Page 24

T he sunlight peeking through the blinds that I had neglected to close completely last night made me frown.

“You don’t need to be so rude,” I grumbled, not at all pleased to be up this early. I heard a noise and my heart sank. Was someone in my house? It took a moment for the tap-tap-taps of Lug Nut’s nails on the hardwood flooring to register. How did he…?

“Kevin let him in. What a guy. I swear the man gets neighbor of the year award.”

I called for the dog and he made his way into the room, tail wagging and my favorite goofy grin on his face. Anyone who thought pit bulls were scary… well, it was because of the owner, not the actual breed. I didn’t think anyone in my neighborhood would ever call Lug Nut scary. He was a big meatball who would lick you to death before anything else.

I heard a muffled buzzing and realized that in my drowsy stupor, I had missed the nightstand and my phone had ended up on the floor. A quick retrieval, followed by a glance at the screen, confirmed that Kevin had let the dog in mere moments ago.

Hey, B. I saw you get dropped off last night. (Nice car, BTW). I didn’t think you’d mind the wake-up call. The pup and I had great quality time as usual. As always, thanks for sharing him. Phil and I are headed to the store, so if you need anything, just text it to me.

“Definitely neighbor of the year award,” I said.

The dog hopped up on the bed, flopping down next to me and rolling over for belly rubs. Part of me always felt some guilt in leaving him alone. Not just for the dog, but also for Kevin. My neighbor assured me, though, that he loved taking care of Lug Nut because it gave him the chance of experiencing owning a pet without the actual commitment. He also said that the dog had been helping him get over a past bad breakup by forcing him to focus on something else. Apparently, it was working because Phil was a new friend and he seemed really nice. I hoped things worked out for the two of them.

After spending some quality bed rotting time with my dog, I needed to get the day started. Rolling over, I put my feet on the floor, wincing when I tried to stand upright. I had aches and pains in unusual places, which was expected after being with Adrian, but these were compounded not only by the nicks he had made with the knife, but also the intensity with which he had fucked me last night. Even thinking about it now made me shiver.

“I get it, Blair. I totally get why you fell for him,” I said aloud.

I hadn’t had as much time to devote to reading more of her diary entries, but if I was being honest with myself, I was purposely putting off doing so. I found myself in a very strange position and my feelings were becoming more entangled each time I read more about her feelings toward Adrian Benedict. Granted, she had never known his real name, nor had she been the recipient of him breaking his own personal rules but knowing that just made me wonder “why me” all the more.

Blair had poured her heart out onto the pages of her diaries. I thought I had known my sister inside and out, but based on what she documented in those pages, what I knew was only one side of a very complex woman. Now and then, she would reference something about me which would provide me with a high-level timeline of when things at Lotus occurred. It was becoming harder for me not to be affected, though, when it came to the passages about scenes with Adrian, the attention she got from him, or the fights she’d had with him.

My sister had known very well that she was on thin ice with the man, at least from an emotional perspective. The last entry I had actually gone through, which admittedly had been weeks ago, Blair had been debating with herself on telling him how she felt. She wavered back and forth until finally convincing herself to go ahead the next time they were at Lotus.

“Somehow, I don’t think it went well for you, B,” I muttered. Something in my gut told me her plans did not go the way she had wanted. Had she even been able to tell Adrian anything before she had been killed?

My musings were interrupted by a gentle nudge on my thigh. I glanced over at Lug Nut, who was gazing at me with love and adoration. I knew that look. It was bribery. The dog was after a treat and hopefully a walk around the neighborhood before I took a shower.

“I’ve got your number, Buddy,” I told him, leaning over to kiss his head and hug his neck.

Speaking of numbers…I didn’t need to glance at my phone to know that there were no missed texts or calls from a certain one that I wouldn’t mind seeing pop up. I wouldn’t hold my breath, though. Adrian didn’t exactly strike me as the type to check on me. Stranger things could happen, I suppose.

