Chapter 28

Sunday

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. The words weren't flowing today. All I could seem to do was stare at my clicking cursor. I turned off my computer and checked my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. James still hadn't called me back. His plane must have landed hours ago. I had called him a few more times this morning, but hadn't left any more messages. What was taking him so long to call me?

My eyes wandered to the camera mounted in the corner of the room. It used to make me uncomfortable, knowing that our security detail could see me at all times. But James assured me that they didn't watch us when we shed our clothes. The cameras were just a precaution. After everything that had happened to us, James didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. And that meant putting cameras in every room, despite my insistence that I didn't want them. I begged him to at least not put them in the bathrooms or our bedroom. James' response to my request was that we had sex just as often outside our bedroom. Which was true.

I clicked on Porter's name in my phone and held it to my ear.

He answered after one ring. "Yes, Mrs. Hunter?"

"Cole?" I knew he still preferred when I called him by his last name. But sometimes I just needed that sense of familiarity. And whenever I called him Cole instead, he knew something was bothering me.

"Is everything alright, Penny?"

I smiled at him calling me by my first name. "When did James' plane land?" I heard the shuffling of papers.

"At 8:51."

I bit the inside of my lip. That was hours ago. "Do you know what his itinerary is?"

"He just said it was business."

"Could you call Briggs and see if James is available for a call?"

Porter cleared his throat. "Briggs is with me."

"Briggs didn't go with James?" For some reason, I was starting to feel uneasy. James knew how I felt about him traveling without a member of our security detail.

"Despite my requests, no. You know how Mr. Hunter is."

I sighed. I did know. He worried about his family when he went away on business. He wanted to keep Scarlett and me safe, even though it put him at risk. "Do you think maybe we should hire one more person?"

"I think that's a great idea. I'll pull some resumes of recommendations and bring them to you tomorrow."

Over the past few years, the members of our staff had gotten used to catering to my requests. I cringed at the fact that I had used the term staff. They didn't feel like staff to me. They felt like family. I relied on them endlessly. Originally, I hadn't been able to ask them questions without them skirting around the answers. Apparently because of James' high standards and odd rules about what I was allowed to know. But now they let me make decisions as if I was an extension of James.

"Do you want me to try to call him?" Porter asked.

"No, I'll just keep trying."

"Alright. Is there anything else you need?"

I looked up at the camera and then quickly turned away. I was embarrassed by what I was about to ask. "Actually, yes. Could you maybe check Scarlett's room for snakes?" A part of me thought that maybe that was why I couldn't focus on writing. I was worried a snake was going to come out of nowhere and bite me.

"Snakes?"

"She's been obsessed with them after seeing this Harry Potter movie. And I knew we shouldn't have let her see it. But now she won't stop talking about snakes."

"Snakes huh? I thought she'd be more of a bunny collector if anything."

I laughed. "I know. But she has this strange fascination with them. And she keeps saying they're going to take me away."

"What do you mean by that?" There was suddenly a sense of urgency in his voice.

"That they're going to kill me, I guess? I don't know. She keeps saying stuff like that to me and it's freaking me out."

There was a knock on the front door. I slowly stood up and ended the call. I knew it was Porter. A few seconds later, I opened up the door for him, even though I knew perfectly well that he had a key.

"I'm sure she doesn't have any hidden snakes in her room. Kids and their imaginations." He winked at me. "But let me check it out just in case." He had winked. And he had smiled. But his expression was serious even though his tone wasn't. He was suddenly ready to get down to business. And that made a world of difference to me. He didn't laugh at me or call me crazy. He took the threat seriously. Because it was his job to keep my family safe. If he said that the upstairs was all clear, I'd believe him.

I wandered into the kitchen while Porter checked Scarlett's room. It was easy to get lost in writing about memories like they were currently happening. And even though I wasn't being as productive as usual, I had completely lost track of time. It hadn't just been hours since James had landed. It had been almost exactly eight hours.

