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I didn't expect an answer to my question, and Owen didn't give me one.
"Let me in!" He moved closer to the door. I tried to close it. I didn't quite manage.
"Go away, Owen, and leave me alone."
"Guess you prefer your rich boyfriend."
"Just like you preferred your colleague," it slipped out. "Only we were still together then."
Owen moved closer again.
"Is everything alright, Ms. Abbott?" a voice with an Eastern European accent sounded at that moment.
Mr. Jaruzelski.
"I think so," I said. "This gentleman was just about to leave."
"I forgot my hammer here. It was a good one, not cheap. Could you please check in the kitchen?" Mr. Jaruzelski asked.
"Sure," I replied and hesitated. What should I do now? I didn't want to lock Mr. Jaruzelski out, but if I left the door open, Owen would follow me into the apartment. And I definitely didn't want that.
"I'd be happy to escort the gentleman to the elevator," Mr. Jaruzelski unexpectedly offered. He must have noticed that I wanted to get rid of Owen. I looked at the handyman gratefully.
He nodded at me and squeezed himself next to Owen, who suddenly looked small beside the handyman's massive body.
I closed the door and went to the kitchen. There was the hammer on the countertop. I hadn't even noticed it earlier. Mr. Jaruzelski seemed to be as forgetful as I was. That and his decisive behavior towards Owen immediately made him likable to me again.
When I opened the apartment door again, Owen was gone. Only Mr. Jaruzelski stood before me, waiting patiently.
"Thank you so much," I said.
"No problem," the handyman replied and nodded at me once more. For a moment, I regretted that I had no money left. I couldn't even thank Mr. Jaruzelski for his help with a tip.
I closed the door again and was suddenly very glad that I had changed the locks right after Owen moved out. It hadn't been cheap. But it had significantly contributed to my feeling of security.
I shook my head.
I didn't want to think about Owen anymore.
That wouldn't be too difficult either.
The thought of Carter was much more interesting.
My heart did that strange leap again, the one it always did whenever I saw Carter or thought about him or heard from him.
Or when he touched me.
Chapter 15 ~ Isabella ~
Nervously,Irummagedthroughthe drawers of my desk. Wasn't there a piece of jewelry somewhere that I could wear? Without jewelry, I felt... a little naked. Of course, I wasn't naked. Just as Carter had requested, I was wearing the green organza dress I had worn to Fiona's bachelorette party. Again, I marveled at how it felt like that evening was an eternity ago. Yet only two nights had passed since then.
In the desk drawers, I found old pens, a partially used punch card for a swimming pool, two key chains without keys, some old receipts, and a lot of other junk.
But no jewelry. No necklace, no earrings, no bracelet.
Disappointed, I closed the bottom drawer and went to the bathroom to touch up my eyeliner. I had misplaced or probably lost my liquid eyeliner at work a while ago. Well, I could still use kohl pencil for my eyeliner. It looked almost as good. In any case, it was better than nothing.
The kohl pencil was dull. Very dull. I had meant to sharpen it a while ago. Back then, I couldn't find the sharpener. But it had to be in the white bathroom cabinet above the sink. I probably just hadn't looked properly at the time. I opened the left door. Nothing. The middle door. Still nothing. Disheartened, I tried my luck with the right door.