“Because you were on the phone.”
“Like I said, looking into a possible lead.”
I sighed and kicked the ground. “Are you supposed to be my partner or my bodyguard?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not your partner. I’m not gonna steal your thunder. Or your paycheck.” He shrugged. “Listen, this job is boring seventy-five percent of the time. So I read up on the people involved. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes it just gives me something to do at night.”
I’d never considered what he did when he wasn’t tailing me. I figured he did what normal people did, went out to bars or maybe watched TV or played video games. But apparently he also sat up and read until the wee hours of the morning. I wondered how much Rafe actually slept. Then I wondered if he slept naked. Or what he looked like naked. Heat flooded my face.
Get a grip.I took a couple steps away so his chest wasn’t so close to mine.What the hell is wrong with me?Obviously I needed more sleep, if I was thinking about my bodyguard that way. Or maybe I’d hit my head when I fell and didn’t realize it.That’s probably it. I have a concussion, one of those weird ones where the blood slowly leaks into my brain and kills me before I even realize I have a headache.
I shook off the morbid thoughts. If I did perish from a concussion, at least my student loans would be cancelled. I put my phone away, cut a wide berth around Rafe and headed for home. Wisely he kept his distance, and when we reached the townhouse he followed me to the door without a word and made sure it was locked behind me. I listened to his footsteps retreat, and only when they were gone did I peek outside. The black Cadillac remained parked across the street. I wondered if he’d stay there all day.
Don’t bother, I almost texted him.I don’t have anywhere to go.
Obviously I wasn’t very good at this job. I slid to the carpet and thumped my head against the wall. If not for the promise of a five-figure paycheck, I would’ve called Grace right then and told her I was quitting. Guess I’d just have to wait until Friday and see if Angela showed up at Tunes & ‘Tudes. And if she’d talk to me. And if she’d listen to me explain why she should break things off with the Congressman.
Man, there were a lot of variables involved in being a mistress dispeller.
The door opened and closed behind me. “Vic?”
I didn’t answer.
“What on earth are you doing on the floor?” Penny bent down and stared at me.
And just like that I burst into tears.
“For the love of…” She slid down beside me. “What happened? Why are you sitting in the foyer? In the middle of the day?”
I sniffled. Suddenly it all seemed too much to manage.
“Victoria.” She put one hand on my knee. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I wiped my tears. “I’m a failure.”
“At what? What are you talking about?”
“Law school. Mistress dispelling. Life in general.”
“Oh, stop.” She patted my knee.
“Mom and Dad are gonna flip when I tell them I dropped out.”
“Maybe. But they’ll get over it. You’re not a failure. You took a different turn on the career path, that’s all. I think you’re brave to do it. Believe me, life is way too short to spend it doing things you don’t like.” She pulled a tissue from her purse and handed it to me.
“But I don’t know what I like.”
She shrugged. “You’ll figure it out.” She gave me a sly look. “Maybe it’ll be this new job.”
I found that awfully hard to believe, but I picked myself up off the floor and followed her inside her apartment.
“Sounds like you need a midday pick-me-up,” Penny said. She popped the cork from a bottle of Pinot Grigio and poured two generous glasses. “Here.” She looked through her cupboards. “Cookies?”
“Like you have to ask?” Charlie, and my waistline, probably wouldn’t approve, but sugar and alcohol sounded like a good combination right about then.
“So what else is bothering you?” Penny asked as we ate. “You’ve had this new job for what? A whole three days? And you’re already doubting yourself?”
“It’s hard,” I said through a mouthful of cookie.
