I let out a sigh of relief now that I’m alone. The smart thing to do would be to work more on my presentation, especially after Alvin Hamilton’s surprise visit. Kayleigh made that bath sound like a fabulous idea though, and I need to de-stress somehow.
The water runs out of the faucet and pours onto my hand as I wait for the perfect temperature. Once the water has reached that, I sprinkle the lavender salts Kayleigh gave me for my birthday last year into the water. The sweet smell fills my nose and starts relaxing me before I’ve even stepped into the tub. Once the bath is ready for me and I turn on spa-like music from my phone, I step in and sit down, resting my arms on the sides and laying my head back.
I love this bathtub. Everyone should have a clawfoot tub in their bathroom. Everyone.
In only a matter of minutes, I’m fighting to keep my eyes open. If that’s not a sign I needed this, I don’t know what is. I think I hear something drop in the other room. It must be my imagination, or maybe even something like a piece of paper that fell with the fan on in the kitchen. I ignore it and move back into my zone.
Crash.
This time I’m certain it’s something, and not just a piece of paper. Is there someone in the house? Oh god, please don’t let Jimmy be right. I’m safe here. I probably don’t even need to lock my doors, though I do. I slowly rise from the bathtub and step onto the rug. I grab the towel and wrap it around myself and tap my phone to turn off my music. Making sure I have the phone in my hand in case I need it, I crack open the bathroom door.
Water drips from my legs onto the floor as I tiptoe into the hallway. What am I doing? If thereissomeone in the house, I don’t want to greet the intruder with only a towel on. I turn to go back into the bathroom to slide my dirty clothes back on when something knocks to the floor in my bedroom. With one hand on my phone and the other hand gripping my towel tightly, I move toward the bedroom.
I’m really hoping I don’t die today.
I stop outside my bedroom door, close my eyes, and crank my head around the corner. Something jumps off my dresser, onto the floor, and whizzes past me.
I’m pretty sure I scream. Like Drew Barrymore inScreamor Janet Leigh inPsycho.
I race into the kitchen where a raccoon is sprinting back and forth on my kitchen counter. A raccoon!
“Out! Out!” I yell at it as though the mammal is house trained. I make a beeline for the door, open it up and jump out of the way. The raccoon jumps off the counter, scatters around on the floor, and finally makes its way to the door. The second he’s out the door, I slam it shut.
I’m shivering as I stand by the door in a towel. I’m cold and curious if there are any other animals hiding in my house.
Tap, tap, tap. I jump, both my phoneandmy towel dropping to the ground. I turn to pick up my towel. Jimmy is standing by my window with Kale in his arms. I wrap the towel back around me and shove open the window.
“What the hell are you doing knocking on my window like some sort of creeper?”
“Sorry. I’m not a creeper, really. Kale and I were in the front yard and I heard screaming. Then your door slammed. Is everything okay?”
Besides the fact that he probably just saw me naked? “No. Everything isnotokay. I just chased a raccoon out of my house.”
“He must have found his way in through the tarp. I told you it wasn’t safe.”
Of course Jimmy is going to make that remark. Why wouldn’t he?
“I thought you meant from robbers.”
“To be fair, raccoons do kind of look like robbers with the masks on their faces.”
“I hate you so much.” I want to punch him for that comment and maybe even laugh at the same time. But I’m standing here in a towel, my adrenaline pumping through my body at full force.
Jimmy settles Kale in on the left side of him and rests his right arm on the open windowsill. “Interested in coming to stay at my place until your wall and roof are fixed? The offer still stands. Unless you’re planning on housing a forest of animals here.” He points behind me and I gasp as a squirrel scurries across the room.
“Interested? No. Desperate? Yes. Let me put some clothes on and pack a bag.”
“Aw, you’re not coming over in your towel?”
I snarl at him, and at that moment the realization hits me. “You didn’t see anything when my towel fell, did you?”
“What? No. I didn’t see a thing.”
From the look on his face, I’m not so sure. And for some reason, I don’t mind.
10
A rapon the door awakens me. I flutter my eyes open and take a moment to remember where I am. “Come in.”
