“Under my roof? You want to stay here?” He asked incredulously and Royce hissed sheepishly.
“I did hope we could convince the Lees and Hopkins Creek that this was a bit of a whirlwind thing so I could move in and observe them. Possibly get inside their house,” he admitted and Grant shook his head.
“Absolutely not. Goodnight and good luck, Agent Bradshaw. I won’t blow your cover but I’m not helping you,” he said firmly as he grabbed the door handle. Royce snatched Grant’s wrist and pressed his back against the door.
“Please,” he urged as his eyes clung to Grant’s. Royce waited until he saw the first crack in Grant’s resistance then gave him a warm, drowsy smile as he leaned toward his lips. “I promise I’ll keep you and Audrey safe.”
“Why? The CIA doesn’t give a damn about us,” Grant said and Royce nodded slightly.
“No, but I do,” he whispered as their lips brushed.
“I’m still not interested.”
“Come on. Who knows, maybe you’ll have a little fun,” Royce teased and Grant’s head snapped back and his eyes hardened.
“I had fun once and my husband was murdered. Goodnight, Agent Bradshaw,” Grant bit out as he pulled Royce off the door then swung it open and pushed him through it.
“Wait!” Royce protested as he stumbled over the doormat.
“Goodnight,” Grant said just before the door slammed shut and Royce flinched as he heard the locks click and the bolt slide.
“Well. That went poorly,” he noted but his lips curved as he pushed his hands into his pockets and spun on his heel. It went poorly but Royce knew he was going to have fun convincing Grant to fall in love with him.
Chapter 8
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get yourself trapped in the bathroom for the foreseeable future,” Grant murmured as he peeked between the blinds then turned and raised a brow at Edgar. He made a low groaning sound as his cone hung in shame and Grant pulled in his lips as he reached for his keys. “I could have used your help last night. You could have bit that stupid agent for me,” he added as he waved the keys at Edgar but they both knew there was a better chance of Grant biting someone. Edgar was more likely to trip over his feet or cause some sort of calamity with his tail. He missed Grant’s humiliating encounter with Agent Bradshaw after popping into the upstairs bathroom to sample some of Hopkins Creek’s finest toilet water. Edgar’s tail had a habit of shutting doors behind him and Grant found him patiently napping but still thirsty after learning the cone wouldn’t fit in the toilet. Grant jumped when he heard Marcy honk. “I won’t be long,” he promised then opened the front door and leaned out to see if it was clear. He didn’t see Bradshaw’s convertible as he quickly locked the door then jogged down the porch steps and across the lawn.
“That’s really weird about your tire but I was so relieved that it was just a flat. I almost had a heart attack when I saw your car in front of the shop while I was locking up last night,” Marcy babbled as he got in.
“Yeah. I got a ride home. Thanks for picking me up.”
“No problem! I’ve got to run to Bethesda to do some grocery shopping so I was already heading out. Want to get together later? I can bring something over for dinner and we can watch some movies or drink a few bottles of wine and snuggle,” she offered. Grant shook his head and pretended to be distracted by the construction at the church.
“I’ve got to get my tire fixed and part of the fence fell in the backyard. It’ll take most of the day and I’ll probably just drink a few beers in the pool and crash early,” he said.
“If you’re sure,” she replied as she stopped next to Grant’s Land Rover. “Call me if you get lonely and I’ll bring some beer and join you in the pool.”
“I’ll see how social I’m feeling later,” he said as he kissed her cheek then got out. He waved and watched her go then scowled as he scanned. It was still early and quiet. There were a few cars parked along the street but most of the businesses were just opening. Grant got the spare on without seeing anyone then drove back over the bridge to get his mail and coffee. He exchanged the usual pleasantries with Rhoda and Grant breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the post office. His car was still the only one parked in front as he reached for the door to the coffee shop.
“Well, look who it is! Good morning, scaredy-cat!” Vanessa called from behind the espresso machine and the Davis sisters cackled from their table by the window.
“Thanks,” Grant grumbled as he found a $10 and tossed it on the counter.
“I’ve always thought you were a little crazy but yesterday definitely proved it,” Vanessa said as she prepared Grant’s coffee. “He was stunning and you are insane,” she declared as she pressed a lid onto his cup and Grant’s lips pulled tight.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said then froze when the door opened and the bell rang. Vanessa’s eyes brightened and became wide as they flicked to Grant’s.
“It’s him!” She hissed and Grant shook his head quickly.
“I have to go,” he said as he spun. “Nope!” He stated firmly as he dodged Agent Bradshaw and darted at the door.
“Grant!” Vanessa cried and he was still shaking his head as he backed out of the coffee shop and scrambled to pull his keys from his pocket. He sneered at Bradshaw’s Audi as he jogged past it and fled the coffee shop’s parking lot as if he’d just robbed it. Grant’s mood darkened by several degrees in the garage of the tire repair place in Bethesda.
“Do you have a good explanation for this or do you want to report it?” The mechanic asked as he dropped a warped round into the palm of Grant’s hand. “I’m not an expert but that looks like it’s from a 9 mm,” he added and Grant shrugged it off as he slipped it into his pocket.
“My fault. A friend invited me for target practice and I parked in the wrong place. Could have been worse, right?” He offered and the mechanic laughed.
“First time around guns?” He asked and Grant’s smile became tight and hard but the mechanic didn’t notice.
“Yup. Thanks for getting me in so quickly. What do I owe you?”
“No problem, Mr. Weatherly! Let’s ring you up,” the mechanic said as he waved for Grant to follow him to the office. The stop at Home Depot was uneventful, and Grant thought he was home-free and done interacting with people as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and surveyed the damage to the fence.
“I am going to strangle you!” Marcy screamed when he answered the phone. Grant cringed as he held it away from his ear then waved at Drew Lee through the gap.
“I guess you heard,” he replied as he mentally inventoried the tools and supplies he’d arranged on the grass.
“I have to drop off my groceries but I’m going to strangle you when I get there,” she growled and Grant hummed.
“Great. I’ll tell the police to expect a call.”
“Did it just slip your mind? You couldn’t have mentioned any of it this morning?” She cried. She sounded deeply wounded and furious.
“Spoiler alert: nothing happened and it was all a big mistake. I’ll explain when you get here,” he said then hung up and tossed his phone on the grass. It only took him a few minutes to put up the new pickets and he was carrying his tools to the shed when Marcy stomped down the porch steps.