I just spoke with Carson. Why didn’t you tell me about someone following you?”
“Oops.”
“I get it, you’re my fiercely independent, take-no-prisoners woman . . . it’s one of the many things I love about you. But please don’t keep these things from me. I’m leaving the office now. Traffic report says I will be there in an hour and a half. Call me if you leave the canyon and I’ll go straight to your condo. Okay?”
Grace double-checked the time stamp on the message and looked at her watch. He was less than thirty minutes out.
She lifted the receiver and dialed his cell.
“Hello, Wonder Woman” is how he answered.
“I know. I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
She could tell he had her on a speaker through his car. The muffled sound of the rain and swish of the windshield wipers had her straining to hear everything Dameon said. “Yes. You should have. When Carson told me . . . it scared me, Grace.”
She leaned against the kitchen counter. “This sharing of my life isn’t something I’m used to,” she said in her defense.
“I’ve met your family. And the whole lot of you overshare everything.”
Grace laughed. “If I told them about this, they’d have me locked in a room somewhere.”
“Maybe that’s wise.”
She couldn’t argue. “How far out are you?”
“Traffic sucks, but it’s moving. I’ve got another thirty minutes.”
She walked over to the thermostat and turned it up. “It would take me at least twenty minutes to drive to my place, so I’ll just stay here.”
“All right. Lock the doors.”
“I already did.”
He chuckled. “Good. I, ah . . . yeah, I’ll see you soon.”
“Drive carefully.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Using a towel from one of the bathrooms, Grace patted down her soaked pants and attempted to dry her hair. She pulled back the shades on the front window and peered outside. The rain was really coming down and the sky was dark with clouds. But it was still a couple of hours until sunset, so even though she knew Dameon was on his way, it was a relief to know he’d be there before dark.
She made herself busy by rummaging through Dameon’s freezer. She removed two individually wrapped chicken breasts and put them on the counter to thaw. Then to chase the silence away, she turned on the TV and found a music station to listen to. At one point she wanted to toss her wet pants into a dryer, but realized there wasn’t one in the house. Instead, she stacked small pieces of wood in the fireplace and turned on the gas to get it going.
It took a good five minutes while the flames built up enough to push out heat. Once it was hot enough, she tossed on a couple of bigger logs and turned down the gas.
In the time she’d known Dameon, Grace hadn’t spent more than a few hours alone in his house. And even though he’d been working to improve the space, he was adamant that the house would be removed in the future. She had to admit, the place was growing on her. From the awful carpet to the window coverings that had been left behind. Maybe Dameon wouldn’t mind if she spent a little time making the place more livable. And damn if the chill from the single-pane windows wasn’t the worst. Even heavier curtains would help with that.
With nothing left to do but stare at the fire and listen to music, Grace moved into the dining area and rolled out the plans she’d been working on.
No matter who Richard assigned Dameon’s project to, they’d happily take any plans Grace mapped out, which would cut their work hours in half if not more.
She opened up her phone, listened to the notes, and transcribed them to paper.
Whenever she found herself in the zone of work, she lost track of time. In her head she asked herself if she could still work under Richard. If only the man would retire, and she’d be able to go back to her job without the politics. Her thoughts drifted to the office and all the things that had been said about her.
When Dameon got home, she’d talk it out with him. And that was a nice change. Yeah, she could discuss things with her family, but they had so many other concerns in their lives right now.
Three sudden, sharp knocks on the front door made her jump and drop her pencil.
She glanced at her watch. It had been close to thirty minutes.