It was hard to believe my body would relax enough to fall asleep, but eventually, I did. That was something the medicine helped with.
Sam’s footsteps woke me. It felt as though I’d only just closed my eyes.
She was chugging a meal replacement drink as she walked over to the patio door.
“Morning,” I said, stretching my arms over my head.
The bat clanked to the floor. Sam spun on her heel and placed her hand on her chest.
“Holy shit, Mel! You scared the hell out of me!” Sam squawked as her brow wrinkled. “Why do you have a baseball bat?”
“Well, since you want me to tell you every—”
“Yes, I do.”
I exhaled. “I thought I saw someone walking past the patio door last night.”
I pressed my feet down onto the worn-down carpet and twisted side to side. My back cracked down my spine, loosening my joints.
Sam shook her head. “Who would be out here in the middle of the night? Mel,” she said, pressing her palms together, “he’s not in Wisconsin. You are safe.”
“There’s that word safe again,” I said, pressing my lips together.
“Well, safe from him.” Her eyes widened, and she held up a finger. “Wait! You know who it probably was, though, right? That creep who’s staying with that Erik guy. He was probably snooping around here!”
“Yeah, because all guys want to stalk me,” I mumbled.
Sam cocked her head to the side. “I’m not going to leave you alone anymore, that’s for sure.”
“What about when we sleep?” I asked, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. “There isn’t enough room on the couch for both of us.”
“We’ll bring the couch into the bedroom,” Sam said, with a half-shrug.
“It wasn’t Dorian,” I groaned as I pushed myself to my feet. My legs were sore, either from crawling around or from hauling the water from the bay. Maybe both. “It was probably just an animal or something.”
“How are you doing with your medicine?” Sam asked, shifting her eyes to the bottle on the coffee table.
I picked up the bottle and screwed off the child-proof top. “Thirty days left, give or take.”
Sam looked at me with concern. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was thinking about what would happen when the medicine ran out.
“There is a town to our north,” I said. “They have a pharmacy.”
“What are you suggesting?” Sam asked.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think they’ll be open,” I said, staring at the bottle.
A knock at the front door caused us both to jump. I started toward the door but hesitated. I bent down, picking up the bat… just in case.
“Hey,” Erik said, his smile fading as his eyes landed on the bat. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” I said, flashing him a smile.
“You’re holding a weapon,” Erik said, holding out a covered plastic container. “Brought you some leftovers.”
Sam stepped up beside me and took the container. She popped it open, and her nose wrinkled at the overpowering smell of cooked fish.
“How thoughtful. You should really tell your new roommate to stay off our property, though. Let him know that he isn’t welcome here.”
“What are you talking about?” Erik asked.
“Someone was snooping around out back last night,” Sam said with a hand on her hip. “I know it was that creepy guy you let into your home.”
He shook his head. “That’s impossible. We were up all night patching up the roof and ceiling. I found a lot of problems during the storm that needed repair.”
Sam’s eyes flicked away. “You couldn’t have been with him every minute.”
“If there was even a small chance it could be him, I’d tell you,” Erik said, looking into my eyes. “But the truth is, there is absolutely no way Dorian was here last night.”
“I was probably just seeing things,” I said. “It was dark, and I was totally drained.”
“What exactly did you see?” Erik asked.
I chewed on my cheek as I turned toward the wall. “It just seemed like someone ran past the patio door. It happened so fast.”
“Mind if I have a look outside?” Erik asked.
“Not at all,” I said, pulling the door open wider as I gestured toward the back door.
It wasn’t until he stepped inside the house that I remembered the mess he was stepping into. I’d never let anyone into the house in all my years living there, and now both Sam and Erik had seen the way my mom had lived.
It was strange, though, as it hadn’t bothered me to let Sam inside, but letting Erik in was different. The embarrassment reddened my cheeks.
I wanted to make an excuse or somehow explain why the house was a disaster, but there wasn’t anything I could say. There was no excuse for the mess other than it wasn’t mine.
I was relieved when Erik unlocked the back door and stepped outside. At least I hadn’t seen his judging eyes as he walked through the house.
“What’s all that about?” Erik asked, pointing to the pile of jugs, bottles, and containers.
“We’re working on a project,” Sam said, crossing her arms.
“Looks like fun,” Erik said as he turned his attention to the ground. “You might not want to store your project outside.”
I followed him as he walked around the house. My eyes scanned the ground, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
The ground near the house was still soft from the rain, but the grass was overgrown and would have hidden any print from an animal or a human.
“I have a push mower,” Erik said. “I should come back and trim this for you.”
“That isn’t necessary,” I said, waving my hand.
“Could attract insects or other pests,” Erik said.
Sam snorted. “Indeed,
