Second Time's the Charm

“I’m fine.”

He was a business acquaintance. He didn’t have the right to push any further into her life.

“I put a second safety catch on your back door,” he told her. “It’s a blocker in the track itself. You’ll need to lower it to open the door.”

“I’ve already checked it out. Thanks.”

She’d been checking out her doors? “Are you nervous, staying there alone?”

“A little uneasy, I guess. Just the idea that there’s some creep slinking around at night...”

“Do you have someplace else you can stay?”

From what he’d seen and heard, she seemed to know every person in town.

Chuckling, Lillie said, “Lots of places. But I’m where I want to be.”

The chuckle, the confidence, had him guessing just where in her house she might be. Which led to wondering about her state of dress. Or undress...

Pushing the covers into a ball at the end of the mattress, Jon focused on his computer screen for a couple of seconds. Got himself under control. The hard-on her words had triggered was going to take a bit longer to subside, but he could ignore it. Move on.

“I have a suggestion,” he said, thinking of his paper. And of the time the week before when she’d used the very same words to suggest that he and Abe go to the zoo with her. “I think you should let me replace your sliding glass door with French doors.”

“You can do that?”

“Yeah. And I really think that it would be a good idea,” he continued. “Not only would it increase the resale value of your home, but they’d be a hell of a lot safer. We could install a dead bolt just like we did on your front door.”

“I love French doors,” Lillie said, her voice growing in energy again. “And at this point, I’d just as soon never have sliding glass doors in my home again. But wouldn’t the transition take a lot of work?”

“It’d be a breeze,” he said. “I could have it done in one evening. The big deal is the cost. French doors don’t come cheap. We’re talking anywhere from $350 to $4,000, depending on your taste.”

“My safety is worth the cost.” Her answer was immediate. Which it had been every time he’d discussed costs with her. She was obviously well compensated for what she did. And the piddly few hours he was putting in for improvements around her house couldn’t possibly be paying for the time she was spending with his son.

They were supposed to be going on another outing on Sunday. Unless something had changed with her plans.

“Are your friends keeping Abe again tomorrow night?”

“Yes.” He had some research to do for the chemistry experiment he and Mark were planning for the following week. A chapter to get through in Trig. And a shitload of paintings to memorize for a quiz in Art History.

“Do you have plans?”

“No,” he said.

“Maybe we could shop for doors together,” she said. “I’ll need you to show me what my choices are. Will we have to order them?”

“Not if you like something they have in stock.”

“How soon can they have them delivered?”

He had a hunch she was more than a little uneasy about the break-ins. And admired the hell out of her. The woman had strength. And grit.

“If you buy something in stock, I can load it up in the back of the truck,” he told her. “And if you’re quick about making up your mind, we might even have time left for me to install them before I have to pick up Abe tomorrow night.”

He’d give up a little extra sleep that week to get his schoolwork done.

Abe came first.

And Lillie was his best hope for helping Abe with his anxiety.