Page 13 of He Will Come for Me

“Of course. It’s a big pot. It’ll last for a couple of days.” He turns back to the oven and my gaze lands on the mixer.

“Phillip?” He turns to face me again with a raised eyebrow. “Do you think I could bake some cookies tomorrow?” I gesture toward the mixer.

His eyes brighten at my question. “Of course. What kind would you like to make? I can make sure we have all the ingredients.”

“Chocolate chip. I used to bake with my mom and that was always my favorite.”

He smiles and rubs his hand over the counter like he’s raking up crumbs. “Perfect. I’m sure we already have the ingredients, but I’ll double check.”

I bring my bowl over to the sink and offer him a grateful smile. Waving at him, I walk toward the doors that lead out to the pool, Rex following after me. Stepping out, I breathe in the fresh air. I wish I could remember the last time I was outside.

Well, the last time I remember was the night of the party. My father and I argued all the way to the party and I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. Stepping off the back dock, I take in the beauty that is the swimming pool.

It’s luxurious. It has a zero entry with two lounge chairs you could lay in. The pool gradually gets deeper and leads to a secluded cave with a waterfall. I’d live out here during the summer if this belonged to me.

“The pool is heated,” Rex says. I look at him over my shoulder. His hands are clasped in front of him as he watches me. He didn’t have to tell me that, but he obviously saw how much I love it.

“Good to know. I’ll read out here on warmer days with my feet in the water.”

He nods once. “Don’t come out here by yourself. Always let Mr. Stone or I know.”

Turning to face him, I cross my arms over my chest. “This place is locked down tighter than Fort Knox. I don’t need a babysitter.”

He arches one eyebrow at me. “You’ll have a babysitter as long as Mr. Stone wants you to have one.” I slap my hands against my outer thighs in frustration. With a groan, I turn toward the lake and walk away. I know Rex follows, but I ignore him as I take in my surroundings.

The grounds are beautiful. There’s a tennis court close to the pool with hydrangeas separating the two. There are hydrangeas everywhere. Stopping at one of the bushes, they’re blue, pink, purple, white, and some have a yellowish tint. I fight the urge to pick them to make a bouquet.

Continuing toward the lake, the muscles in my legs begin to ache and I have to focus on my breathing. I am really out of shape and it’s a long way to the lake. Finally giving up, I sit down on the grass still a ways from the water. Rex settles next to me, surprising me.

“I can’t wait until I start feeling normal again. Whatever that is.”

“You will. You just started eating normally. Give it time.” Sadness settles in my stomach like a boulder. Pulling my legs into my chest, I rest my chin on my knees. There’s a boat out on the water with someone fishing.

“Does someone live close by?” I ask, motioning to the guy in the boat. With how crazy Phoenix is about security, I can’t imagine he’d let just anyone near his house, even if it’s on the lake.

“That’s old man Larry. He’s a grumpy asshole,” Rex grumbles, but it sounds good natured. Filing that away for later, I can’t ignore how low my energy is.

“I think I’m going to take a nap.”

Rex stands and offers his hand to me. I take it begrudgingly and let him help me up, dusting off my butt. My steps are slow as we walk back up to the house, but Rex doesn’t complain. He keeps his strides short.

Guess I won’t be planning my escape until I can walk further than a hundred feet.

Chapter 7

The next morning, I wake up before Clara brings me breakfast. She usually brings me breakfast in my room and I eat while staring out my window. But today I hurriedly throw on some leggings and an oversized T-shirt. My heart beats in excitement as I walk quickly down the stairs. I’d run, but I’m not sure I’m ready to experiment with that.

Pulling my hair up into a messy bun, I enter the kitchen and stop. Phillip and Clara are kissing. I clear my throat, trying to announce my presence. They separate quickly and turn to me. Clara tries to step away from him, but he wraps his arm around her waist and holds her close. A grin spreads over my face as Clara’s face turns a bright shade of red.

“You two?” I ask. Clara’s eyes flit up toward Phillip and back to me. They both nod and I chuckle. “That’s great.” Clara sighs, andPhillip kisses the side of her forehead. I squint at them, unable to stop smiling. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

I lean my elbows against the counter as I wait for an answer. Phillip takes a deep breath. “You’ve had a rough time, so we’ve tried to be sensitive to that.”

I wave my hand at them. “You deserve to be happy. Don’t try to hide that on my account.”

Clara’s face brightens. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I asked Phillip yesterday if I could bake some cookies today. I was a little excited to get started.” Clara chuckles and shakes her head. Phillip turns toward the oven and puts some food on a plate. My mouth waters at the sight of eggs and pancakes.

---