Home to Stay (The Long Road Home #2) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,60
the occasional bad boy, but Griz? The Paula she’d gotten to know would’ve never put her in danger. Now, she wondered if she’d ever really known Paula or if something had happened to make her change. Rubbing her forehead as she entered her classroom, she wished she could make all the conflicting thoughts go away.
Glancing at the clock, she sighed in relief knowing she had thirty minutes to go before her students came back into the classroom. Sitting at her desk, she’d just pulled out her plan book when her phone vibrated. Grabbing it out of her purse, she smiled as John’s name appeared on the screen.
“Hey, how on earth did you know I needed to hear your voice?”
“What’s up, babe?”
“Oh, nothing. I just had my first interaction with Paula. But I don’t want to talk about her. Tell me how work is going, that is if you can talk about anything without having to kill me.”
He chuckled, and the sound of his mirth eased her frustration. “I can’t talk about specifics, but I can tell you that it’s been phenomenal. I feel like I’ve been given a second lease on life.”
His words warmed her heart and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, John, I’m so glad! That makes me happy. In fact, that’s been the best thing I’ve heard all day.”
“Yep. Good people. Good place. Good work.”
“Then you’ll fit right in.”
“Damn, babe, you’re good for my ego.”
She laughed, enjoying the lighthearted sound of his mirth as well.
“Okay, Lucy. Now, tell me what happened with Paula.”
“Don’t worry, it was fine. I didn’t see her this morning but ran into her in the teacher’s workroom. I did exactly as we decided. A happy smile, happy voice. I pretended that all was well, told her I had not even gone to the hotel, and I just hung around at the festival until a friend came to pick me up.”
“Think she believed you?”
“Absolutely. I think she was so nervous that I was going to get up in her face, so she was just thrilled that I acted like nothing was wrong. She did seem surprised that a friend would come that far to get me but I just said they didn’t mind.”
“Well, that part was no lie.”
His deep voice rumbled over the airwaves, moving inside of her. A smile curved her lips and she leaned back in her chair, more relaxed. “Have I told you how sweet you are, John Roster?”
“I think you have, babe. Have I told you how beautiful you are, Lucy Carrington?”
A bark of laughter erupted, and she sighed. “Thank you. I was so keyed up after talking to Paula, and in just a few minutes you’ve already made me feel so much better.”
“Well, I hope the next thing I tell you doesn’t take you out of your good mood.”
Bolting upright in her chair, she said, “Oh, no. Tell me what?”
“I went over everything with my coworkers. They have things they’re working on which I won’t go into with you, but they also feel like it would be prudent for us to have some eyes on your house.”
Scrunching her nose, she shook her head slightly. “Eyes on my house. What does that mean?”
“Security, babe. A couple of cameras on your front and back entrances, just to make sure that no one is trying to get to you.”
She said nothing as she nibbled on her bottom lip, her mind racing. “Okay. That doesn’t sound too obtrusive. I’m assuming you agree?”
“Yes, absolutely. To be honest, I’m so new to what LSI does that I’d be willing to put my trust in any decision they came up with. In this case, I agree that it’s the right thing to do.”
Sighing heavily, she said, “Okay, then they can do whatever they need to do. Although, let me just go on the record as saying that I prefer you being there as my up close, personal security.”
“Damn, girl, you’ve got to cut that out. I’m just finishing up my day here, and I don’t want to walk back into the room with a hard-on.”
Laughter rang out again, but before she had a chance to say anything else, he jumped in with another surprise.
“I’ve barely seen Gramps in the past two days but I gave him a quick rundown of what was going on. I need to have dinner with him tonight, and he wants to meet you. So, I’m going to pick you up as soon as I get off and bring you back