’t have a right to take care of me and that’s what this felt like. I couldn’t work for him, it would be too much.

  He got up from the desk and came around to me. His face filled my vision before he picked me up and set me forcibly into one of his office chairs.

  My butt landed solidly on the leather seat and I let out a small squeak.

  So much for defiance.

  “Better,” he smiled down at me. “Now, I’d like to hire you as a housekeeper. I don’t have a lot of time, so I’m not at home a lot. I’m assuming you would be doing this after work and that’s okay with me. We’ll likely not even see each other. I have a moderately big house. Two bedrooms and a basement room. The basement has full furnishings, a separate bathroom, closet, and such. You’ll be perfectly comfortable there. You can stay there as long as you like or we can just try it for the next few days. At least you’ll have a roof over your head and won’t be sleeping in a damn parking garage, where anyone could hurt you.”