A quick glance told him she was visibly holding back a reaction. “Trouble, get over here,” she ordered.
“He’s not about to listen,” Jason said. “Not when he’s after prey.”
She shuddered, unable to hide her revulsion. “Can’t you get rid of it?”
“I’ll need to take a ride to the hardware store and pick up the traps.”
“Let me get my shoes and I’ll come with you.” She spoke quickly, obviously not wanting to be left alone in the house with the rodent.
Or rodents.
“Eager to visit your good friend Burt?” He gave her a knowing grin. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you here to fend for yourself.”
She shot him a look of gratitude. “What is it with this house that animals come with it?” she asked as she opened the hall closet and retrieved her warm, furry boots.
“Abandoned houses attract all kinds of visitors,” he told her. Stepping beside her, he pulled his jacket off a hanger.
“Speaking of visitors, I need to tell the plumber I’m going out.”
He nodded, watching her behind wiggle in her sweats as she headed for the door. A behind he now had permission to snuggle with all night long.
HAVING A TANTRUM was the most activity Beth had had all year. Too bad she hadn’t gotten the response she’d been looking for. Where was her sister? She needed her to visit and give her an update on the condition of the house.
So much for crying out for attention. All Beth had gotten was a shot of Ativan and a drug-induced sleep.
Well, she wasn’t drugged anymore. She hadn’t seen her sister or her so-called boyfriend in too long. He’d been working at the prison weekly, and although their plan called for him to take time off, his absence was making her antsy.
Her little plan had backfired and now she’d be monitored more closely, making it more difficult to get alone time with her boyfriend. If and when he showed up for work.
Maybe he’d found the jewels and bailed on her, a thought that caused her no small amount of worry.
The day nurse walked by, staring at Beth closely as she passed her bed.
Beth swallowed a ripe curse, reminding herself to stay calm. No more tantrums until she needed one.
CHAPTER NINE
LAUREN FOLLOWED Jason into the hardware store. Burt scowled, his eyes boring a hole through her skull.
She frowned and tapped Jason on the shoulder. “Why does he hate me so much? Other than the obvious reasons, I mean.” Lauren knew her family had a poor reputation in town but this man’s feelings bordered on fury.
Jason paused. “Burt’s last name is Miller. To hear my father tell it, his dad used to own the local pharmacy. A big chain tried to buy them out. They refused to sell. Next thing you know, the landlord invokes a clause in the lease that increased their rent and forced them out of business.” He lifted her hand in his. “The big chain went in one month later.”
Lauren glanced up at the old, cracked ceiling. “My grandmother was the landlord?” It was the most logical guess.
The most damaging. Thinking about the destruction her grandmother had wreaked around town made Lauren’s heart hurt.
Jason nodded. “Let’s go pick up the traps.” He headed for the back of the store.
“Jason, man, she’s a Perkins,” Burt called out.
“She’s also hot and you’re jealous you can’t get someone who looks half as good,” Jason called over his shoulder, pulling her along with him as he walked.
Ten minutes later, Burt remained embarrassed and silent as he rang up their purchases.
Lauren appreciated Jason’s defending her, but even if she didn’t deserve Burt’s anger, her grandmother did. She paused at the register and met the man’s gaze. “I’m sorry for what my grandmother did to your family.”
He stared at her strangely, as if he couldn’t understand her words. More likely he couldn’t comprehend an apology coming from the mouth of a Perkins.
They walked out onto the street. It was sunny, but the wind blew cool air around her. She shivered and Jason pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her.
“Are you sure you want-”
“People to think we’re a couple?” he asked, reading her mind. “Yes. Because as long as you’re here, that’s what we are.”
She couldn’t deny him. Especially since she wanted the same thing.
“So tell me about your career,” he said, passing his car as they walked down the sidewalk.
“Wait. Aren’t we going back to the house?”
“In a little while. It’s nice out. Let’s keep walking.”
She shrugged. Why not? The cool air felt good. So did the company. “I always loved fashion magazines.”
“I remember. While I read ski magazines, you read Vogue.”
“Do you miss it?” she asked him. She meant snowboarding.
“Sure I miss it, but the travel part? Not so much. I’m just…” He shook his head. “We already know what happened with me. I’d rather finish talking about you.”
She knew he was avoiding discussing himself but she appreciated his interest in her.
“So you loved fashion magazines,” he prompted.
She grinned. “I didn’t realize you’d paid attention.”
“You’d be surprised,” he murmured.
“So once I moved to Manhattan-”
“And into that rat-infested apartment.”
She inclined her head. “And into that rat infested apartment, I took classes at FIT, which I paid for with student loans and by working at a dress company. I sketched my own designs at night.”
“Not much sleep for the determined, hmm?”
“You ought to know.”
He grinned. “True. Now go on.” He swung her hand back and forth in his, clearly enjoying her story.
“I graduated and took a low-end job. I also hounded all the best designers, hoping to get my work into one of their hands. No luck. One day I brought my portfolio to work on at the dress company during lunch. I ate at my desk, got carried away and forgot to put away my designs. One of Galliano’s assistants came by, saw my work and slipped me his card.”
“And the rest is history?”
“And a red Porsche,” she said, laughing until her cell phone rang, destroying the easy moment. “Hello?”
“Ms. Perkins? This is Franklin Pennington, Esquire.”
Lauren’s stomach dropped. Her sister’s lawyer. “Hello, Mr. Pennington.”
“I received notice that your sister’s doctors want to have her transferred to a hospital where they can do brain scans and testing.”
“They told me that was a possibility. But that’s their problem, not yours, right?”
He cleared his throat. “It depends. If they put her through these tests and find something detrimental to our case, that’s bad. I’d like to do more research on her condition. Find similar cases and see.”
“Okay…” Lauren said, waiting for the punch line.
“But the reserve funds from your sister’s retainer are running low.”
The gut churning turned to nausea. “Mr. Pennington, this case is depleting my resources.”
“I understand. It doesn’t help that the court system runs slowly, while the time invested in research and interviewing potential expert witnesses adds up. But time is money.”
Jason shot her a curious glance.
She held up one finger, telling him to wait.
“Fine. I’ll see what I can do to get a check in the mail.”
“Thank you. I assure you, everything I suggest is in your sister’s best interest.”
“But there are no guarantees,” she said at the same time as the lawyer. He always followed up his assurances with qualifications.
Covering his overpaid ass, Lauren thought.
Frustrated, she disconnected the call and tossed the phone into her purse.
“What is it?” Jason asked, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him.