“Okay, I’ll trust you, but it better look good or no extra egg rolls for you.”
Sean tapped her on the nose, making her blink and smile. “You’re one cruel woman, Abigail.”
“I know,” she said as she walked into the bathroom to finish gathering the things she was going to need for the camping trip.
Abigail spent the afternoon watching Sean fix the wall as she sat at the dining-room table making phone calls and looking over the schedule for the new orders. The largest portion of the requests were for Sean. They wanted him in every way possible, and that made something funny happen to her stomach every time she opened a new request for him. She finally concluded after the sixth video request that she didn’t want other people watching Sean jack off or riding a motorcycle naked. Hell no. She wanted him all to herself.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Abigail?” Sean asked and took a gulp of the iced tea she’d made. “The wall looks weird now, but it will look great after I apply the treatment. It’ll look old, like a castle kitchen. It’s going to match your stainless-steel appliances. I promise.”
“I know,” she said, a bit embarrassed that he’d caught her gawking at him. “It already looks ten times better.”
“Just trust me.”
The simple phrases meant more to her than he’d ever know. “I…do trust you.”
The smile that lit up his face made her smile too.
The afternoon went fast as they both took care of their separate tasks, every once in a while stopping to laugh at the dog or snack on the leftover Chinese food. Sean didn’t seem to mind that Abigail liked to eat. He encouraged her to eat an extra fortune cookie but not before making her open it up and say “in bed” after each fortune she read. That caused another riot of laughter when her second one read, “You will find great adventures…in bed.”
The day became so relaxed she could almost forget the lingering fear that Justin could step through the door at any moment, or that another call would come over the answering machine. She’d called the phone company to have the number changed, but they said it would take two days to activate. It was two days too many.
“So,” Sean said with his back turned to Abigail so he could stretch to paint behind the stove, “are you ever going to tell me the truth about the key chain and phone calls? I’m not stupid, ya know. After I thought about it, I think there’s more to this than you’re telling me.” He straightened back up and pointed the paint brush in her direction. “If this crazed fan is someone you know or was once a performer or whatever, I want to know about it. This can escalate, Abigail. What if he wants to do more than stalk you?”
Abigail felt her stomach roll. The General Tso’s chicken wasn’t sitting so well all of a sudden. “I’ll be right back.”
She ran into the bathroom and made it to the sink just in time to splash water on her face and stop the wave of nausea. She leaned over the basin, studying her reflection in the mirror. She should just tell him. Maybe Justin wouldn’t find her and make good on his promise to kill her or any man he found her with. What if she told Sean and his rage forced him to go after Justin? She shook her head. No, she couldn’t think about the two men fighting. Justin’s unstable mental state could make him harm Sean. She just couldn’t risk it. After brushing her teeth, she opened the door to the bathroom and ran smack into a muscular chest.
Sean grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in close to steady her. “You okay?”
“Um, sometimes Chinese food doesn’t sit well with my stomach. Is the kitchen done yet? I’ve got everything packed and ready to go. Can we leave soon?”
He tugged her against his chest. “I want you to know that I’m not going to leave you, no matter what you have to tell me. If this is a boyfriend of yours you want taken care of, I can do that for you. After I talk to him, believe me, he won’t bother you anymore.”
“Can we just go, please?” Penelope ran between their legs. “See, even she’s ready to head out. Let’s go to your place.” As long as Justin didn’t follow them, she’d be safe there for the night. And she figured they’d be safe at Carl’s cabin too, seeing as it was so far in the woods.
Sean ran his hand along her ponytail. “Okay, we can go.” He hesitantly leaned in, and her heart stopped. Please kiss me. Please kiss me. He pressed his lips to the top of her head. Her pride deflated just a bit. It’d have to do. “Come see what I did, and tell me if you like it.”
They walked into the kitchen, and Abigail’s mouth gaped open. The wall was beautiful. The small space looked like a kitchen from her favorite home-improvement show. The new color freshened up the space and seemed to add more light.