“Into the guesthouse.”
Confusion brought Alexa’s eyebrows together. “What guesthouse? We don’t have a guesthouse. My dad said my grandparents would want to move in if we built one.”
Ever the loving son. Ted wanted to say that but, for Alexa’s sake, he didn’t. “The one behind my house.”
Sophia marched across the kitchen and pulled her keys from her purse. “We are
“Why not?”
“Because. Just...forget it.”
“No one’s living there,” he said. “You might as well use it. Then you won’t have to worry about—” he glanced at Lex and stated what he had to say as euphemistically as possible “—what might happen here.”
“What if people start throwing rocks through
“They won’t.” He grinned. “They like
She glanced at the clock. “Lex, run up and put your backpack together, okay?”
Apparently, the risk of being late for school was enough to motivate her, because she jumped right up.
Once her daughter was gone, Sophia lowered her voice. “You know what people will say.”
He played dumb. “No, what?”
“They’ll think we’re sleeping together!”
“Doesn’t matter what they think.”
“And
“I’ll make sure she’s okay with it.” He dropped his voice to match hers in case Alexa came hurrying back. “What else are you going to do? Your days here are limited. You’re already down to sleeping on the floor. My guesthouse is furnished and empty. It’s not large, but at least you’ll be safe and warm.”
“I can’t afford rent yet.”
“Consider it part of your wages. It won’t cost me anything to help you out until you can get back on your feet, except the utilities, of course, and I can afford to cover that.”
Her skeptical expression said his offer had to be some sort of trap. “Why would you do this? There’s nothing in it for you.”
He checked to assure himself that Alexa wasn’t returning yet. “Sophia, last night when I was leaving, I saw a car come down your street. I can’t say that whoever it was meant you harm, but...they acted suspicious once they saw me.”
She started digging at her cuticles. “In what way?”
“They hauled ass to get out of there.”
“You couldn’t see who it was?”
He stopped her before she could draw blood. “The glare of the headlights was too bright. I tried to catch them, but...no luck.”
“Still, I’m not sure moving us into your guesthouse is the answer.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
He knew he might regret having them so close, but there’d be a lot more to regret if he left them here and something terrible happened. “It’s not like we’ll be living together, Sophia. They’re separate houses. What’s wrong with that?”
Her expression grew earnest. “I don’t want to be so vulnerable.”
He couldn’t prevent his eyes from lowering to her lips. “You’ll be far more vulnerable here.”
“Not in the same way,” she said, but before he could respond, Alexa entered the kitchen.
“Did I miss it?” she asked breathlessly.
Sophia grabbed a granola bar and shoved it in her purse. “Miss what?”
Alexa hiked up her backpack. “Will we be moving to Ted’s?”
“We’ll talk about it after school,” Sophia replied. “Go and get in the car.”
Eager for a more definite answer, she glanced between the two of them, but Sophia motioned her toward the door and she did as she was told.
“Goodbye, Mr. Dixon,” she called back.
“It’s Ted from now on, okay? That Mr. Dixon stuff is making me feel old.”
She tossed him a smile. “Okay. Goodbye, Ted.”
“Hey,” he called and she turned around.
“You’ll get through it.”
The gratitude in her eyes convinced him that he was doing the right thing in taking her and her mother in. But when he returned his attention to Sophia, he sensed that she was waiting to tell him something.
“We won’t stay there long, Ted,” she said when her daughter was gone. “I promise.” Her gaze was as intense as her words. “I’ll get out of your life as soon as I can.”
He remembered what Alexa had revealed in his kitchen yesterday. “Lex says you’re planning to move away from Whiskey Creek.”
“We are. As soon as I can save up the money. If you could just...tolerate us for three months, we should be okay. That might sound like an eternity to you right now, but...it’ll go fast.”
“I’m sure I can manage,” he said, but could he manage without falling into the trap he’d just set for himself?
“Thanks.” Her tone sounded as worried as it did relieved.
“Why don’t you let me run Lex to school while you start packing?”
She bit her lip as she considered his words.
He knew he shouldn’t, but he reached out to touch her arm. “You really don’t have a better choice. I’ll pick up some boxes on my way back.”
With a nod, she handed him her keys.
“I’ve got my car,” he said and hurried out.
“What’s going on with you?” Cheyenne asked. “You’ve been flying high the past couple of days.”
Eve glanced over at her friend. They were both in the small office at the back of the B and B. Eve was catching up on the accounting while Cheyenne placed some ads using a separate computer. Right after lunch was the quietest part of their day. The maids were busy cleaning the rooms that’d been vacated at checkout, breakfast had been served, the kitchen cleaned and they had no guests other than one couple who planned to stay for several days. “I have?” she said.
Chey sent her a pointed look. “Stop pretending you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. We’ve been friends for too long. I can see through the act.” Giving up on her work for the moment, she swiveled around. “I’ve got it! You put your profile back up on that dating site, and this time you’ve met someone who’s a real possibility.”
“No. I don’t trust that site. Not after my past experience.”
“So you got a couple of weirdos. They can’t
“Maybe it’s just my luck, but...remember the first guy I met? The one who told me he was self- employed?”
“Who turned out to live with his mother and was growing pot in her backyard?” Cheyenne said with a laugh. “How could I forget?”
“The next guy was a registered sex offender. You should’ve heard Chief Stacy give me a hard time when he confirmed
“You should’ve trusted that P.I. you hired.”
In retrospect, Eve wished she had. “The guy seemed so normal. He knew exactly what I wanted to hear. And he was handsome as sin.”
