But first, I need coffee.
A little over an hour later, I’m back in Lily’s kitchen, answering emails on my phone while Lily’s upstairs on a call. The doorbell chimes. Assuming it’s Jack, I go to answer the door. When I pull it open, I find his grinning face staring back at me.
“This is some house.” He takes in my casual dress. “I was going to give you shit about making me leave my wife on a Sunday morning, but I don’t think I will anymore.”
I roll my eyes. “First of all, you asshole, I didn’t make you do anything. And second, it is theleastyou could do for all the times you idiots have called me, expecting me to help clean up your legal messes for you.”
Jack’s unfazed as he shrugs with a grin. “Wasn’t saying I’m not happy to help, just curious about whatever the hell this is.” He gestures to me, then to the house.
Sighing, I step outside and close the door behind me. “Sit down, and I’ll give you a quick rundown.” We each take one of the chairs Lily has on her front porch. “Carlos called me to help a woman who was about to be questioned in the murder of her husband.”
Jack rears back a little in surprise.
“He said he didn’t think she did it, and he knew her husband wasn’t a good guy. Carlos thought she needed the best defense. So, he called me.”
“How bad was he?”
I shake my head. “Besides the fact that he beat her up pretty badly right before he was murdered, and Carlos had been investigating him, he wasn’t great. But I don’t really know the extent.”
“Okay, so what makes you want to get her security system looked at?”
“Someone tried to break in on Friday night. She called me, and I want to make sure there isn’t more that could be done to make it safer here.” I omit the part about her not staying here.
He nods. “Alright, well, let’s see what we’re working with.”
I pull up the app on my phone and explain to him what I know about her system, showing him the different camera feeds on the app.
“Walk me around the house so I can get a feel for where each of the cameras is placed.”
We’re rounding the back of the house, when Lily steps out the back door with a coffee cup clutched in her hands as she holds it close to her chest. It’s obvious she doesn’t see us as she takes a sip and stares off into the trees lining the back of her property. She looks serene and absolutely breathtaking in the morning sun.
Under his breath, Jack mutters, “Everything’s making a lot more sense now.”
Glaring at him, I hiss, “Shut the fuck up and do what you came here to do.”
He starts to walk toward the deck. “I should probably meet the homeowner of the house I’m working on.”
Sighing, I trail behind him. Lily’s face brightens as she sees us coming up the steps. “Oh, hi. I didn’t realize you were back here.”
Jack extends his hand. “Jack Sanders. Gorgeous house you have here.”
Lily takes his hand. “Lily Bennett. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you coming to take a look at everything. It’ll give me peace of mind knowing the house is as secure as it can be.”
He asks her a few questions, and they discuss some options. He tells her what he’s thinking about for a few minor improvements and explains why he’s recommending them.
“I think that sounds great. Let’s do it,” she accepts with a smile.
Jack nods once. “Perfect. I’m going to take a few pictures. One of my guys will be here tomorrow to set it up.”
She hesitates. “Oh, well, I won’t be able to be here. I have some meetings at work that I can’t miss.”
“I can be here,” I provide.
The look she gives me has my heart beating wildly. It’s an intimate kind of gratefulness that if Jack wasn’t standing right there, I might have found it difficult to resist the urge to touch her, even if it was as simple as a hug. That need is almost suffocating to me.
Jack claps me on the shoulder, jarring me from that moment. “Great, we’ll see you tomorrow then.”
The tone in his voice gives me the impression that he knows exactly where my mind was.
