“Ski saw them downtown today having lunch together.”
“Marla had lunch with George. She told me.”
“Why didnât you tell me?â
It was harder than she thought to hold back the sigh that was just waiting burst free. Sheâd been anticipating her dinner with Kevin all afternoon. Thinking about it helped to ease the disappointment over her lunch meeting with the bank.
âItâs hard to keep track of everything Iâm supposed to report to you on an hourly basis.â
His lips lifted just a twitch and his square jaw tightened.
âI was going to tell you at dinner. But you already know so letâs not talk about it anymore. Iâve had a rotten day.â
Kevin didnât seem appeased.
She sighed. “They’ve known each other in a casual sort of way through me for years.”
His gaze was hard-edged as he spoke. “There was nothing casual about they way they were snuggling together in that corner table at Aluvia’s during lunch today.”
“Being seen at a high scale restaurant like Aluvia’s is something George counts on. He’s good at what he does and meets a lot of prospective clients that way.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “Are you telling me Ms. Rickenberg had business with him?”
In the next yard, Spot was barking. Daria noticed the small pile of garbage at the foot of her driveway where Kevin was standing and knew the dog had had a feast in her can before the garbage men had come by, leaving only the remnant of trash for her to deal with.
Grabbing the overturned metal garbage can, she walked to where Kevin was standing, plopped the can down so it was upright and bent to pick up the trash. As if just noticing the debris on the ground, Kevin bent to help her pick up the mess.
“Marla is an attractive woman,â Daria said. âI suspect her interest in him is quite personal. She’s always been interested in George.”
Kevin raised one brow in scrutiny and stopped his task mid-motion. “Even when you were married to George?”
Tearing her gaze away from Kevin’s probing blue eyes, Daria shook her head. “They’ve never had an affair, if that is what you’re asking. Marla isn’t the type. Her ex-fiancé was a cheat and it broke her heart. She’d never do that to another woman no matter how much she was interested in a man.”
“Women sometimes do foolish things in the name of love.”
“No one said anything about love. Just interest. And I’ve known men that have done some pretty foolish things, too,” she said.
“Even contract the murder of their ex. Yeah, I’d say you have some firsthand knowledge with that.”
Daria lifted her chin, tossed a stinky paper towel in the trashcan hard. “That’s not what I was referring to.”
“It’s the reason I’m here sleeping in my vehicle. And for that I need to know why Marla Rickenberg is cozying up with your ex all of the sudden.”
âI just wishâ¦â
âWhat? Wish she hadnât gone?â
âYes.â
“You look like you’re jealous.” His voice was tight and his expression accusing, which irritated her.
“Hardly. I’m worried for Marla. Even after my warning today, I’m not sure she understands what she’s getting into.”
“She probably wouldn’t listen anyway. But at least you gave it a try.” Kevin dropped another handful of the trash on the curb into her garbage can.
“Thank you for helping,” she said, taking a cleansing breath.
“Believe it or not, it’s not a sign of weakness to allow a man to be a gentleman.”
His sudden, warm smile melted her irritation. “I’ll have to remember that. I just wish Marla had told me about George before she went to lunch with him.”
“Would that have made a difference?”
Daria thought about it a moment. “I don’t know.”
She sighed. Marla’s timing was more than awful. Daria had gone to work the day after Kevin told her about his meeting with George intending to keep it a secret from her co-workers. She didn’t really need anyone else hovering over her like Kevin was doing and she certainty didn’t want anyone to feel like they were in danger at the office. Now she questioned her decision to do so. Marla didn’t have a clue what had transpired over the last week and was now treading in some shark-infested waters.
“There’d never been any personal relationship between George and Marla in the past. But if you’re asking me if the possibility exists there may be something going on now, then yes. I’ve suspected for some time that Marla’s been interested in pursuing a relationship with George now that heâs a free man.”
“He won’t be for long if I can help it.”
Kevin’s words were almost spoken under his breath, but the bitter edge in which he spoke them didn’t prevent Daria from hearing. He continued filling the trash can until all the garbage was picked up.
“Thank you again for your help,” she said, brushing her hands off.
Kevin nodded, clearing his throat as he stood. “I’ve been thinking. I’m not sure having dinner together is such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
He propped his hands on his hips, and let out a low chuckle that hinted of frustration. “Don’t play dumb with me, Daria. You know why.”
“It’s just dinner,” she said, laughing as if she hadn’t any idea what he was talking about. The heat in his eyes made it more than plain and she was no fool. “People eat. I know you certainly do. There’s no sense us both eating alone if I have to cook anyway. I figured you could use a change of scenery. You can see the inside of the house instead of the outside. It’s no big deal.”
It definitely was a big deal. A huge deal to Daria. She hadn’t been with a man since her ex-husband. She’d never been one to pass in and out of a man’s life or to have men come and go in hers. Friends, yes. The reality of having to make quick friendships, both male and female, had been there all her life.