After throwing on clothes and clipping in his leash, the dog and I took off on a slightly different route than we usually took. We still stayed in the general vicinity of my neighborhood, but I did like to give Lug Nut new smells to sniff now and again. He trotted along happily beside me, stopping every so often to mark his territory. It was almost ridiculous how much I loved this dog.

We walked for the better part of ninety minutes, only stopping when both of us began to move slower. I was hot, sweaty, and the body parts that had been sore to begin with were even worse. A long tub soak in Epson salts was in order or I wouldn’t be able to move come Monday morning.

My phone buzzed just as I fully entered the house, but I ignored it momentarily while I filled up food and water bowls for Lug Nut. Stripping off my clothes in the laundry area, I left them on top of the washer and padded naked toward my bedroom. My eyebrows raised when I saw the text was from Adrian. The tone of the message amused me. He assured me I didn’t need to reply over the weekend but wanted to remind me of the early morning call we had with investors on Monday. Deciding to test waters a bit, I typed a reply:

I appreciate the reminder, Sir. Rest assured, I have multiple alarms set to make sure I am there to support you. On a different topic, I’m making beef stew for dinner this evening and I always have to make too much since it’s in my slow cooker. I would very much enjoy it if you joined me for dinner about seven.

I left it at that, not bothering to wait for either a decline or complete silence. A hot bath was calling my name and I was definitely going to answer that.

The day passed by and I kept myself busy, not only starting the stew in the slow cooker, but also working on my Japanese online class for several hours. There was a test coming up soon and I wanted to get a good grade. I took a couple of breaks, making sure I played games with the dog. I also fell asleep on the couch with him lying across my thighs.

Sometime later, it was time for me to think about what else I was going to have along with my stew. “I think cornbread and a nice salad, what do you think?” I asked the dog. With a tilt of his head, a tail wag, and his big meatball grin, he agreed.

I already had some vegetables in the stew, so the salad could stay fairly simple. I did make my dressing from scratch, though, as well as the cornbread. Rarely did I use a mix or pre-made meal option, preferring instead to use what I had at home and put things together to create something delicious. Blair and I had cooked and baked together a lot growing up. It was one way we supported each other. It was also a way to escape our mother since she never set foot inside the kitchen. I liked to think my sister was with me in the kitchen every time I put ingredients on the counter.

The aromas of dinner reminded me of other nights spent eating stew, but now that I was an adult, I could drink wine with it. Selecting one of my favored reds, I opened the bottle to let it breathe a bit, then went to set the table. Just because I was single didn’t mean I shouldn’t eat in style.

I saw a notification from my front door camera and when I opened the app, my eyebrows rose. Apparently, I would have a dinner guest after all. I went ahead and set another place at the table, grinning because it was taking him so long to actually knock. When he finally did, Lug Nut trotted over to the door and sat.

“Be nice, baby. What am I saying? You are always nice. Just keep smiling so you make a good impression.”

I opened the door, nearly snorting when Adrian’s eyes dropped to the dog.

“He’s fairly harmless,” I said. Dark, wary eyes drifted up to mine.

“Fairly?”

“Just don’t be a dick,” I replied, stepping aside to let him come in.

“I’m in trouble then,” he said.

The energy coming off of him was a bit…nervous? Anxious? In any case, he seemed to be out of his element. Part of it made sense since this was my house and not his, but I was still the same person.

“Lug Nut would love a nice pat,” I told him. At the sound of his name, his tail went thumpthumpthump on the floor, but that was the only movement he made. With a shake of his head, Adrian gave the dog a good scratch behind the ears.

“You’ve made a friend,” I said. “Would you like wine? I was just about ready to start dinner.”

“Wine works unless you have beer.”

“I actually do have beer, and it’s a darker one that will pair well with the stew. You can go ahead and have a seat at the table. I’ll bring everything out.”

He glanced toward the table. “How did you know I would come?”

“I didn’t,” I said honestly. “But hope springs eternal.”

He made something along the lines of a rusty chuckle before taking a seat. Lug Nut padded over to flop down next to Adrian’s chair and I was instantly struck by how homey this was. It would be very easy to get used to this.