“Like, proper?”
Brenda gave one large head-bob. “Yes. Prim and proper at all times. It stresses me out.”
“When did you meet her?”
“She’s come through here a few times. Usually for Hunter’s birthday. She’ll take him to lunch or dinner.”
I stepped into the doorway to Hunter’s office. “I’m headed out.”
He looked up from his computer, nodded, then turned back to his work. He didn’t balk at the extra time it would take me to get ready. He knew the score.
“You’re supposed to say goodbye…” I waited for a reaction. I saw his lips quirk upward, but he ignored me. He would start saying please, thank you, and goodbye, so help me God. He might even give me chocolates and flowers. Why not? If I was going to put the effort in, I might as well go big.
Just not today. I had to beautify.
“Okay. See you on the flip side,” I said to Brenda as I passed.
“Yup. Have a good weekend.”
Bert was waiting for me by the curb. It then took an hour to get home. Those seven miles were a killer. I really hated living so far away from the city center.
As we pulled up, Bert let out a low whistle. “That’s not good.”
I glanced up from my phone where I’d been looking at code. It took a second for my eyes to adjust. When they did, I saw what Bert was looking at. Scrawled across the garage in bright pink spray paint was the word “Bitch!”
“Great,” I muttered, looking hard at the door. It was still closed, thank God. Hopefully that meant she hadn’t been able to get into the house. I had no doubt that this had been done by Blaire. She was a sore loser.
“Do you want me to go in with you?” Bert asked.
“Yes, please,” I said in a small voice. “It looks like Blaire wasn’t thrilled Hunter got out of the contract.”
Bert clicked on the hazards and got out of the car. He came around and opened my door before shadowing me through. The walls in the hallway looked fine, and the door to the flat itself was untouched.
“Here, Livy, let me.” Bert took the keys from my shaking hand and opened the door. He stepped in first, the giant muscles on his body flexing. His huge arms drifted away from his sides, ready to fight.
I blinked at him for a moment. I’d never seen him get aggressive. He’d always been sweet around me. But as he walked into the kitchen with nimble feet, perfectly balanced, it was like seeing a complete stranger.
“What did you say you did before being Hunter’s driver?” I asked with a dry mouth. I knew he would never hurt me, but truth be told, I worried about what he would do to whoever he found.
“I did a little boxing before playing in the NFL.” He passed me by, having looped around through the living room, and was now headed toward the back of the flat. “I think it’s okay, Livy.”
I stared after him. “The NFL? And you need a job?”
A moment later he walked toward me again, his body seemingly deflated and his happy-go-lucky outlook back in place. I wasn’t fooled, though.
“It’s clear.” He smiled and handed back my keys. “I was second string in the NFL. I didn’t make millions like some of the others.”
“Uh huh.”
“Mister Carlisle pays well.”
“Uh huh.”
“What’s wrong?”
I started and tore my eyes away from the man I really needed to get to know better. “Sorry.”
“Anyway, I’ll see ya, okay? Knock ’em dead!” Bert gave me a pat on the shoulder before leaving.
I glanced around the empty flat. That was nuts.
Without waiting any longer, I hurried into the shower. A quick scrub later and I was in front of my closet. The doorbell chimed.
“Who…” I stayed still, listening. It chimed again. “…is that?”
Worried that it might be Blaire, I hurried to the front of the flat and edged closer to the window. I peeked out and saw an unknown car in the driveway, blocking the garage, and a brunette with a rolling suitcase waited at the door. It wasn’t Blaire.
In confusion, I went to the speaker system as the door chimed again. I pushed the button to talk. “Who is it?”
“Olivia? It’s Pat. I’m here to do your hair and makeup.”
Pat! She had been the mastermind behind my appearance when I went to the first business meeting with Hunter.
I eagerly pushed the button to buzz her in and opened the door. I heard her clomping up the steps. She was looking around with appreciative eyes when she reached the landing. “Nice place. You’ve moved up in the world.”
“It’s Hunter’s. This is his solution to not wanting to spend the night in my old place.”