But not lovers, or even potential lovers. Her life had always been about leaving. The pain of leaving a budding romance, only to have distance kill the relationship had made her wary about taking risks with her heart.
But something about Kevin had instantly put Daria at ease, allowing her to take chances she’d never dared before.
It was only dinner. A simple break from having Kevin watch her every move, and from her wondering what he was thinking every moment he stared back at her window. She wanted to know what he was thinking, if he was haunted by the same fantasies that kept her awake at night. Until they broke free of this invisible wall he’d created for himself, she would never know.
“I’ll be honest with you. If things were different, if I’d never met up with your ex that night and I’d met you at the market like we had, I still would have noticed you.” He drew in a deep sigh and shook his head just a fraction. “And I still would have accepted your invitation to come back here for coffee.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
Kevin hesitated, gazing at her with eyes that grew darker, more intense as they penetrated her the way they did when he was all fired up. Well, hell, she was fired up too. And she was sick of playing this game. Someone had to put an end to it.
She took one step toward him and cocked her head.
“Look, I don’t make killer muffins, but I’m a decent cook and I could use the company. If that is something that interests you, then great, we’ll share a meal, have a little conversation and then return to our regularly scheduled programming. If not, then you can eat Mrs. Hildebrand’s muffins and your trusty bag of Cheetos. Donât think I didnât notice the bag in your front seat. But you’ll be missing out on my culinary talents.”
It was a lie. Tiny as it was it still had a twinge of guilt sliding up Daria’s spine. She was only marginally good in the kitchen. She’d tried a hundred times during her marriage to cook the kinds of gourmet meals George liked only to have him half
pick and then toss the food in the garbage with a smile. She’d finally learned how to prepare a few tried and true recipes that never failed her and stuck with them. If the man wanted gourmet, they could eat out.
But Kevin wasn’t George. No way, no how. And his reasons for not wanting her cooking were entirely different.
As she stared at him, he smiled one of those killer smiles that always caught her off guard even when she thought she was expecting it.
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go in that direction.”
Directions. He was talking directions. Well, hallelujah, they were making progress.
“It’s better than eating Cheetos. But, hey, suit yourself. If you want to fill yourself full of junk food, be my guest.”
Daria grabbed the garbage can and spun on her heels, trying not to let her disappointment show in the slightest slouch of her shoulders, the littlest drag in her step as she pulled the can toward the house. She dropped the garbage can in the spot she always kept it.
The car door opened, then closed, and she lost the battle with her disappointment. When she heard footsteps on the walkway behind her, she turned to find Kevin was following her. A smile she couldn’t hide spread across her face. No more watching windows. Thank goodness for small victories.
Daria hesitated at the door and waited for him to catch up before she pushed through to the inside.
“It’s only a meal, right?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of me.”
He made a grunt that might have been frustration or understanding. The small points she felt she scored turned to nervous energy when she finally walked inside.
Unlike the spur of the moment decision to invite Kevin home from the market, inviting him to dinner had not been spontaneous. She’d thought long and hard about the man over the past few nights. Try as she may, she couldn’t keep her mind off Kevin and those startling blue eyes, knowing those same eyes were watching her every move.
And she’d watched his every move without wanting to. But she had and it killed her to think that any man had that much power over her.
It didn’t really matter that she was totally unprepared to entertain someone. She’d known this morning Kevin was coming to dinner. She could have stopped at the market and picked up something fancy. But she’d told herself this wasn’t the occasion for something fancy. By buttering him up with a fancy meal, it would only smack him in the face that she was looking for something else.
Besides, how many times had George brought home a colleague without so much as a phone call and expected that she’d throw together some fabulous meal that was meant to impress them? Tons. She was good at this. It was only dinner. Given what she’d seen Kevin consume, she was sure all it would take was a simple box of macaroni and cheese to satisfy him.
And maybe, just maybe, they could both move beyond this point of insanity and satisfy each other on another level later on.
“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the living room while I get you a beer.”
He declined with the shake of his hand, looking around the room, his gaze settling on her lumpy sofa.
“I have to stay alert.”
“You’re off duty, aren’t you?”
“Technically, yes.”
“Then one beer couldn’t possibly hurt you.”
He smiled kind of lopsided and tired and she felt her heart do this ridiculous acrobatic roll.
“My coffee table is meant for putting your feet up, too.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “My kind of woman.”
She laughed, but as she turned, she thought about how those few little words made her feel.
His woman.
It sounded nice to be connected with someone again. Despite the problems in her marriage to George, Daria had liked being married, liked what could be between two people. She’d tried too hard and stayed too long. It was painfully obvious now and one would think she shouldn’t be too quick to want to dive into another relationship again.
Kevin was here for a purpose. She’d be wise to remember that. But even with that purpose, it didn’t mean the two of them had to be alone staring out the opposite side of the same windowpane.
