Long, Lonely Nights (16 page)

“Come on by anytime you want a beer or just want to relax outside in my custom decorated back yard.” Logan laughed at the expression on Riley’s face.

“Custom decorated? You’ve been watching too much do-it-yourself TV, man. Get out and live a little.”

Riley shook his head then bumped knuckles with Logan before turning the big bike around and roaring off down the drive. Logan heard the bike for about thirty seconds before it faded into the background noise.

He glanced at his watch and unlocked his door. Tina should be calling any time now to let him know she was on her way home. He figured she was going to balk at letting him look through her house before she went inside. He hadn’t been home to keep an eye on it. If someone had been watching, it would have been the perfect opportunity to break in and wait for her. Not going to happen.

Thirty minutes later, the phone rang. Caller ID told him it was Tina.

“You about ready to come home?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah. I’m about two blocks away,” Tina answered.

“When you get here, stay in the car. I want to check inside first. I was gone most of the afternoon, so I don’t know if anyone might have gotten inside or not.”

“Do you really think it’s necessary?” she asked.

“Do you want to find out the hard way?”

She sighed over the phone. “No. Fine. I’ll wait in the car.”

About that time he heard her pull into her drive. He walked outside and across the grass to her garage. She shoved her keys at him through the window. He struggled not to smile at the little show of temper. It only made him harder. Much more and he was going to have trouble walking without a limp.

“Need the code.”

Tina gave it to him with a growl.

Logan unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. Then, he searched the entire house, closets, and under the beds. He didn’t find anything other than she hadn’t vacuumed under the guest bed in a while. He smiled. She wasn’t perfect. Satisfied that the house was clear, he waved her in from the kitchen door. He watched her emerge from the car with her purse over one shoulder and a satchel he presumed to be full of work over the other shoulder.

She walked inside and held out her hand for the keys, he presumed. He dropped them into her hand and sighed. Then he walked out the door. He waited to hear the locks click. Once the alarm beeped, he headed back to his house. He had done all he could for now.

She wasn’t thrilled with letting him watch out for her, but she wasn’t stupid either. She would take all the help she could get to stay safe. It was a good thing she wasn’t stubborn about it. He would have hated to force her to let him help her. But, he would have, if it meant keeping her safe.

* * * *

“So, are you excited about going out tomorrow night?” Jenna stuck a potato chip in her mouth.

“I think you know the answer to that one, Jenna.”

“Come on. It’s going to be fun. I still think you should invite, Logan.”

Tina rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to do it, so stop suggesting it.”

“He’s still making you call him when you get off work to see you inside. He likes you.”

“It’s all lust. He wanted me. He got me, and now he probably wants a repeat. I’m not interested,” she said.

“Oh, I think you are. You just aren’t going to admit it to me or yourself,” Jenna said.

They finished eating lunch in silence. Tina wondered how she had ever let Jenna talk her into going out Saturday night. She hated the idea of the crowd, fearing they might get separated while they were there. She chastised herself. She wasn’t a child. She could handle herself.
You’re just worried you’ll like it and miss it. Then where will you be?

“So, what are you going to wear?” Jenna asked.

Tina could tell Jenna was excited to have her going with her again. She felt guilty for bailing on her for the last year, but she couldn’t help being a little afraid.

It had happened one night after they had gone out. She’d had such a good time. They had both danced until they were so tired neither one of them could walk off the dance floor without groaning. She hadn’t danced much with any one particular guy. Sometimes it would be her and Jenna cutting up on the dance floor and three or four other guys would join them. Sometimes she’d accept a dance with one of them.

They closed the club down at quarter till two, and Jenna dropped her off at her place. She could remember unlocking her door and walking inside the kitchen without turning on any lights. She didn’t need them. Tina knew her home backwards and forwards. She could navigate it in the dark, no problem. She toed off her shoes in the living room and climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

She had been in a hurry to get dressed. Her boss had kept her a little late discussing a client they were working on. Instead of the thirty-minute bath she had anticipated, she had to settle for a fifteen-minute shower.

She could remember thinking how loud the music had been since she still couldn’t hear anything. Would she have heard anything if not for the music having been so loud? Maybe, maybe not. “Tina? Are you listening to me?” Jenna’s voice cut into her thoughts.

“Sorry. Guess I was daydreaming. What were you saying?”

“I was asking you what you were going to wear, but I’d rather know what you were daydreaming about. Or is it whom?” Jenna teased.

“Nothing really. Just thinking about the new client I got today. They have a really poor coding clerk, it looks like. They need some heavy duty training.”

“Well, get your mind off work during lunch. Plenty of time for that when you are at work,” Jenna said.

Tina smiled and shook her head. “I’m not sure what I’ll wear. I haven’t been anywhere in so long I doubt any of my clothes will fit.

“You should have already tried on some stuff. We may have to go shopping tomorrow. Oh boy. A reason to shop.” Jenna clapped her hands.

“Don’t go counting your new shoes before I check my closet.”

