Page 28 of Hard Evidence
“Everything will be okay,” he promised.“This is just a bump in the road.”
A simple problem, a simple solution.If Justin had known that the bump was big enough to rip out his entire transmission, maybehewould’ve been tempted to flee the state.But there was barely a hint of what was to come.
With the fires of hell hovering over the horizon, he picked up his chopsticks and dug into the chow mein.
CHAPTER13
JESSALYN
“You have ahold of him?”Justin asked from the hallway.
“Yup.”
He walked in with the cat in his arms, and I gripped Shiro’s leash tighter as Justin deposited her on the floor.Shadow stalked toward us, her tail held high, and Shiro took a tentative step forward to investigate.He tried sniffing.When the cat hissed and swiped with a paw, poor Shiro backed up so fast his ass hit the couch.
“Better than chasing her, I guess,” Justin said.“Sorry about that.”
Relief flooded through me.I’d been so worried Shiro would react badly, and where would that have left us?Sleeping in the car again.I didn’t like seeing him scared, but avoiding the cat was infinitely better than chasing her.
“It’s okay.Really, it’s fine.”
More than fine.
How had we gotten to this point?Well, after dinner last night, Justin had walked around the neighbourhood with us, me holding Shiro and him carrying a flashlight, and we’d talked.Until that quiet stroll, I’d never believed in fate, but if I ever found Tiffany the scammer, I thought I might hug her instead of punching her in the face.Of all the fake addresses she could have used, of all the places she could have sent me, she’d led me right to Justin Norquist’s door.The one man who might actually have a heart.
“I wasn’t looking for a roommate,” he’d said.“But I’m not going to kick you out onto the street.As long as your dog gets along with my cat, you can stay in the guest room until you find a job and a place of your own.I spend a lot of time at work, so it’s not as if you’ll be in my way.”
Those damn tears threatened again, and I was both proud and relieved when I managed to hold them back.Justin was so freaking kind.Saylor said there were nice guys out there, but they were like gold nuggets in a stream full of pebbles.I’d never dreamed I might actually meet one of them.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?We just landed on your doorstep and…”
And Shiro pulled off his towel.Justin was wearing jeans and a sweater now, but I’d never get that image of bare, damp skin out of my mind.The well-defined chest, the taut abs, the happy trail that led to?—
“I’m sure,” he said firmly.
“I swear you won’t even know we’re here.If you have visitors, we can make ourselves scarce.”
“I already decided to give dating a break for a while, and I’m not the type of guy who throws dinner parties.My housekeeper comes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but the place is empty the rest of the time.”
“As soon as I find a job, I can start paying rent.”
“I don’t need the money.Keep it toward a security deposit.Buy yourself a tripod and start another cooking blog.Use it to pay a divorce lawyer.”
A divorce lawyer… Obviously, I’d have to face the music at some point, but the thought of seeing Ridge again made my stomach flip-flop between fear and nausea.
“I don’t…I don’t think I’m ready for a divorce yet.”
Justin hadn’t seemed happy about that.No, he’d walked on ahead while Shiro sniffed at a bush, and I knew I’d have to tiptoe carefully around the subject of Ridge.I couldn’t afford to upset my host, not until I had somewhere more permanent to escape to.
I’d barely slept last night, alert to every movement of the house, and predictably, I’d gotten an ear-bashing when I checked in with Saylor this morning.
“You did what?”she asked.
“It was only dinner.”
“Ever heard the expression ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’?”
“Justin seems nice.”A little prickly, but kind.