“How about we order a pizza or something. You probably had little more sleep than I had last night, which means you’re pretty exhausted.”
“I look that bad?” she asked.
Her teasing caught him off guard and he stopped looking around the room to stare at her. “Definitely not. You lookâ¦terrific.”
His eyes told her things he didn’t readily confess on his own. The little thrill that shot through her made her pulse pound.
“I don’t mind cooking. You look as if you’re ready to drop on the floor yourself. You’ve been working yourself too hard at this moonlighting gig. I think it’s time you take a night off.”
“No can do. I take my responsibilities seriously.” His expression was serious too. That intense kind of serious that had stopped her dead in her tracks the day they’d met. Kevin was a driven man when he was passionate about something. He was passionate about his job and what he did. She wondered just how much that passion unearthed itself when he was in bed with a woman.
She stifled a sigh and turned toward the kitchen again, away from his probing stare. She could only guess what kind of expression was on her face. If it showed even half of the wild feelings coursing through her than she was in big trouble.
“Then you deserve a break,” she said, trying to keep her voice light.
She smiled as she looked at him. She’d thought this was going to be hard, being with him, looking into his eyes and trying not to think of the crazy thoughts she’d had during the long nights.
But it wasn’t. His smile was warm and genuine and put her at ease. It made her brave, just like it had that first day. There was something about Kevin that settled her insides and took away the madness that had become her life.
She should be terrified out of her mind after hearing about the things George had said and done. But with Kevin, she wasn’t.
For a split second, Daria wondered if that were the very reason she didn’t want to flee as Kevin wanted her to do. She’d been blinded before by a man she’d been married to and now she was inviting a man who’d vowed to protect her at all cost from that same man into her sanctuary.
She no longer believed that George was innocent or that she ever really knew the man she’d married at all. She questioned how she ever could have thought George was the decent man sheâd thought he was when sheâd married him.
In retrospect, there had been enough occasions during their marriage where sheâd questioned his judgment, not the least of which was his dealings with a loan shark. He’d admitted that it was a mistake, and the only time he’d ever bent to such extremes. And she had believed him. But whatever had happened that night on the street between Kevin and George proved otherwise.
Her ex-husband had always been possessive. Perhaps that was his subtle message in sending her the Bird of Paradise flowers. Maybe he still loved her even though she’d insisted their marriage was over and they were now divorced. It really would be in his character to send her flowers on their “anniversary” despite their divorce.
But surely George wouldn’t stoop so low as to put a dead bird on her porch to scare her. It had to have been a light colored crow, not a female Bird of Paradise, as she’d suspected that night. Even the cop assigned to watch George had said her ex-husband hadn’t been near her house that evening.
Daria put it out of her mind. She had a decent man in her living room and she needed to feed him. She chose one of her tried and true recipes of sweet and sour chicken stir-fry over white rice not only because she knew she could prepare it without fail but because it was literally the only thing she had all the ingredients for in her kitchen.
Glancing in the living room, she saw Kevin had taken her up on putting his feet up. As she popped the caps off two beers, she was tempted to can the idea
of cooking dinner and take Kevin up on his suggestion to have pizza delivered. The prospect of sitting on the sofa with Kevin, just talking for a while, was inviting. She could tell him she wanted to know the man, not just the cop.
Wrestling with the idea, she picked up the two bottles and strode into the living room.
And then she stopped.
Still clad in his black leather jacket, Kevin was reclined back with his head resting on the back of the sofa. One foot was propped up on her coffee table, the other limply resting on the floor. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly parted. Relaxed in sleep as he was, Daria found it hard to tear her gaze from him. He looked so relaxed that Daria questioned whether she should even enter the room.
But she did. She couldn’t help herself. Kevin had only been inside her home a few times. Each time for just a short while and each time under strained circumstances. Already he looked as if he belonged here kicking back on her sofa. Almost as much as she belonged here herself. And she did belong here, no matter what threat lay outside of these four walls. This was her home, and her haven. She wasn’t going to live like a prisoner or run away from the only real home she’d ever known.
Daria sighed as she gently sat down on the sofa, keeping enough distance from Kevin so she wouldn’t disturb his sleep. Of course he was exhausted. How could anyone keep up the kind of hours he’d kept working the streets and then watching over her?
Guilt stabbed at her. It was only a matter of time before his body would give out on him. It made her even more determined to convince him tonight that it had to end. He was wasting his time.
*
George hated this part of town. Good Lord, he couldn’t figure out what ever possessed Daria to buy this old dump and move into Slumville with this white trash. He could have easily built her a brand new beautiful house on the outskirts of the city. And he would have. Every one of his colleagues seemed to live out that way, so why not him? If he wasn’t up to his eyeballs in this stinking mess, he’d have built a big beautiful home for Daria and she would never had felt the need to leave him. She’d always wanted that. There were times he thought his ex-wife had wanted it more than she’d wanted him.
Safe Haven Page 11
