“That was weird,” she muttered as she resumed her original pace. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to the interaction than what had been said on the surface. She made a mental note to check up on Bob. There had been something smarmy about him, and it left a bad taste in her mouth.
The annoyance at having her walk interrupted followed her home. So much for spending some time in nature to settle her mind and heart.
She was a hundred yards from her house when footsteps sounded on the path behind her.
Really? Again? Had Bob lapped her?
She turned and stopped in the middle of the path.
Mo gave her a salute as he ran past her and went to her front door, opened it, went inside for a few minutes, then returned and held the door for her as she jogged up the stairs of her porch.
He’d followed her. He’d probably been out there behind Bob. But, unlike Bob, he hadn’t interrupted her time. He hadn’t revealed his presence until she was home.
He’d protected herandgiven her the space she needed.
And ... she didn’t know what she thought about that.
She didn’t have time to think more about it though. She received four texts while she was in the shower, two calls while she was getting dressed, including a frantic one from Landry who had apparently just seen her earlier text, and an email with twenty—she counted them—exclamation marks while she did her hair and makeup.
She called her assistant as she walked into her kitchen to fill her water bottle. “June, I’m headed to Grandmother’s. Please hold all my calls unless it’s a true emergency.”
“Yes, ma’am. Good luck!” The last words had been whispered. June and Grandmother had a somewhat adversarial relationship. Grandmother thought June was too big for her britches. June thought Grandmother was a bully.
Both were wrong, and weirdly both were right.
Mo gave her that same salute but made no move to get up as she went to her garage.
She wasn’t surprised when she looked in her rearview mirror and saw a security car that followed her until she parked in the circular drive.
Grandmother’s home wasn’t technically on The Haven property, but it could be accessed through a private gated entrance. Since the first visitor stayed on the premises, Grandmother had benefited from room service, housekeeping, security, and pretty much every perk of being a guest at The Haven.
And she took full advantage.
Bronwyn smiled at the maid who held the door for her. “Ms. Pierce, your grandmother is sitting by the fireplace. She asked for you to join her there.”
“Thank you.”
She walked in to find her grandmother dressed like she was headed out for a business meeting, hair and makeup perfect, sitting by the fire with a blanket over her lap. A tray of tiny sandwiches rested on the table in front of her.
“Good morning, Grandmother.”
“Your father told me you destroyed your office yesterday.”
Bronwyn ignored the disapproving tone and kissed the papery skin of her grandmother’s cheek.
“Yes. Can you tell me about the stain on the floor? We pulled the carpet up. It looks like a bloodstain, but surely that’s not what it is.”
Before Grandmother could respond, a different maid entered the room. “Would you care for a beverage, Ms. Pierce?”
“Tea would be lovely. Thank you.” The maid nodded and left as quietly as she’d come.
“We had that room carpeted for a reason, young lady.” Grandmother’s hand moved restlessly on the arm of the chair.
“Was it blood?”
“Of course not.”
“Then—”
