There was no possible way Keera would be able to get even one more bite of food into her overstuffed belly. She squirmed in her seat as she took a sip of water, hoping it would help the food digest a bit faster. She should have gone straight to the dessert menu and ordered one of everything. Her sweet tooth was fully intact.
Greta Bianchi came out and visited with them for a few minutes, and Keera enjoyed the woman. She fell in love with Greta when the lady handed her a sack of goodies for later, welcoming her to Edmonds and insisting she come back soon.
Keera assured her she would. Arden insisted on paying the tab and wouldn’t tell her how much it was. But the two of them didn’t make it outside the gate before Cammy ran up to them and gave Arden a hug and thank-you, so the tip must have been slightly insane.
“That was pretty sweet of you,” Keera told him as they moved down the sidewalk to his car.
“She’s a good kid, was one of my favorite students,” he said, shaking it off as no big deal. She was pleasantly surprised by the blush in his cheeks. It seemed he didn’t want her to know he’d left the girl a large tip. She was glad he hadn’t done it to impress her, even if the gesture certainly had done exactly that.
Keera wasn’t at all surprised when she didn’t have to tell Arden where she lived. Not only was it a small community, but she had a feeling with all that was going on, the community members would want to know exactly who she was.
She wondered if they’d unburied her past. She was too afraid the answer was yes for her to ask. She’d hoped to have a fresh start here, to be somewhere her name didn’t carry the burden with it that it had carried for so long.
Maybe it was time for her to realize her past had shaped her into who she was, and it was better for her to face it, maybe even embrace it—the good and the bad—and to stop letting it freeze her. If it were that simple, though, maybe she would have done just that by now.
Keera knew Arden wasn’t a man to drop her at the curb and take off, so she didn’t try to argue when he fell into step with her as she entered her apartment building. It had been so long since someone had escorted her home that she had to admit it felt sort of nice, especially since she was a little jumpy.
“I’m taking the stairs. I have to burn a few of these calories,” she said. “You don’t have to walk up with me.”
Arden didn’t even bother with a response, just smiled as he opened the door to the staircase and signaled for her to go on through. She smiled back and stepped into the dim stairwell.
Arden walked at her side up the three flights, with Max leading the way. The dog was so well behaved he didn’t have to be on his leash the majority of the time. That gave Keera a sense of security. If there was someone out to get her, she had no doubt they wouldn’t make it past Max.
When they reached her floor, they stepped into the hall, and Keera was feeling pretty dang good—that was, until they reached her door. Then she felt that sense of unease again as she gazed down at her doorknob.
Max immediately stood at attention as his head swiveled both ways. She wasn’t sure if he knew something was out of place, or if the dog was just picking up on her tension. Arden stepped behind her, keeping her back protected as he scanned the area.
“What’s the matter, Keera?” he asked quietly.
“You pick up on things fast, don’t you?” she said. “It’s a little disconcerting how well you read people—including me,” she added with a nervous chuckle. “And that’s without really knowing me.” She should shut up now, but she was nervous and tended to speak too much when she was. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they did get to know each other. She was beginning to forget why that was such a bad idea.
“I like to think I read people and situations well,” he said. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Someone’s been here,” she said.
Arden looked at her knob, seeing the scratches around the lock.
“Can you tell if they got the door open?” he asked.
“I don’t think so. Someone could have scared them off,” she said. “Or at least I hope that’s the case. Or that maybe I’m just jumpy and overreacting.”
“I want to make sure,” he told her. He held out his hand for the key.
Keera didn’t want to be a helpless victim, but she allowed herself the luxury of letting him take over, at least this once. Too much had happened in one day, heck, for the past week, and it didn’t make her a weak person to lean on someone now and then, especially when that someone had shoulders wide enough to carry the burden of ten people.
Arden carefully unlocked her door, then told Max to stay with Keera as he stepped inside her place. Max didn’t budge from his spot at her side, his head resting against her waist as he continued monitoring the hallway.
Keera let out a breath of relief even though Arden hadn’t returned yet. She had no doubt no one was in her place. If they were, there was no way Max would obediently stay at her side. The dog would be charging in to protect his owner. Arden and Max might not be on the best of terms at all times, but she knew a loyal animal when she saw one, and Max was that dog who would gladly give his life.
“We’re all clear,” Arden said about ten seconds later—a very nerve-racking ten seconds. “Let’s call the police.”
“Are you sure? They didn’t make it inside,” Keera said. She couldn’t stand the thought of the police thinking this was something she was bringing on herself. “This is getting awkward, and they have to be getting irritated I’m monopolizing so much of their time.”
“There might be evidence,” Arden told her. He didn’t continue to argue, just pulled out his phone and dialed. He called his brother next, and Keera could hear Declan swearing through the speaker of the phone. She wasn’t sure what was being said, but she could feel tension radiating as the two brothers spoke.
It was oddly anticlimactic as they left her door open and waited for the techs, who came quickly. They were in and out fast, again telling her they were going to solve this problem even if they had to work twenty-four-seven to do it.
Keera felt the sincerity of their words and had to fight desperately not to shed a tear at the loyalty from these people who didn’t know a thing about her. It appeared all they needed to know was that she was now a citizen of their community, and that was good enough for them.
“We need to replace your door lock,” Arden told her as he looked at the worn piece of metal. “And why didn’t you have the dead bolt secured?”
“The dead bolt doesn’t work. I told maintenance, but they haven’t gotten to it yet,” she said. It was important for her to make sure he knew she wasn’t some foolish girl who didn’t think about her own safety.