I tried not to let myself worry. Worrying never helped anything. He was probably just in meetings all day. "I know I promised you ice cream, little man," I said and opened up the freezer, trying to distract myself. I pushed a few things aside and frowned. No ice cream? How was that possible? I shoved a few more things to the side and sighed. Now that it wasn't an option, I was desperately craving it. Sorry, baby boy. I stared at the contents of the fridge, but nothing else looked appealing. Maybe I was just thirsty. I opened up the cabinet to grab a glass and saw a note from Ellen on the counter, sitting in front of my bottle of vitamins.

 

Penny,

When I unpacked your suitcase, I didn't see your pill holder. I'm so sorry, but I must have accidentally put it in James' suitcase. It was a careless mistake and I'm very sorry. It won't happen again. I do hope you two had fun at the wedding.

My apologies,

-Ellen

 

I shook my head as I poured myself a glass of water. Did she really think I'd be upset with her? I had forgotten them too. I unscrewed the cap and took six instead of two, to make up for the missed days, and swallowed them down with a huge gulp of water. Ugh. I hated these pills. I couldn't wait until I was allowed to go back to my daily gummy vitamin. Scarlett had gotten me hooked on them. They were fruity and delicious and probably everything a vitamin shouldn't be. But it got her to take them.

"If she's hiding snakes it must be under the floorboards," Porter said.

I jumped. I hadn't even heard him walk down the stairs, let alone into the room. "Thanks for looking."

"I'll call an exterminator in the morning just in case. They can probably check it out better than I can. I really don't know a thing about snakes."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I'm glad he was taking me seriously. "That would be great."

"Where is Scarlett right now?" he asked.

"She's spending the night at Rob and Daphne's. Apparently she didn't think I was capable of protecting her from the snakes." I laughed awkwardly.

He gave me a tight-lipped smile. The same kind of smile that Mr. Caldwell had given James. The same smile that people gave me when they found out about my heart murmur.

"Maybe that's for the best. I know she usually sleeps in your bed when James is away, and I was just about to advise you against it."

Whenever James was away on business, I always forced our daughter to sleep in his spot. I didn't need to be embarrassed. Porter had cameras everywhere. He knew I didn't like to sleep alone. But I still felt a blush cross my cheeks. "Why were you going to advise against it?"

"In case she's planning something."

I laughed. "Planning something?"

"It would have just been a precaution. But we don't have to worry about it now."

Now. Because my daughter refused to be alone with me because she was scared I couldn't protect her. I pressed my lips together. "Okay. But she gets scared when James isn't home. She's probably going to call in the middle of the night for me to come get her. And then she's going to try to crawl in my bed regardless."

"So, we'll lock her door."

"Lock her up?" I laughed again. "She's not a criminal. Besides, you know how good she is at opening locked doors."

Porter shrugged. "Just be careful until the exterminators come. And let me know if she does call tonight. I'll escort you to Rob's to get her. Is there anything else you need tonight?"

This conversation was ridiculous. But not because of the snake part. Because there was literally no chance Scarlett would call me in the middle of the night if she was scared. I needed to hear James' voice. He always knew exactly the right thing to say to me. "Could you maybe call James real quick? To see if he answers? I've been trying to call him all day."

"Of course." Porter pulled out his phone, clicked on a few buttons and put it to his ear. "Good evening, Mr. Hunter." Silence. "Yes, everything is fine." He gave me a smile. "Mrs. Hunter just wants to talk to you." Silence. "Very well. Goodnight, Mr. Hunter."

I reached out for the phone, but Porter pulled it from his ear and then hung up. I blinked. "Did he not realize I was standing right here?"

"He's in a meeting. He said he'll call you as soon as it's finished."

I went through the time difference in my head. "It's after 10 o'clock in London. What meeting would he have so late?"

"I'm not sure. But he said he'd call you once it adjourns. I should get started on those resumes. And I'll schedule the appointment with the exterminator as well. Anything else on your mind?"

"No. Thank you, Porter."

"Have a good evening," he said with a nod. He closed the front door behind him. I heard the click of the lock, knowing perfectly well that Porter would stop anyone unlocking that door if it wasn't someone who was allowed to come in.