She breathed out in relief. He’d taken the onus off her to ask, which made him all the more wonderful and made it all the worse that she’d probably blown it as far as a relationship went. “Thank you. I spoke with Dale Soza, and he promised not to run the story. How did Owen take the news?”
“Not well. He doesn’t believe in our abilities, so he doesn’t know what to make of it. What’s your schedule like today? I want to come over and go over our plan, since we got waylaid last night.”
He sounded cool, businesslike. She smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. She’d really screwed up. Unless Owen turned out to be Kiss and Kill Cupid, and maybe not even then. “I’m picking up an arrangement of flowers for my mom and going to take them to her. Other than that, I’m free.”
“How about four o’clock?”
Too late for lunch, too early for dinner. “Sounds fine.”
She hung up and slung her purse over her shoulder. The kitchen was spotless, cleaned through the power of nervous energy. She tied a dark pink scarf around her neck and headed out into a sunny but chilly day.
She returned by four and found Adrian arriving. Damn, why did he look even more gorgeous now that she’d probably lost him?
She gave him a soft smile as he held the door open for her. They ascended the stairs to the second floor, and she unlocked the door. After a quick glance around, she said, “Good, looks like my roommate’s already gone.” She turned to him. “Come, follow me.” She walked into her bedroom, turning to see him standing in the living area looking dubious. “To go over the plan.”
She was going to have to act just as businesslike as he was and pretend her heart wasn’t breaking. She stepped over to the window. “So I was thinking, he’s probably going to come in here.” She looked out at the fire escape and got a shiver. “The fire escape runs almost to the living-room window. If I hang around the living room, he could come into my bedroom so I don’t see him.”
She walked over to her dresser and handed him a piece of paper that was lying next to her perfume bottles. “This is a rough map of the building. You can come around the back from the side street, here. I scoped out a good place to park and the best way to approach the rear entrance.” She pointed to the area she’d marked. “He might be hiding back along here, so you should disguise yourself in case he’s seen us together.”
“He’s always struck in the evening, but I’m not taking a chance he won’t break with his tradition like he did last year.” He folded the map and put it in his pocket. “If he’s seen us together, he’ll probably think we’re dating.”
She bit her lower lip. Think they’re dating. Not know.
“It’ll seem strange if we’re not together on Valentine’s Day, at least for a while,” he continued. “I’ll pick you up in the morning. We can go to breakfast, walk around, have lunch and catch a movie. Then I’ll drop you off here, leave, and come around the way you described. You need to keep those curtains closed until I’m in, then you can open them for a bit. I’m going to be waiting in your closet.”
He had it all figured out. “Should we have a signal? Like, if I say ‘bullocks,’ that means I’ve heard something suspicious.”
His expression darkened. “I still don’t like this.”
Well, at least he was worried about her. That was a good thing, right? “I’ll be fine. You’ll have the phone ready to call 911.”
“I’ve already got it programmed in as a speed dial. And I’m bringing my haul ropes, what I use for climbing. As soon as he comes in through the window and starts to sneak into the living area, I’ll grab him from behind and tie him up. I’ve got my wall hammer if I need it.”
“What if he’s got a weapon?”
“I’ve got the element of surprise. And strength.” He looked at her. “And determination.” For a second, she saw that glimmer of protectiveness in his eyes.
“Thank you. And I’m sorry if I complicated things. I just wanted to cover all my bases.”
He looked away from her. “Call if you need me.”
“I can…make dinner if you’re not doing anything.”
“I’m having dinner with Owen. He’s kind of freaked-out. All this is bringing up some bad memories.”
She winced. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After he left, she leaned against the door with a sigh. “I do need you.”
She pushed away from the door, the energy drained right out of her. She’d never let herself fall in love before. Maybe a fun infatuation, but not love. The thoughts always got in the way. Nobody told her how hard it would be to lose a real lover.