Page 46 of Trials of a One Night Stand
The setting sun paints the sky with lovely shades of orange, pink, and purple, reminding me of a visit to the Portland Art Museum when I worked at the firm’s office there. I can’t help thinking how happy I am to be alive. Being pregnant doesn’t seem too bad right now. It’s not like I was in my room when the bullet hit a window, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what could have happened had I gone home early to take a nap or work from my room.
I follow Nathaniel toward the front door of the lovely house where I’ll be staying—I’m not sure how long his friends will be in Hawaii—and I’m grateful to housesit for them. Though house hardly begins to describe the estate with a large front yard with tall trees lining the street.
He slows his pace and glances over his shoulder at me. “You okay?”
I’m not sure how to answer, so I shrug.
“I’m not okay.” His jaw tenses. “I can’t stop thinking what if you’d been in your hotel room when that bullet shattered the window earlier.”
A shiver runs along my spine. “Same.” That’s all I trust myself to say for fear of breaking down… again. I’m so relieved I wasn’t there.
I’m not sure how Nathaniel knew to call me right after I got off the phone with the hotel manager, who wanted to move me to another room, but he had. I’d already cried in his arms, so I cried on the phone, afraid for myself and the baby in my stomach. I was never in danger, since I wasn’t there at the time, but I still feel violated. I mentioned finding another hotel, instead of just changing rooms, and he told me he would find me a place and not with him, which I appreciated.
Giving him control is unlike me, but I wanted someone else to deal with it. Pregnancy hormones? Loneliness? I’m not sure what, but I was so grateful at that moment for him.
Now…I’m still thankful, but I’m not as confident in letting him decide where I’ll stay. This looks like a place one of the senior partners would live. I’ve visited houses this nice but never stayed at one. The small-town girl I thought I’d finally left behind bursts to the surface like Old Faithful at Yellowstone, leaving me feeling as uncertain and unworthy as I did my first day at college. “Are you sure it’s okay if I stay here?”
My voice is shaky. A result of the day’s events and change in accommodations and having Nathaniel hovering and watching me like I might break, even though I’m trying to appear strong.
“Yes, it’s fine.” He jingles the keys in his hand. “The owners split their time between Seattle and Hawaii. They’ve been trying to find someone to stay while they’re away, so this works out perfectly.”
“At least for me.” The security cameras hidden around the eaves give me some comfort, but a part of me is tempted to ask if the house has a safe room.
He stares at me as if I’m the most precious person in the world. “You’ll be safe here.”
Nathaniel can’t guarantee that, but I suppose that’s why there are now black SUVs parked at the curb with men inside them. Bodyguards for me. Well, the baby. He’d mentioned them before, but I said no. An hour ago, I told him I’d changed my mind, and here they are. That makes me wonder if they’ve been around me all along.
“The police believe the shooting was random, but they’ll be in touch after they investigate further.”
Lawyers can be targets when cases don’t go the way clients plan, but I always win so it can’t be that. “Thanks for finding me a place so quickly.”
“I had this lined up already.”
Of course, he did. Nathaniel hadn’t wanted me to stay at that extended-stay hotel because of the location. He didn’t think it was safe enough for me. I didn’t want to move, but it turns out he was right about the place. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn. I touch my stomach. It’s not just me anymore.
Nathaniel stiffens. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I lower my arm to my side. “Just a lot happening today.”
With a nod, he unlocks the door, goes inside, and punches in the security code on a panel. A beep sounds. “I’ll text you the code and Wi-Fi password. There are cameras around the perimeter and at each entry point. The system is monitored twenty-four hours a day.”
I enter and close the door behind me. “What about the guys in the SUVs?”
“They’ll be wherever you are, working in pairs of two and in shifts.”
“That sounds like a lot.”
“We haven’t gone public and can’t with the case, but I have enemies who are always looking for a way to get to me. You’re important, Jayne. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
My heart melts even though I know it’s not only me he wants to keep safe. “Thanks.”
So I don’t lose myself in his eyes, I glance around. The place looks like something out of a home TV show or magazine. “This place is incredible.”
“Roddy decorated it. His husband, Mano, gave him carte blanche.” He motions to a hallway. “There’s even a nursery complete with a crib and toddler bed.”
“Oh, they have kids.”
“Two nieces, who they adore.”
