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“That’s right.” He stepped back and stood to Adelia’s side, his arm brushing hers, causing all the hairs on her arm to stand on end.
“Would you excuse me for a minute?” Adelia said. “I need to take care of this.” She pointed at her head as she walked away, hearing Oliver and Carmen chuckle as she headed up the stairs.
It wasn’t like her to be so snippy with someone she’d just met, but she couldn’t help it. A strange instinct had taken over, and the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
She was curious about this woman, Carmen—this friend of his. How close were they? She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Was there more than friendship there? He had been single for a few years now. He’d probably dated women since his divorce. She frowned. Why did the thought of Oliver dating anyone else make her heart ache?
Adelia grabbed her brush and went into the bathroom. She really needed a shower, but that could wait. The room smelled of man soap and toothpaste, and she closed her eyes and remembered Oliver standing exactly where she now stood, wearing nothing but a towel and that incredibly sexy smile of his.
She shook her head. It would do her no good to fixate on Oliver’s manliness. It wasn’t like he was interested in her anyway. She was a job and nothing more. He probably saw her as a spoiled rich child. Especially after the way she’d treated his partner.
But even if he was interested, she couldn’t handle commitment right now, and Oliver didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be okay with a casual relationship.
When she’d brushed her hair out until it was fairly smooth, she went to the bedroom to dress.
In Oliver’s little house, voices carried up the stairs quite clearly, and she could hear the conversation going on downstairs. No wonder he’d come down so soon after Carmen arrived.
“Did you get the message I forwarded you from Gus?” Oliver asked.
“Yeah, I’m going to look into the service that cleans the Schultz’s lake house today.”
“Yeah, from what Gus says, all of the people on that list are given the code, so any of them would’ve had access to the house.”
“Or anyone they gave the code to,” she replied.
“True. We’ll definitely need to question every one of them.”
“I’ll handle it. You just keep her safe like you were hired to do.”
“I’m doing my best. This isn’t exactly something I’ve done before.”
“Are you worried this person will take things further?”
“I hope not. But I’ve been involved in enough stalker cases to know this person is probably not right in the mind.”
That sent a chill through Adelia. Was she really in danger?
By the time she had dressed and come downstairs, Carmen was gone. “Oh, did I miss saying goodbye?”
Oliver arched an eyebrow at her and twisted his lips in disapproval. “You could’ve been a little nicer.”
Adelia took a step closer and crossed her arms over her chest. “I was surprised when a strange woman you never mentioned walked in the door. And then she proceeded to talk to me about what my family’s going through. Not a good first impression.”
“She’s a kind and genuine person and only meant it in the nicest way.”
Adelia dropped her arms and shook it off. “Whatever. It’s fine.”
“Why do I not believe you?”
She shrugged as he went into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot. The whole situation annoyed her, and she wanted to be done with it.
“Coffee?” He held his mug up to her. “It’s not the fancy lattes and cappuccinos you’re probably used to, but—”
“I’ll have you know, I am perfectly fine drinking black coffee. Don’t presume to tell me how I take my coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He released the coffee mug into her outstretched hand with a playful smirk.
She let a little smile cross her face, even though she was still grumpy.