I followed her to the garage and got what I needed. It didn’t take long to take the garden box apart and nail two sides of it across the top and lower part of her front door. “That will keep anyone from opening the door,” I told Presley when I was finished.
“Thank you,” she said. “I got you a couple of pillows and some blankets for the couch. Do you need anything else?”
“I’ll be fine,” I assured her.
“We’re going to head to bed. Ariel’s ready to drop.” It was clear to me that Presley was, too. It had been a long day with a lot of excitement.
“Good night.”
“Night, Ink.”
9
PRESLEY
Iwasn’t surprised when Ariel followed me to my bedroom to go to sleep. I was rattled by the break-in, so I knew she was too. Even though I knew the front door was secure, and Ink was in the living room, I still locked my bedroom door and pushed my dresser in front of it.
“If there’s a fire, we’re trapped,” Ariel said.
I pointed to the two windows in my room. “No, we’re not.”
“Do you think they’ll come back?” she asked quietly.
“No, I don’t, but I know how our minds work, so I pushed the dresser in front of the door to keep our imaginations in check.” I truly didn’t think whoever broke into my house would return, but if they did, they would be met with a big, tattooed biker. Even though he didn’t seem the least bit scary to me, I had no doubt that he could be if necessary.
I assumed Ariel would fall asleep as soon as we got settled in bed, but I was wrong. After a few moments of silence, she asked, “Do you like Ink?”
“Yeah, he seems like a nice guy.”
“That’s not what I mean, Mom.”
“Oh,” I said, feigning ignorance. I knew exactly what she meant the first time. I just wasn’t prepared to answer. “Um, I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”
“You should think about it.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I think he likes you. And you haven’t really dated anyone, like ever.”
“I’ve dated. You just didn’t know about it.”
“Really?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I sometimes went on dates when you spent the weekend with your grandparents. I wasn’t going to bring any men around you until I knew they had staying potential. Obviously, none did.”
“I had no idea,” she admitted.
“Good. You weren’t supposed to.”
“For what it’s worth, I like Ink. And I think he likes you.”
“Are you giving me your permission to date Ink?” I teased.
She laughed. “I’m just saying I’d be okay with it if that’s something you were concerned about.”
“You are, and always will be, my number one priority. Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”
“Good night, Mom. I love you.”