“Let’s go get new locks. We’ll let management know later,” he told her.
“I can take care of this, Arden. It’s been a long day for you with school, practice, and babysitting me,” she told him.
“Do you honestly believe I’d feel okay with myself if I left you to deal with this on your own?” he asked, looking far more puzzled than annoyed. “I wouldn’t sleep, knowing someone could easily get into your place at any time with how rickety these ancient locks are.”
Keera certainly didn’t have a hero complex where she needed to save the day, but she had to agree with the man. If she were walking a student home and came upon the same sort of situation, especially if that student had been stalked recently, she wouldn’t leave, either, until she knew the problem had been taken care of.
“Thanks, Arden. You truly are going above and beyond for someone you barely know,” she said.
Keera hadn’t really thought much about the fact that she didn’t have long-lasting relationships in her life. She just figured she was one of those people who had been scarred too much from an early age to allow people in enough for them to form close bonds of friendship.
But as she moved down the staircase with Arden, she realized she didn’t want to be that person anymore. She didn’t want to live such an isolated life. No, her scars hadn’t disappeared, but maybe if she got help, sought out the advice of a counselor, then she’d be able to trust herself enough to trust other people to stay in her life.
Ironically, she’d rather be alone as she was having these breakthrough thoughts. But there was something nice about having Arden walking on one side of her and Max on the other. She felt like she was in a pocket of safety, and it sent a warmth through her that no blanket on this earth could give.
It took a lot of willpower for her not to reach out and touch the strong man beside her. Instead of doing just that, she laid her hand on top of Max’s soft fur and gently caressed the overgrown mutt.
Keera had always been able to love animals unconditionally. She thought that was a step in the right direction. But it was rare for an animal to reject a person, and once a bond had formed between a pet and its owner, there was no chance of that bond failing, at least never that she’d seen.
“Max sure eats up the attention you’ve been giving him,” Arden said with a laugh. Max looked at him out of the corner of his eye with what appeared to be a warning. That almost made Keera laugh. She gave him an extra scratch.
“That’s because I think I’m in love with him,” she said, feeling oddly light considering how dark her evening had been. “Animals love without conditions. It’s just something that draws me to them,” she admitted.
“People can love that way, too,” he told her.
She shrugged, trying not to show too much of what she was feeling. “Sadly enough, I’ve seen animals abused before, and then watched with a broken heart as the poor baby crawled back to the one who had hurt them, pleading with that person to forgive them, to love them in spite of what they thought they’d done wrong.” She had to stop and take a deep breath as she fought not to cry.
“I think a person capable of animal abuse should get punished in the same way they torment their animals,” Arden said, his voice a deep growl.
“You haven’t seemed like much of an animal lover,” she told him.
“I might not be the best pet owner, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate animals, even love them,” he said. “And abuse is abuse, whether of another person, an animal, or yourself.” He paused for a moment. “But there’s a special place in hell for those who hurt the young, the old, or the furry.”
It took all of Keera’s willpower not to reach out and caress this man at her side.
“Yeah, I agree with you,” she said, finding herself sliding over a little closer to him. “I’ve always wondered, if an animal can love unconditionally, why is it so hard for us humans to do it,” she added. “I honestly don’t have an answer to that.”
The three of them stepped outside, and Max seemed to grumble when Arden attached the leash back to his collar.
“We’re in public. You need the leash,” Arden told Max, who turned away from him and stared ahead, obviously pouting.
“There’s a store just a couple blocks down if you want to walk,” he offered.
“I’d love to walk. It will clear my head and hopefully help my food settle so I can have more.” She suddenly smiled, and then chuckled, at Arden’s shocked expression.
With all the soul-searching she was doing, she found she didn’t want to be afraid or upset. That was giving the people trying to scare her the power they desperately wanted. She wasn’t going to let them win that way.
“I just found the pot at the end of the rainbow,” she told him.
“I’m a little afraid to ask you what you’re talking about,” Arden said as he continued walking forward, Max leading the way.
“I have more dessert waiting for me. Maybe we can stop at the store, get what we need, and take the long way back to the apartment,” she suggested.
Arden gazed at her as if he were truly concerned she’d lost her mind, but then finally gave her a lopsided grin. “I have to say, I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of guy. I’ll make a deal with you,” he offered.
She was immediately suspicious. “I’m listening,” she said, though there was hesitation. She was beginning to learn that any deal Arden put on the table would surely benefit him the most.
“If you share that dessert, we can go on a longer walk,” he began, and she was already not liking his deal. “And I’ll even put the new locks on.”
Hmm. He wasn’t being unreasonable. But Keera wasn’t too sure she wanted to give up even the smallest morsel of her goodies. She wasn’t sure what Greta had sent home, but after one meal at the woman’s place, she had no doubt it would be scrumptious.
“Come on. The place opens at eleven tomorrow. You can get more,” he said, his voice so pathetic she decided to cave.
“You have a deal, then,” she said. The smile he gave her made her lose her step, nearly causing her to face-plant right there in the middle of the sidewalk. She quickly caught herself and turned away from him.
Damn, the man was magnetic, and she was opening up to him more by the minute—hell, by the second, if she was being completely honest with herself. Yes, she had just decided it was time to let people into her life, but Keera would be a fool if she thought Arden would be a good first person to try to do that with.
She realized as they walked side by side to the hardware store, she might not get much of a choice in the matter. Whether she liked it or not, the man was becoming indispensable to her. Now the question was, could she let go enough to accept the offer in his eyes?