“I have a better idea, though,” Erik said, rubbing his palms together as a smile curled the ends of his lips.
“Better than cutting the grass?” Sam asked, cocking her head. “Is there anything better than that?”
Erik raised a brow. “How about the both of you come over for dinner tonight?”
“That would be nice, thanks,” I said, grinning. The idea of being with more than just Sam eased my mind.
I never liked being with people I didn’t know well, but a lot had changed in a small amount of time. If there had been someone sneaking around the house, what could Sam and I have done to protect ourselves? The more of us there were, the better. At least, that’s what I told myself.
Sam placed her hand over her mouth and laughed. “Oh, hell no.”
13
The sun was starting to fall as Sam and I walked down the street, both of us with a bottle of wine in hand. Sam’s feet noisily scratched as they dragged on the bumpy road.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Sam grumbled.
“It’s like a role reversal. You and Olivia were always the ones trying to get me to do more things,” I said, nearly laughing.
Sam sighed. “You’re only doing this because you’re scared, and you think the two men will be able to keep us safe.”
“Yeah, that sounds like me,” I said, rolling my eyes. “When have I ever had good luck with men? Remind me again the last time one of them kept me safe.”
“Fine,” Sam muttered. “I just don’t get it. We don’t know these guys at all. For all we know, they were both sneaking around the house!”
“You sound paranoid,” I said, pointing at her with the bottle of wine. “You need to unwind.”
Sam cackled like a witch. “That’s rich.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Really, though, maybe a night not stressing about everything will help. Maybe it’ll help us come up with a plan.”
Sam’s shoulders dropped with defeat. “I’ll admit, I’m looking forward to the wine.”
“When has that not been true?” I teased.
“Touché!” Sam said, slightly raising the bottle as if making a toast. “Did you lock up?”
“Of course,” I said, reaching into my pocket to touch the keys.
It wasn’t a long walk to Erik’s house. The blue from his siding peeked out from behind the surrounding pines and evergreens.
Erik and Dorian were sitting on the front porch sipping brown liquid as we walked down the gravel driveway. They both wore silly smiles, and their eyes were glassy.
“You two just sit around drinking all day?” Sam asked.
Erik jerked his thumb at a pail sitting next to his grill. “I find food.”
“And I chopped wood,” Dorian said, nodding to a pile of wood stacked at the side of the house.
“Sounds like you have everything all figured out,” Sam said with a laugh.
“How is your project coming along?” Erik asked.
I stepped onto the porch and leaned back against the railing. “We finished it up a short while ago. You two aren’t the only ones getting stuff taken care of.”
“What is your project?” Dorian asked.
“It’s top-secret,” Sam said, tapping her finger to her lips.
“They’re collecting and boiling water,” Erik said, smirking. “Pretty smart, actually.”
Sam looked at them with satisfaction. “We’re smart women.”
“Catching your own food is pretty smart too,” I said, scrunching up my nose. “There is only so much condensed soup a person can eat.”
“Turns out that amount is a lot, though,” Sam said, pointing to her bottle of wine. “Corkscrew?”
Erik slapped the armrests of his chair and pushed himself to his feet. “Sure thing. Hey, Dorian?”
“Yeah?” he said, turning to him.
“Get the grill going?” Erik asked.
“What’s on the menu?” I asked.
They both looked at me. Their mouths moved at the same time. “Fish.”
“Oh, but I make up some mean mashed potatoes,” Erik said.
“Sounds good,” I said, smiling. Anything would be better than more soup and beans.
Sam followed Erik into the house. I heard her gasp and compliment his home as the door closed behind them.
“Help me?” Dorian asked.
“I don’t know my way around a grill, but sure,” I said, crossing my arms.
“That’s okay. I just wanted the company. Unless, of course, you’re afraid I might be some kind of weirdo like your friend seems to think,” Dorian said, pressing his lips together.
I exhaled softly. “I don’t think you’re a weirdo or a creep or anything. Sam’s just being protective.”
“Wish I would have had a friend like her when I was growing up to keep my dad away. Now, he’s the kind of guy you need to worry about,” Dorian said, lighting the grill. The flame shot up but quickly died back down.
“Are you worried he’s going to come looking for you?” I asked.
Dorian looked into my eyes. “Truth?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Terrified he will, but lucky for me, he’s a lazy son of a bitch,” Dorian said, taking a long drink. “He’d much rather sit around and talk about what he’ll do once he finds me than actually doing it.”
Sam and Erik erupted from the house, giggling. She had a glass of wine in each hand.
“There not both for me,” she said as she handed me one.
I smiled and clinked her glass before taking a sip. The liquid slid down my throat, warming me as it made its way into my stomach. The first drink was always my favorite because I was convinced I could feel it moving through me.
“Melaney Jean Carter, you are not going to believe what Erik’s house looks like on the inside,” Sam said, wagging her brows. “This old siding, grill, and rickety front porch are so deceiving.”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Erik said, flicking me a look. “I’d be happy to give you a tour if you’d like.”
“Um,” I said, looking back
