He sighed as he started adding the spices to the pot and shot me a sympathetic look when he was done. “It’s not your fault. We shouldn’t have to be on guard from idiots and assholes. You have every right to get lost in an amazing day. I just hate that someonecame along and spoiled it for you. He didn’t try to put his hands on you again, did he?”
“Naa, that was the only good thing about being out in public like that. He just ran his mouth until I hunted down the manager.”
“Good thinking; I’m glad you got the video too.”
“So am I. It was the only thing I could think to do to make him leave me alone,” I said as I started unpacking and putting away the groceries. “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Same. Mr. Dorian’s whole setup was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The whole workflow thing with every station lined up so he can move through each stage of the process was so organized. I’ve never really thought about how something went from an idea to actually existing.”
“I just want to play in the playroom,” I said as I went to put the onions, shallots, and garlic in the three-tiered basket rack beside the microwave, only to have him snag an onion from my hands.
“Whatever that is you’re making, it smells delicious.”
“Crabcakes and she-crab soup,” he replied. “They’ll be ready soon. I’d have already been done if I’d remembered to grab onions from the corner store when I popped in yesterday. I only had one, so I made the crabcakes since there is way more prep that goes into them.”
“I’m just going to set the table and sit over here drooling until they’re finished.”
“And afterwards we can watchThe Fate of the Furious,” Murry declared.
“I thought we finished that one last night?”
“No, that was seven.”
“Are you sure?” I asked because I was certain that we’d made it to the final movie.
“I think so. I guess we’ll know if I’m right when the opening scene hits.”
“True enough,” I replied as I finished getting the plates, cups, and utensils on the table and opened the fridge to see if there was anything left in the pitcher.
Pineapple chunks floated in pale, homemade lemonade, so I dropped a few ice cubes in our glasses and filled them, then parked myself in my chair to wait for lunch. I nearly fell out of it when someone pounded on the door like SWAT was about to raid the place. What the asshole had said, about his old man being a cop, immediately came to mind, and I froze, torn between whether to answer it or pretend we weren’t home.
The knocking stopped as abruptly as it started, the aggressive sound replaced by the far softer blips that suddenly came from my phone.
The message was from Phoenix and read,Open the door, it’s me.Sorry I didn’t text before coming over; I should have warned you I was dropping by.
“It’s Phoenix,” I said as I hurried to the door.
“Let him know I made enough for three if he wants to stick around,” Murry called after me.
“Hey,” Phoenix said when I opened the door, delicious aromas wafting past me. “Damn, something smells good.”
“Murry’s cooking and said to tell you there’s plenty if you want to hang out tonight.”
“I wish I could,” he replied. “I just stopped by to let you know that James wants you to file a police report against the asshole that’s been harassing you. He said that he doesn’t care if the bastard is the son of a cop; it doesn’t give him the right to fuck with people.”
“You could have told me that over a text.”
“Could have, but I wanted to see for myself that there weren’t any new marks on you,” Phoenix admitted as he looked me over.
Yes, he was protective. No, he wasn’t our boyfriend, but he considered us family, and I knew he took it as a personal affront that someone was fucking with me.
“He never touched me, I swear,” I said, stretching out my arms so he could see that there weren’t any fresh handprints around my wrists.
He’d been rigid, standing there in the doorway, but the moment those words left my lips, his shoulders sagged and he leaned against the doorframe, looking visibly relieved.
“Are you sure you guys don’t need me to come with you tomorrow?” He asked.
It was tempting to say yes, considering what had happened today. But I was good at reading people, and after meeting Dorian, I hadn’t picked up on any red flag twinges in my gut.