Tina cringed at the thought of a shopping trip with Jenna. The woman never met a store she couldn’t find something to buy inside it. They would be gone all day if Jenna had her way. Nope, she would find something to wear tonight if she had to alter it herself to make it fit. It had only been a few weeks since the last time she had gone shopping with her friend. She needed another few weeks to recuperate from the experience. It made her smile.

“Okay, now you’re thinking about your neighbor. That smile gives you away.”

Tina sighed. Jenna wasn’t going to give it up. She was bound and determined to pair them up. No way, wasn’t gonna happen. They were not compatible. He was sexually out of her league. He would be bored with her inside a month, if they lasted that long. No, he was more the fling type. She’d had her fling with him, and while it had been memorable--okay, spectacular--it wasn’t going to happen again.

“It’s about time to go back. Finish your sandwich like a good girl.” Tina ducked when Jenna threw a napkin at her.

“You’re just changing the subject,” Jenna accused.

“Yep. Take a hint.”

“Fine, but I’ll just bring it up again later.” Jenna finished the last bite of her sandwich.

“Seriously, what time are we going to eat? I’ll pick you up,” Jenna said.

“Seven should be good. Where do you want to eat?” Tina asked.

“How about Italian? Haven’t been to Lillo’s in a while.”

“That sounds good. I love their lasagna.” Tina picked up her purse and waited for Jenna to do the same.

“I’m all about the veal parmesan,” Jenna said.

They paid and walked back to work. It was only three blocks, thank goodness. It was hot enough that she felt like she could melt. Jenna fanned herself as they reached the doors to their office building.

“Remind me next time I want to walk how stupid that idea is.”

Tina laughed. Oh, she would remind her all right. Just as they walked inside, she got a whiff of something that seemed familiar to her. She couldn’t catch it again to figure it out. Shrugging she followed Jenna to the elevators. Work filled her mind as the doors slid shut.

* * * *

When Tina drove up into her garage, Logan was standing outside on his drive watching her. He nodded at her and waited while she unlocked the door and walked inside. She peeked out the window and found him still standing there watching her door. He took it so seriously. It made her feel more secure to know he watched out for her. It also unnerved her to think there was a reason for him to be so diligent.

Tina dropped her keys and her purse on the table by the door. She carried her satchel into the office and dropped it on the desk. Then she turned to boot up her computer, but it was already on. Had she left it on? She couldn’t remember, but she almost always turned it off at night.

Shrugging, she decided to change clothes before fixing anything to eat. She wasn’t all that hungry anyway. There was some left over tuna fish in the fridge, and she had a bell pepper. Stuffed bell pepper sounded good for dinner to her.

She continued up the stairs and into her bedroom. Toeing off her shoes, Tina unbuttoned her blouse and thought about her neighbor. Why did he insist on watching her go inside every day? She didn’t mean anything to him. Not really. She slipped out of her slacks and hung everything up to go to the laundry. Then she went to her closet to grab something light to put on. The door was ajar. She frowned. She never left her closet door open.

Tina thought back to that morning. She had been in a hurry. She’d overslept for once in her life. Normally, she was awake before the alarm went off, especially lately when she hadn’t slept well. This morning, her alarm didn’t go off, and she woke up with very little time to shower and dress. It was possible she had left it like that.

Eyeing the door, Tina stood to one side and kicked it open. Nothing jumped out. She felt silly. As if she could have done anything if a monster had jumped out at her. She laughed and walked into the closet. Everything looked in its usual place. She grabbed a pair of shorts off the shelf and a tank top off the hanger and dressed. She purposely closed the closet door and turned around to head back downstairs. She stopped dead in the middle of her bedroom.
You better look for something to wear tomorrow night or Jenna will have you out shopping all day tomorrow.
She sighed and turned back around to brows in her closet once more.

Thirty minutes and ten outfits later, Tina had her outfit picked out for the next night. She hoped Jenna would be sufficiently impressed. The dress fit her well. It was one she had bought in hopes of losing a few pounds over the summer. Well, she had lost some evidently. She had heels picked out, so she would only have to shower and dress the next evening. Satisfied she had averted a shopping spree, Tina continued downstairs to fix dinner.

Later that night, she took a nice relaxing bath with her favorite bath salts and soaked until the water began cooling off. Tempted to add more hot water and soak a bit longer, Tina glanced at the clock and realized it was getting late. She had worked in her office longer than she had planned. She could sleep late, but knowing Jenna, she would call to check on her at the crack of dawn anyway.

Tina pulled the plug and stepped out of the tub to dry off. The air kicked on and sent chill bumps down her spine and over her arms. She hurriedly finished drying and donned her navy blue negligee. She wasn’t sure why she was wearing it other than it felt good against her skin. She applied lotion and slipped into the bed between sheets that felt like silk. Maybe she would sleep tonight without dreaming, unless it was about Logan. She wouldn’t complain then.

* * * *

Something woke Tina up. She wasn’t sure what it was. A sense of dread filled her, and she couldn’t even turn her head to glance at the clock. The sound came again. A creak then a light
bang bang
reached her ears from downstairs. She panicked and grabbed the phone off the bedside table as she ran for the bathroom. She closed and locked the door with shaking hands and dialed 911. When the operator came on, she begged for help in a whisper.