Page 34 of Destined Chaos
“Of course. Yes. I’d like to know what the hell is going on, and I’d like a copy of the book he found.”
“I already implied that was the case,” Hugh said and started stroking my hair again. “Try and get some rest. Dinner will be here in three hours.”
I grinned. “You don’t even know this town. How did you possibly manage to find a place to eat, much less order it? You don’t know my address.”
“As for the address, it was on the junk mail sitting on your counter, and as for dinner, my sister is taking care of it to make up for the little stunt she pulled.”
“You yelled at her?”
“I didn’t have to. Not when Porter called and told her that you were immune to him. She realized her massive screw-up.”
I may have been immune to Porter, but I wasn’t immune to Hugh’s caresses or his kisses. I snuggled into his hold and closed my eyes. “Okay, if you don’t have any other earth-shattering news, then I’m sleeping until dinner.”
“Close your eyes. I’ve got you,” Hugh whispered in the quietness of the room.
15
Libby
Dinner had been everything I’d hoped for. It was the best in town. His sister was really digging herself out of the doghouse, considering the price tag that went with the food. We spent the rest of the evening talking and getting to know each other and eventually found ourselves in my bed again. This time under the covers and him holding me as we both conked out.
He’d been a perfect gentleman and hadn’t tried to make a move even when his body told me that he wanted to do just that. When we woke the next morning, I called Champ to come take care of Peter’s things, and we’d flown back to Mountain View.
We’d landed, and Hugh drove me back up the mountain to my house.
When we’d left, it was crawling with police and forensic vehicles, and now the driveway was empty except for my car. Crime scene tape was attached to the door frame.
The little ghost girl was standing in the room in the window next to mine. Was that little girl my sister? She waved before vanishing out of sight.
“Home sweet home,” Hugh said, throwing his truck into Park and then rounding it to help me out.
“You sure it’s going to be okay to break that tape?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, and just think. You have hot water now too.” Hugh grinned and yanked the tape off the door.
I used my key to shove it open.
Morning light cascaded through the entryway, shining on the dirt footprints leading to and from the basement.
I hobbled inside and was brought back to the situation at hand. No furniture. No food. No nothing. I wasn’t even sure where towels might be.
The salt line was smudged in the sitting room as if people had been in and out. My sleeping bag still lay on the floor, and the candles around the room were still partially melted. What had the locals thought when they’d seen that?
Hugh brought up the rear with my newly packed bags and his overnight bag. He stopped beside me as if realizing the same predicament.
“We can do this,” Hugh said. “Contractors will be here in two days to start with everything upstairs. I already cleared it with Clark.”
“You are determined,” I whispered more to myself than to him.
“Is there a bedroom on the bottom floor?” he asked.
I shrugged. I didn’t remember much about this place, much less all the rooms. I’d been gone too long, and I hadn’t snooped around.
“Take a load off your foot while I go find you something more decent than the blow-up bed.”
“The rooms will probably be empty.”
“This may take weeks, if not a month. You don’t want to be sleeping on an air mattress the entire time because I know that I sure don’t, and, yes, before you ask. I’m staying with you until this gets resolved,” Hugh said as he walked around, opening and shutting doors, looking around.
