Page 29 of Colton On Guard
“Sounds good.” Despite it being anything but, she kept her tone light. Walking him out, she stood in the doorway and watched as he got into his truck.
His taillights had just vanished from view when her phone rang. Her mother. She stepped back inside, closed and locked the door before answering. “Hi, Mom.”
“Why didn’t you call and tell me about the break-in?” her mother demanded. “I had to hear it from Gladys. I called her a few minutes ago to catch up and she told me.”
Proving once again how efficiently gossip spread in a small town.
“Honestly, I haven’t had time,” Genna said. “I had to work, and then schedule an appointment to get the front door repaired. The good news—that’s done. I also had an alarm system installed.”
For once, her mother was speechless. “You what?” she finally asked. Then, before Genna could answer, she turned and told Genna’s father. “I’m putting the phone on speaker, dear,” she said.
“Ok, Mom. Hi, Dad.”
“I think you should close up the house and come stay with us in Hawaii,” her father said, his gruff voice tinged with concern.
Surprised, Genna wasn’t sure how to respond.
“I do, too,” her mother said. “It’s not safe for you there. I understand a fifth body was discovered.”
Though Genna had always wanted to see Hawaii, leaving Shelby now would feel too much like fleeing. Which is exactly what she’d done when she’d left Anchorage as soon as her divorce had been finalized. Plus, she loved her job. Finally, she had to admit the thought of never seeing Parker again made her stomach hurt.
“I feel relatively safe,” Genna said. And then she explained all the measures RTA had taken to ensure their female employees were never at risk.
“That’s great, honey,” her mom replied. “But someone broke into the house. You live there alone. How do you know that this Fiancée Killer isn’t targeting you?”
The notion sent a shiver up Genna’s spine. “I don’t,” she admitted. “But if it makes you feel better, I’m driving out to Valdez to visit the animal shelter. I’ve been wanting a dog for a while.”
“A dog?” Both her parents spoke at once, sounding dismayed. They’d never been the kind of people to have pets.
“Yes. I’d like to adopt a large dog in need of a good home. Not only will he and I keep each other company, but he’ll also be an added deterrent if anyone tries to break in here again.”
“That does make sense,” her mom said slowly. “Just don’t let it on the furniture.”
“Of course not,” Genna lied. “Anyway, it was great to hear from you both. I promise to keep you posted.”
“And check in more,” her father said, his voice stern. “Your mother and I worry.”
“I know you do. And I love you for it,” Genna replied. “But please, try to understand. I’m just now finding my feet after the divorce. I don’t want to go somewhere else and start all over yet again.”
“Well, if you change your mind, you’re always welcome here.” Her mom sounded a bit teary.
“I will.” Ending the call, Genna swallowed past the lump in her throat.
The rest of the night, Genna found herself jumping at every little sound. She set the alarm as soon as darkness fell, well before bedtime. Turning the TV on despite the fact that she felt too restless to sit down and watch anything, she found herself constantly picking up her phone. Hoping Parker would text or, even better, call.
Even though they were riding into Valdez together tomorrow, tonight she really needed to hear his voice. Quickly scrolling to his contact info, she pressed the button to call him.
When he answered on the second ring, her heart lurched. “Hey,” she managed, feeling like a fool.
“Hey, yourself,” he replied. How he managed to make two simple words sound so sexy, she had no idea.
“I just wanted to firm up our plans for tomorrow,” she managed to say.
“I figured.” His easy response went a long way toward settling her nerves. “What time does the shelter open?”
“Eleven,” she replied. “They’re open until four thirty.”
“I’ll see you at ten thirty,” he said. “Sleep well.”