CHAPTER FIVE
–JAXIE –
‘Eat something.The kitchen is stocked.I’m going take a shower and change,’the man said...and then hid in his room for an eternity.Well, maybe not an eternity.The whole night and this morning.I’ve made coffee and some toast in the hope the scent would drag him out, which it didn’t.
I have no clue what the hell he’s doing in there.The door suddenly swings open.I quickly divert my eyes, not wanting to let him know I’ve been staring at the door for at least an hour.
“I’m gonna check on the horses and let the dogs out,” he rumbles as he walks in the direction of the door.
“C-coffee?”I ask.
He stops mid-stride, and his gaze locks on mine.“Black.I’ll be back in a bit.”
A sharp whistle makes Benny speedwalk to Seamus, who opens the door and lets both dogs run off before heading out himself.I count to five inside my head and keep my eye on the door until I know he’s gone before I walk to his room.
I glance inside and notice his laptop sitting on the bed.The different angle of cameras outside are showing on the screen.A thick book on the bedside table catches my attention and I move to pick it up.It’s a fantasy romance about dragons and bikers.I never would have thought Seamus would read fantasy stories.
Putting the book where I found it, I abruptly leave the room.Snooping to get to know him sounded like a good plan inside my head.Actually doing it feels wrong.Ugh.The grumpy man is frustrating, and I can’t get a read on him.
Yet, deep down my gut tells me I can trust him.I mean, my father clearly did.Two freaking weeks ago he went to see Seamus and his mother.I’ve been up all night thinking about everything Seamus told me.How someone was indeed lurking in the shadows, watching me, proving all of this is very real.
What if Seamus wasn’t there with me yesterday?I would have been alone.What would have happened?Why me?So many unanswered questions.
I stomp back into the kitchen and decide to use my frustration by furiously chopping up a sweet pepper, some fresh herbs, a tomato, and make an omelet.This cabin might not have all the necessities and comfort of the home I grew up in, but my dad did add some crucial items.Like the home solar system, a generator, a water heater, and the well on our property, which we share with the neighbors.
All these things allow me to have the basics with some added comfort.Like listening to music because I can charge my phone and the Bluetooth speaker.Living a secluded life wasn’t in my future before the incident.At nineteen I was happy in college, away from my father, living my life to the fullest.
After it happened, spending time in the hospital, at home and needing months, if not years to rehabilitate, I didn’t want to be around people.Luckily, my hobby, woodworking, picked up and gives me a stable income.
Elodie helps me with a website she launched to place the items up for sale.Every week or so we pack up the orders and ship them, sometimes worldwide.I guess with everything my father left me, I don’t actually need to work.Though, like I said, my hobby gives me a stable income with Elodie’s help, and we will keep going.
Woodworking is something I learned from my grandfather when I was just a kid.He’s the one who built this cabin along with my father.When my dad needed to handle an assignment, I’d stay here with my grandfather.I still use his old tools while we upgraded the cabin years ago, after he passed away.
I clear my throat when it starts to clog up at the reminder.Both my grandfather and my father are dead.I have no family left.I never got to know my mother because she basically dumped me on my father’s porch when I was only a few months old.Born from a one-night stand, raised by a father who wanted me, and now I’m alone.
Taking a deep breath, I remind myself this is why I’m here.The change I needed to be where all the good memories are.
“Something smells fuckin’ good, and it’s not just the coffee,” Seamus rumbles and I hear the nails of the dogs clicking on the wooden floorboards.
I grab a mug and fill it with coffee.Placing it on the table, I turn back to the counter and reach for the plates to divide the veggie omelet.Both dogs are slobbering water when I place a plate in front of Seamus.
“I put the horses in the pasture,” Seamus states and reaches for a fork and knife to dig into the food.
