“Thanks, Maggie,” I said, feeling the heat rise to my face. “I like it here, too.”
For the second half of the day, I could focus a bit better on my patients and not so much on my own insecurities. By the time the office closed, and I left to go home, I hadn’t even thought about Amanda since lunch. It was almost six when I got back to the high rise, and Korbin was waiting for me up in the loft, dinner, and wine already laid out as though he knew I’d been having a weird day.
“Prince Charming,” I said, kicking off my shoes by the door. “What would I do without you?”
“Live off frozen pizzas and soda pop, probably,” he teased, taking me into his arms to kiss me. I melted into him, feeling a million times better than I’d felt for the last couple of days. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy,” he said, nuzzling my neck until I shivered with pleasure. “Some stuff went down at the station, and I had to stay late.” He took my hand and led me to the table to sit down, pouring us each a glass of wine before dishing up a plate of lasagna and cutting the loaf of garlic bread.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, sensing it really wasn’t. Korbin didn’t say anything at first, and that’s when I knew that everything probably wasn’t okay.
“I told you about the arsonist,” he said, taking a seat across from me, and I nodded, taking a bite of the delicious meal he’d prepared for us.
“Yes, was the arsonist caught?”
“No,” Korbin said, focusing his attention on the slice of bread he held in his hand. I could tell he needed to say something but wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to. “We think—we think it might be Amanda.”
“Amanda?” I repeated, placing my hand over my mouth so food wouldn’t dribble in shock. “What makes you think it’s Amanda?”
“Circumstance,” said Korbin. “We can’t prove it yet.”
“How sure are you that it’s her?” I asked, and he shrugged, finally raising his chin to meet my gaze. “It adds up. Have you seen her around recently? After you visited with your mother?”
“Yes.” I set my fork down and took a sip of wine, wishing they were shots of vodka instead. “Remington and I went to dinner the other night, and she was at the restaurant.”
“What was she doing?”
“Just sitting. Eating, I presume.”
“Did she see you?”
“If she did, she pretended not to.”
Korbin nodded as if this confirmed all of his suspicions. “I think I want to take some time off of work to be here with you,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t trust that Amanda won’t try to get at you. I don’t think she should continue working with Susan, either.”
“Don’t be silly.” I reached over the table and took Korbin’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I can talk to the doctor about removing Amanda from her service, but Mom might be angry. And as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to babysit me. I can handle myself.”
“It’s not about babysitting you, Peyton.” Shaking his head, Korbin stood up from the table, abandoning his dinner, and then took my hand, leading me to the couch to sit beside me. He turned his body towards me, genuine concern etched into his features like engraved stone. “If Amanda is the arsonist, she’s dangerous,” he said, his thumb unconsciously stroking my hand. “And I won’t let her hurt you. Until she’s in police custody, I’m not comfortable leaving you alone.”
Irritation rose in my stomach pit, and I suddenly dropped my hand from Korbin’s. “If you think I’m afraid of this little girl, you’re sorely mistaken, Korbin Butler.”
He laughed when I said his full name, but even the laugh was strained. Worried. “It’s not you that I’m worried about,” he said. “It’s her. And—and it’s me. If something happened to you because of something I caused, I could never forgive myself, Peyton. Never. Besides, for all we know, she’s the one who's been calling and the one who vandalized your car.
“Nothing will happen to me.” I leaned over and pressed my lips against Korbin’s, catching him off guard, but for a moment, he was silent as he kissed me back, eyes closing as we lost ourselves in the moment. “I promise.”
“You can’t promise that,” Korbin said, pulling away abruptly. “You can’t promise that nothing will happen because you don’t know.Idon’t know.”
“Hey,” I said gently, touching the stubble on his chin with my fingers. “That’s part oflife, Korbin. All we can do is live each day like it matters and hope for the best.”
“You’re not taking this seriously, Peyton.” Korbin jumped to his feet, angry suddenly. I stayed where I was, watching him pace the floor in front of me. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to provoke him, but I also knew that we had to get this under control before he really lost it.
“I am taking it seriously,” I said steadily. “But panicking about something—orsomeone—who may or may not be a threat to us seems counterproductive to me, Korbin. Yes, we all know she’s weird. Butarson? Really?”
He stopped pacing just briefly to stare at me, the muscles in his jaw twitching with anger. “Why won’t you let me protect you?” he asked, and his voice was softer now. More frightened, even. I got to my feet then and crossed around the coffee table, taking him into my arms.
“I managed to survive my entire life without you there to protect me,” I said softly, brushing my lips against his ear. “You underestimate my survival skills.”
Korbin smiled. It was tiny, but it was there, and he kissed me on the cheek, lips lingering a moment longer than necessary. I closed my eyes and let him hold me, feeling my body relax, melting into him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, taking my chin between his fingers. “Are you sure I can’t stay home? Be with you until this all blows over?”
