I floundered for something else to say and came up empty. Awkwardly swinging my arms, I said, “Well, I’ll let you get back to it.” With that, I headed back to the office and hoped my ass looked good if he was checking it out as I walked away.
* * *
To my utter disappointment,Grant put his shirt on before he came inside to install the entry point sensors in the office.
“We have three doors and two windows down for sensors on the work order. Does that sound correct?” he asked.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Front door, back door, side door, and those two windows,” I said and pointed to each location as I mentioned it.
He pointed to the front. “I’ll get the sensors from the truck and work my way around to each one.”
While he was outside, I stepped into my office to check on Kalen, who was still napping in his seat. Quietly closing the door, I returned to the front and took a seat behind the counter before Grant came back inside.
When he returned, he didn’t acknowledge me until he finished with the first sensor. “Hi,” I waved, before quickly putting my hand down and shoving it underneath my thigh.
He chuckled. “Hey.”
“So, about this lemonade,” he said as he moved to one of the windows. “Did you make it?”
“I did,” I said proudly.
“What do you do to make it taste so good?”
“I can’t tell you; it’s a secret recipe,” I teased.
He turned back to me with a serious expression on his face. “Well, if you’re not going to tell me, are you gonna make some more for me?”
I didn’t know how to respond. I thought he was joking, but I wasn’t sure. Before I could formulate a response, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen. “Excuse me. I need to take this,” he said and stepped outside to answer the call.
After his phone call, he resumed installing the sensors while I pretended to work and tried to think of something to say to fill the awkward silence.
“Did you find out why the cameras weren’t working?” I finally asked.
“Yes, a wire was severed. I can’t say for sure if it was caused by an animal or something else, but after I replaced the damaged wire, both cameras came back online.”
“So, you didn’t have to replace either one of them?”
“Nope. Just the wire.”
Since I didn’t have to pay for two new cameras, I wondered if that would leave me with enough money to add a basic alarm system to the house. Even though Ben had assured me not to worry, I’d been on edge since his unexpected visit and subsequent requests, especially when I was at home at night.
4
GAME
“How much does a basic residential system cost?” she asked. “Like a camera and a few door sensors for a house or whatever comes with the cheapest package you have.”
She attempted to sound casual, but something in her tone caught my attention. I’d heard the sound of underlying fear many times and recognized it easily. But never before had it made me feel the need to intervene.
I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to waste her money on a security system because all she had to do was give me the motherfucker’s name, and I’d take care of him for her. Instead, I tamped down my personal feelings and answered professionally. “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I’ll be happy to call and get a quote for you.” I glanced at my phone to check the time. “No pressure, but if you do want to add a system to your house, we had a cancellation, so I can probably install it today.”
“Really?” she asked hopefully.
And that was all it took. When the worry and fear on her beautiful face disappeared, coupled with the sound of relief in her voice, the decision was made for me. I didn’t care what price Judge quoted; she was getting a system put into her house even if I had to pay for it myself.
“Hey, man. Everything going okay?” Judge asked.
