She might have slept finally, although she saw gray dawn creeping around the slats of the blinds. Cait got up when she heard somebody come out of the bedroom across the hall.
She found Colin in the kitchen, adding water to the coffeemaker. He glanced at her, then back to what he was doing. He looked as if he’d aged ten years overnight. Cait had a bad feeling she did, too.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I had a flash of remembering how angry you looked. I opened my mouth too soon and said something stupid. That’s all it was.”
He nodded.
She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. “I’ll leave today.”
“Now you are being stupid.” His voice was completely devoid of emotion. “Of course you’re not going anywhere. Not when that creep’s after you.”
She only shook her head. She couldn’t stay. She didn’t deserve his protection. “I have to get dressed.”
“When you’re ready, I’ll follow you into work.” He still sounded like a stranger.
Deep breath. “Thank you” was all she could manage.
She didn’t cry until she stood in the shower, hot water washing away her tears.
* * *
WAITING FOR THE elevator Friday morning, Noah glanced over his shoulder when he heard the squeal of a vehicle turning sharply. Every sound was magnified down there. He tensed when he saw the blue of Cait’s car. The elevator doors opened, and he was torn between escaping and waiting. While he hesitated, the elevator lost patience with him, closed and went on its way.
She walked hurriedly from her car, although there was a hitch in her step when she saw him. “Noah.”
Today’s garb was more subdued than her usual—black slacks and a three-quarter-sleeve V-neck camel-colored sweater. Stood to reason not everything in her wardrobe was bright and cheerful. But, seeing her face, he suspected her clothes reflected her mood.
Then she got closer, and his eyes narrowed. She looked like hell.
“Cait,” he greeted her.
“Caught coming to work late.” She might have been trying to make light of it, but her voice was subdued, too. “I was looking at rentals. I know I should have waited until tomorrow, but I’ll make up the time.”
“You’re not on the clock,” he said impatiently. “I know you have to find a place to live. I thought you’d stay at your brother’s for now, though.”
“No, I—” She gave an awkward shrug, bumping a heavy messenger bag against her hip. “Actually, I put down first and last month’s on one of the town houses you told me about. I can move in today.”
“But they’re not furnished.” What was going on?
“No, I’ll send for my furniture from Seattle. But I needed a new bed anyway. That was my second stop this morning, at Larson’s.”
Fred Larson, who owned the furniture store, was one of the local businessmen who’d served on the city council for far too long, in Noah’s opinion.
“I picked out a bed and a couch. Oh, and stools the right height for the breakfast bar. The manager promised they’d deliver at five, so I’ll need to cut out a little early, too.”
“You know that’s not a problem.” Her living for a week or more in a two-bedroom, two-bath town house furnished only with a bed, sofa and bar stools, that was a problem. He still hadn’t punched the button to summon the elevator, and he didn’t now. “Cait, what’s going on? You know you shouldn’t be alone until this Ralston guy gets picked up.”
Noah had looked up Blake Ralston online, and although he wasn’t 100 percent sure he’d found the right guy, he thought he had. The one he’d found was some kind of water system engineer, which made sense—Cait would have reason to meet him in the course of her work. He’d been displeased to see that her ex-boyfriend—if this was him—was model-handsome in a dark-eyed, intense way. Given the education and qualifications the company website listed, he seemed an unlikely stalker, but Noah had long since learned that crazy came in all shapes and sizes.
“It’s been three days. The police haven’t been able to locate him, and I haven’t heard a peep from him. You know he’s probably back in Seattle. His flying visit was a…a jab.” She was trying to sound like she believed herself. Failing, of course. “That’s all,” she concluded.