Pinto finished the last of his coffee. “Then what makes you think that’s what happened this time?”
“I don’t know.” She blew out a breath. “It just doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone go through the hassle of breaking into my place and not vandalize or steal anything?”
“I wish I knew the answer.” A part of him wanted to let her believe this was all one big misunderstanding, but that was the security equivalent of a parent allowing a child to eat candy for dinner. Sure, it made the kid happy in the short run, but it promoted an unhealthy behavior that would eventually bite them both in the ass. “Criminals don’t always do things that make sense.”
Pinto rinsed his plate and mug and loaded them into the dishwasher. He glanced at the clock on the microwave and frowned. If he wanted to get to work on time, he’d have to leave in the next ten minutes. Today was the final day of simulations, and he hoped that Troy would make it through the course without killing any more friendlies.
On the bright side, once his shift was over, he was coming straight home. His family planned to stay at the parks until they closed, and by the time they got back to their hotel, they’d be too exhausted for a visit. That would give him time to make sure Fiona was back to feeling safe in her apartment. Which reminded him...
He turned to face her. “I almost forgot. A buddy of mine will be calling you later this morning. His name’s Aidan, but everyone calls him Hatch. He’ll want to know when he can come by to replace the lock on your door and install a security system.”
A note of annoyance narrowed her eyes as she swallowed a bite of her apple. “Gee, thanks for making that decision for me.”
That certainly wasn’t the response he’d expected, and it put him on the defensive. What was the problem? He was only trying to help. But then he thought about it from her point of view and realized that a woman who’d left a controlling jackass wouldn’t want another guy stepping in to assume the role.
Great. Now he felt like shit, because he never wanted to bethat guy. “Look, I’m sorry. I should have asked you first. After last night, I just wanted to do something to help you feel safer.”
The anger in her expression diminished. “I appreciate you wanting to help. But next time—”
“I’ll ask, I promise.” He paused a moment. “Do you want me to call Hatch and cancel?”
Her lips flattened into a thin line as she briefly considered the offer. “No, it’s okay. I’ve been thinking about getting a security system but I haven’t had time to look into it. Just let me know how much it costs and I’ll pay you back.”
“No, you won’t,” he said with a shake of his head. “Hatch owes me a favor, so the install won’t cost a thing. The rest is on me.” Lucky for him, Six Points extended a generous discount to all company employees, so the cost for equipment would be minimal.
Fiona paused, the apple a few inches from her mouth. “Why does he owe you a favor?”
“Let’s just say what happens in Tampa stays in Tampa.” He grinned, determined to keep his big mouth shut, because he’d promised his friend never to tell another soul about that crazy weekend on Florida’s west coast. “If you want, I can have him install a few motion-activated cameras that’ll record whoever comes near your door. We have a few at the office that are so small you can’t even tell they’re there.”
She thought about it while she ate another bite of her apple. “I suppose that’ll come in handy the next time I think something’s amiss in my apartment.”
The uncertainty in her voice tugged at his heart. Filled with the need to assure her, he touched her upper arm, and his heart skipped with an increasingly familiar jolt of awareness. She must have felt it as well, because her eyes widened and her lips parted, and it took every last ounce of his self-control not to kiss her.
“Don’t ever doubt yourself, Fi. Your instincts are too damn good.” He kept his voice low and calm. “There won’t be a next time, because the new locks will keep them out. And if they’re dumb enough to try, the cameras will show us who they are.”
Itwasabreathof fresh air to hear that she wasn’t being overly dramatic or paranoid. That had been Dennis’s go-to response whenever they’d had a disagreement.
Fiona wanted to believe Joe. About everything. That she hadn’t imagined the signs of a break-in, and there wouldn’t be a next time. Still, breaking old habits and insecurities was easier said than done. She forced a smile. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“Well, we’ll have to work on that, won’t we?”
He gave a smile that warmed his eyes and made her feel tingly inside. It triggered a rush of inappropriate thoughts that were sounding better by the second. To keep herself from acting on any of them, she bit into her apple.
“I was curious about something,” he said as he scooped his keys off the counter.
Fiona swallowed the bite of food, and then reached for the water bottle. “Oh, what’s that?”
“I couldn’t help but notice that your place wasn’t decorated for the holidays. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he added. “I was just a little surprised.”
She turned her head from side to side as if taking stock of his apartment. With the exception of a few Christmas cards and a handful of gift bags holding presents for his family, his apartment looked as it probably did every other day of the year. “No offense, but your place doesn’t exactly look like Santa’s workshop either.”
Her response didn’t seem to faze him in the least. “When I was in the Navy, I never had time for that stuff, and after things blew up with Gina, I didn’t feel much like celebrating. Besides, I’m a guy; we’re not into decorating. What’s your excuse?”
“I don’t have one,” she simply said as she went to the kitchen and tossed the apple core in the trash. “I usually decorate every year. But when I left Dennis…let’s just say I could have planned things better. At the time, all I knew was that I had to get out of there, because I couldn’t stand the thought of spending another day in that house. So I only took what I could fit into my car: clothes, jewelry, a few personal items, and, of course, Wanda. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space for my Christmas decorations.”
Sympathy softened his expression. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She lifted one shoulder in what was meant to be a casual shrug. “It is what it is. There are only a few things I regret not taking. My Christmas collection is one of them, but it’s not like I can do anything about it now.”
