“What are you doing?” I ask in a snappish tone, mad at myself for letting him in and worse for making me still want what I can’t have.
He sits up in one nimble move. His eyes travel from the towel wrap on my head to my toes, then back up again, where his carefully controlled expression lands on my face. “I was waiting to ask you a few questions.”
“About what?”
“It looked like there was a confrontation between you and Carol Bates on Sunday.”
“How do you know that?” I gape at him.
“I saw it on your video footage.”
“You check my video?”
“Daily. To ensure there’s no suspicious activity.”
“I’m not a client, Jasper.”
“I don’t do it because I think you’re a client.”
“Then why?”
“You know why.”
I don’t, but what difference does it make when he has his shield firmly in place?
“Whatever.” I walk (okay, more accurately, stomp) to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of chilled Chardonnay.
“Tell me about the exchange.” He approaches the bar and folds his arms across his chest, adding another layer of steel.
I lean back against the counter and take a long sip, wetting my dry mouth. His gaze drops to my lips but just as quickly backtracks to my eyes, awaiting my answer.
“When I found Freddy sweeping the front steps and Miss Carol pulling out weeds, I calmly told her that it wasn’t her place or Freddy’s to take care of my property. But what made me lose it was when she offered her unsolicited advice about me being away for a couple of days.”
“What did she say?”
“That a man doesn’t buy the cow when the milk is free.”
His eyebrows lift in an otherwise impassive face.
“Right? I told her to butt out of my life and that this was her last warning.”
“Then days later, you get a threatening message.”
“Yes, from Talon.”
“I’m not ruling out Hunt. But until we know for sure and can get a restraining order at the least—”
“Restraining order?” I scoff. “I just want him fired.”
“This is criminal harassment, Jordyn. If it’s Hunt, and he’s going to these lengths because you got a role he wanted, do you really think he’s going to stop after he blames you for getting him fired?”
Okay, that is a valid point I hadn’t really thought about.
“Until we know what we’re dealing with, you should go stay with your parents.”
Not him too. “I’ll tell you the same thing that I’ve told them. Nobody is going to drive me out of my house—period.”
“Then I’ll stay here.”
