Page 29 of Keeping Astrid

Did he have regrets?

Was he now wishing that he hadn’t kissed her?

Not that he was giving any outward indication that he was having second thoughts.

“I’m good.”

Two words spoken with a surety that eased her uncertainty.

Astrid nodded. “Right. I—um—I should finish dinner.”

Growler dropped his arms from her face and stepped back, not far, but enough for her to be able to turn back to the sauce. Giving it a quick stir, she was relieved to see that it hadn’t burned and stuck to the bottom of the pan.

“Do you have a strainer so I can fix this pasta?”

While she’d been checking her sauce, Growler had switched the burner off and had his hands, the ones that had been holding her only moments ago, around the saucepan’s handle.

Astrid canted her head to the sink. “It’s in there ready for use.”

Part of being efficient in the kitchen for her was to have everything ready to go so that she wasn’t scrambling at the last minute to find a plate or, in this case, a strainer to finish preparing the meal.

Together, they worked in a companionable silence and moved around the kitchen with ease, as if they’d cooked a hundred meals together, not one.

“Do you want something to drink? Wine? Water? Soda?” she asked as she set two steaming plates of pasta on the round table in the eat-in nook in her kitchen—a place she’d always used with her father but had taken to eating her meals at the island bench after his death.

It had been natural for her to walk over there and set the food down. A moment of melancholy and sadness hit her that it wasn’t her dad she was eating with, but it quickly passed when Growler brushed past her, his fresh, citrus cologne teasing her senses.

“I’m good with a soda,” Growler stated as he changed direction and headed back to the refrigerator. “What can I get you?”

For a second she was confused—then she remembered what she’d asked him. “Soda sounds good too.”

Astrid sat and waited until Growler joined her at the table, the scene so domestic that she wanted to do it over and over. It hit her then….

I’ve been lonely.

Without even realizing, apparently. After her father’s death, she’d thrown herself into her work, to help deal with the grief, but now with Growler sitting in the chair that her father had always occupied, she could acknowledge that her life had been empty. That she’d been going through the motions. But just because Growler had kissed her and was sharing her house at the moment, didn’t mean it was permanent.

He'd told her she was a job. A job that would be over the moment the danger surrounding her had passed.

How would it pass though, when they had no clue who was after her?

How could they find someone when what she’d witnessed had been sketchy at best? When the time had come to describe the man she’d seen, her mind had remained mostly blank.

Again, she wished that she hadn’t gone to the homeless shelter that day. Or had stayed longer, but she couldn’t change the past or the circumstances that now surrounded her.

Plus, if she hadn’t gone there, she wouldn’t have met Growler.

“You’re not eating. What’s wrong, Comet?” Growler’s fingertips touched hers. A simple, sweet gesture that connected them without being overbearing.

Comet.

The nickname was cute and was growing on her. Should she tell him what was troubling her? Would he like this job to be over quickly? That was something she didn’t know and didn’t want to think about too much right at this moment. If there was any progress to be made and if—the long shot that it was—they were going to take things further than a kiss, she needed to be honest with him. Needed to let him know what she was thinking and feeling—not everything, mind you—just certain things.

“I was thinking about how we’re effectively chasing a ghost. We have no idea who is after me. Nothing to go on and nowhere to start.”

Growler moved his hand so that his was covering hers and not just touching it. The warmth from his palm heated her skin and chased away the worry. “I’m not going to lie, it is hard with what we have to go on. But trust me when I say that we are going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of this and eliminate the threat.”

His voice had hardened to steel as he spoke. The conviction in his words gave her hope that he was right and that they would find who was after her. Astrid decided she didn’t want to know what he meant by “eliminate.” It conjured up many images and thoughts, some not very pleasant.

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