Page 72 of Keeping Amanda
“I’m good,” she said softly, obviously knowing what he was doing. “It was kind of scary at the time, as I didn’t know what was happening. I had to stay outside, and I was still in my freaking pajamas. But the more time that passes, the less confused and the more angry I get. I mean, I’m ateacher! Not adrug dealer. How anyone could think I’d have anything to do with drugs is beyond me. Did you find out anything about the school? Are they okay?”
“Tex is looking into it, and he said he’d get with me as soon as he learns anything.” Looking over her shoulder, Buck’s lips pressed together. He could see down the hall to her bedroom, and while she might’ve had time to clean up the kitchen and living area, her room still looked like a disaster. He got angry all over again at the breach of privacy.
“It’s okay,” she soothed, seeing where his gaze had landed. “It’s not that bad.”
“I’m going to make sure whoever called in that tip regrets it with every fiber of their being,” he said from behind clenched teeth.
To his surprise, Mandy chuckled. He looked away from the messy bedroom to her face. “What’s funny?”
“Just that I had the same thought myself. But I’m guessing you have the means and ability to do much more than I’d be able to. Nash, you should’ve seen Rain. He actually barked! I wasn’t sure he could. But he knew those men were here before I did, before they knocked. He growled in his throat, then stood between me and the door andbarked. I was shocked.”
Buck had mixed feelings once again. He was proud of the dog for protecting Mandy, but pissed that he’d had to do it at all. She should have been safe in her apartment. Shouldn’t have to worry about people coming into her personal space and invading her privacy.
“Good boy,” Buck said, praising Rain, who had gone back to his bed after greeting Buck at the door.
“How did the rest of your morning go?” he asked. “I mean, before the DEA fuckup. You have any luck finding a job or figuring out the certification thing?” Buck was doing his best to control his emotions. His anger. He wanted todosomething, but all he could do at the moment was wait for more intel to come infrom Tex. So in the meantime, he needed to do whatever he could to make Mandy feel comfortable. As if things were under control. And to do that, he needed to stay in control himself.
“Not great. I mean, I’ve narrowed down the list of schools that have online programs, but I haven’t found any open positions.”
“What about subbing?” Buck asked, remembering she’d mentioned that at some point in the last week.
“I heard from a teacher who I used to work with about someone she knows who teaches first grade, who’s about to go on maternity leave. The admin is looking for a long-term sub, which would be ideal…but I’m not sure it’s a great idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s on the naval base.”
“Why is that not a good idea?” Buck asked, genuinely confused.
“Because you work there.”
“And?”
“And I don’t want to crowd you. Home in on your turf.”
Buck shook his head in exasperation. “How is working at the same naval base as me homing in on my turf?”
“I don’t know. It just feels…weird, somehow?”
“It’s not weird. It’s perfect. We could save gas. Only take one car to work. I could come over to the school and see you at lunch. Soundsidealto me.” And it did. With any other woman, she might have a good point. He might’ve felt as if having her so close all the time would be suffocating. But he liked the idea of her being on the naval base. It didn’t guarantee she’d be safe from any kind of violence, but he thought it would at least be a little safer than if she was in one of the public schools in the area.
“Really? You aren’t just saying that?”
“No.”
“Maybe I’ll call tomorrow and see if I can put in an application,or at least talk to someone in administration about the position then.”
“Good. Have you eaten?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No. Didn’t really feel like it.”
“How about I grill us some chicken or something. It won’t take long. We can have some of that flavored rice you like so much to go with it.”
“Sounds good. I can work on putting the bedroom back in order while you cook.”
“No. We’ll do it together after we eat. For now, sit. Relax. You’ve had a hard day.”
“I can help.”
