Taking a deep breath, he picked up his glass, downed the water, and placed it carefully back down on her table. If it were Jenny being threatened like that? The police would’ve had to scrape the guy’s body off the pavement with a spatula after he and his brothers were finished with him. He would definitely have been the new face of police brutality and it would have been worth it.
Finally trusting himself to stand up without putting his fist through something, he took his glass to the sink, washing out both glasses and putting them in the drying rack. The pipes above his head shook and wheezed softly and he heard her shower turn on. He flinched and groaned, annoyed by the hardening sensation in his jeans. About ten feet away from him, through a flimsy plasterboard wall, she was naked. His hands curled over the edge of the sink until his knuckles were white.
Whatever had crackled between them in Ingrid’s living room an hour ago wasn’t going away, damn it.
He ground his jaw, staring out the window over the sink at the modest back yard, talking himself out of his attraction to her. You’re not attracted to her, Erik. That would be totally unacceptable. All this talk about her jackass of an ex-fiancé smashing bottles and threatening her? You’d feel sorry for any woman being harassed, poor thing.
Yes, of course! Poor thing. He took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling a sudden, blessed relief as he put his strange reaction to Katrin in a perfectly acceptable, manageable context. That’s all this is: She’s small and vulnerable, and she’s had a rough time, and I feel sorry for her.
The phone in his back pocket buzzed, distracting him. He clicked on the screen to read the incoming text:
If you get a minute while she’s packing, call me. Ing
Erik slipped out the front door to stand on the landing and dialed Ingrid’s number. She picked up right away.
“Erik. Thanks for calling me. You at Kat’s place?”
“Uh-huh. What’s up?”
“You know how grateful we are that you’re driving Kat up to Skidoo, right?”
“It’s no problem.”
“Good. Um, because I was kind of hoping that you’d…”
“That I’d what?” An edge crept into his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He’d do just about anything for Ingrid, but he sensed he wasn’t going to like whatever was coming next.
“A fresh start is good, but she’s going to be all alone up there, and I just wondered if you could check up on her from time to time. You know, be a friend to her while she’s up there.”
He grimaced, leaning back on the landing railing and peeking inside Kat’s kitchen window. No sign of her or her dimples. She was probably still naked in the shower. He clenched his jaw once then shook his head.
“I’m not a babysitter, Ing.”
“She’s been through a lot, Erik. She’s Sam’s cousin. It’s more for us than for her.”
“No, I get it. I just—” I just don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get attached to those dimples. “You know, I’m going up there to start a new job and all. I don’t think—”
Ingrid sighed loudly. “You can’t just check on her from time to time? For me? You don’t have to babysit her. She wouldn’t want that. Katrin’s really strong. She walked away from this guy and I’m sure that hurt, but she did it. And we sprang this move and new job on her today and you know, she’s good, she’s going. But, it would just make us all feel better to know you were checking up on her. Just swing in once in a while? Make sure she’s doing all right? You’ve got a protective streak a mile wide, Erik. This is right up your alley. Come on.”
Erik didn’t know what to say. He was sympathetic to Katrin’s situation. He wouldn’t even mind taking a swing at her scumbag ex-boyfriend. But to commit to driving a three-hour round-trip down to Skidoo Bay and back with any regularity? It sounded like the sort of scenario that could get messy, and Erik didn’t like messy.
“I only get Sundays off while I’m training.”
“Then stop by the next couple of Sundays.”
“Aw, Ing. Come on. I don’t even know her that well. What excuse am I going to make for stopping by?”
“You’re her cousin’s brother-in-law and you’re like a brother to me, and anyway, you’ll both be up there without family. Think of her as your cousin. Like Jenny or me up there all by ourselves.”
“I know you and Jenny. You are my family. She’s not.”
Her voice was disappointed and sour when she muttered: “Okay, Erik. Bad idea. Clearly. Just forget it.”
Aw, crap. Here we go. Erik ran a hand through his bristly blond hair. They always do this, her and Jenny. Damn it, why can’t I ever say no to them? There was something about his sister…and Ingrid too, for that matter. His heart had a veritable wall of ice around it when it came to any other girl in the world, but those two had always managed to get around it, the pair of them. Like a couple of human blowtorches.
He sighed in frustration and defeat. “Fine. Okay. Okay. I’ll—I’ll check in on her from time to time.”
He heard the warmth return to her voice when she answered. “You’re a good egg, Erik.”
“Keep your compliments to yourself, smärta i nacken.”
Ingrid chuckled.
“Pain in the neck,” he muttered in English. “Do you want written reports?”
“A text here or there would be fine. Just to let us know she’s okay.”
“If I said no, Jenny would’ve been on the phone, putting the screws to me in two minutes flat, right?”
“She would’ve been my next call, Minste.”
“You two are quite a team. And in no
