“Denny’s breakfast will be here in twenty minutes. The whole works. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m not doing it on an empty stomach.” When she raised her eyebrows knowingly, he rolled his eyes at her. “Mind out of the gutter, Red.” She couldn’t help the smirk or laugh that escaped her. He notched his chin toward the barstools at the counter. “Why don’t you grab a paper and pen and we’ll get started on listing what we need to do today.”
Half an hour later, the two of them were sitting shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen counter, to go containers of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy sausage links, perfectly browned pancakes, crunchy hashbrowns, and an entire container of fresh fruit sitting open in front of them. Travis lifted a tall glass of orange juice to his lips, and Roxy had to force her eyes away from the way his Adam’s Apple bobbed with each swallow, her pulse thrumming through her entire body straight down her middle. A notepad and pen were situated between them, listing each room and what items would need to be packed to take with them on this trip. The back of her 4Runner was big, but looking at the growing list between them, she knew it was going to be full by the time they were done.
Travis ate twice as much as she did, polishing off the sausage links and the final pancake, as well as the hashbrowns, which he slathered in ketchup. Roxy stabbed a piece of pineapple from the to go container, bringing it to her mouth. It was tangy and sweet. She went to stab another piece, but he reached out and took hold of her wrist, guiding the fork to his own mouth. He bit it between his straight, beautiful white teeth, tearing the fruit before closing his lips around the fork entirely.
He winked. “For later.”
Oh god. She was inso much trouble.
Twenty-Four
Natalie showed up around eleven that morning, face tear streaked and eyes red from crying. “I can’t believe you’re leaving. I don’t want you to go!”
Travis had excused himself to the guest bedroom while she and Natalie embraced, giving them privacy for their good-byes, which she was grateful for. When he emerged from down the hallway, they both turned to look at him. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder, back down the hallway. “Bed is stripped and all the sheets are in the wash. Was that last bin in the bathroom ready to go?”
She nodded, and then Blondie swiped her face free of tears, before huffing out a breath and setting her hands on her hips. “Okay. Put me to work. I can’t cry anymore or I’m going to get a bitch of a headache. What else needs to be done?”
“Honestly, we got a lot banged out already,” Roxy said, gesturing toward the two suitcases piled by the door, and a large storage tote filled with other necessities. Piled on top were her pillows and a soft blanket that she would be taking for the road trip. It was all she was taking with her. Travis ignored the choice of words, though he did rather enjoy the telltale flush of red that flashed across her face when she realized what she’d said.Natalie’s eyes ping-ponged between them. Roxy vaulted toward the kitchen, raiding the fridge for bottles of water. She handed one to him, not meeting his eyes, and then strode over and handed another to Natalie. She wrung her hands in front of her. She wished she had a garage that she could pull her vehicle into to hide it away from prying eyes. “I’m worried about how to get all of that into the car without him seeing, if he’s watching. He’ll know what I’m doing. And I don’t want him to know where you live, Travis, if he follows when we go to get your things. What about your car? It’s still in the driveway.”
“It can stay here for now.”
“What if Neal does something to it?” she asked, wringing her hands. She’d feel terrible if Neal did something to damage Travis’s car.
“It’s just a vehicle, Roxy,” he said gently. “My concern is you, not my car.”
Natalie pursed her lips. Roxy had explained everything to her over the phone, when she’d called to tell her she was leaving. Now, Natalie twisted the cap of the water bottle repeatedly. “What if you come with me for like a coffee run? Get you out of the house, if he’s really out there like you think, he’ll followus, right? If he’s as possessive as we think, he’s not going to let you out of his sight, and he’d never be ballsy enough to try and do anything to Travis after the beat down he got last night. You’ll be with me, we’ll be in public… he can’t be stupid enough to attack you in a fucking Starbucks, for god’s sake. While we’re gone Travis can get the car packed up, maybe even sneak over to his place and get his things?” Roxy bobbled her head, considering the idea. Natalie gestured to Travis. “He can lock up on his way out, and then we can meet somewhere with a back exit, and we’ll sneak you out. You guys can be on the road before he knows you’re gone.”
“That’s actually a really good idea,” Travis said gruffly, nodding.
Natalie laughed and shrugged. “True Crime Podcasts are my jam. He’s easy to figure out.” Turning to Travis, she said, “We’ll be super careful while we’re out. We won’t go anywhere secluded; we will stay in busy public areas until you call to let us know you’re ready.” She looked at Roxy then. “And you’re bringing your gun, just in case.”
“You have a gun?” Travis asked, turning those honey gold eyes on her. She nodded, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Good. I’ll have mine with me as well, after I get it from home. Take my number down, both of you.” They did as he said, entering his phone number into their contacts, just in case. Then he gestured around to the house. They had tidied up and boxed as much as possible that she would be having the moving company come back for later. Natalie would be in charge of making sure that happened, in another couple weeks. “Is there anything else we need?”
Roxy shook her head, looking around her small house. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t you two head out then, and try not to cry into your coffees?” he teased, though she saw the gentleness in those eyes. Giving her the time to say a proper ‘see you later’ to her best friend.
“No promises,” Roxy murmured softly, smiling over at Natalie.
“If you cry, I cry.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely cry,” Roxy laughed then, shaking her head. “I just need to grab my purse; my gun is already in it, don’t worry. Oh, and my sunglasses.”
She had been loathe to put make-up on her battered face, knowing even just the pressure of her make-up sponge would be painful. Travis still hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of herall morning, though she wasn’t sure if he was staring ather, or the bruising marring her face. She’d pulled on a pair of soft biker shorts in a bright teal color, and they hit high on her thighs. A loose fitted Jelly Roll band tee that she had cropped hung at her waist. Her hair was pulled up into a high topknot. So, with no make-up to hide the state of her face, big, chunky sunglasses would have to do. She picked them up off the counter and placed them on the top of her head before sliding her feet into a pair of comfortable sneakers. Settling her purse—weighed down with the gun nestled inside—across her chest, the strap dug in between her breasts.
Glancing around the house again, she blinked away the tears that stung her nose and eyes. This was the last time she would be here. It had been her home for so long. She turned to Travis, then gasped and dug into her purse, pulling her keys out. “You might want these,” she laughed, placing them in his palm. “You’re sure you’re okay to stay here and load up?”
He rolled his eyes. “You have two small suitcases and a tote bin. I think I can handle that.”
“Don’t forget the blanket and pillows,” she teased, heading toward the door with Natalie.
“My little Passenger Princess, your carriage will be awaiting you,” Travis teased back, chuckling. He stopped her by taking hold of her hand before she got to the door, and when she looked up at him, he said earnestly, “I’ll probably be an hour or so, is that okay? You call me if you see him, if he gets anywhere near you.”
“Okay, Travis,” she said softly, nodding. His eyes tracked over her entire face again, his lips thinning, those brows furrowing.
“I’ll see you in an hour, baby girl,” he murmured quietly, and she sighed, knowing the first thing Natalie was going to grill her about once they got into the privacy of her car.
“See you in an hour,” she agreed, and then he squeezed her fingers lightly before they left.
