Page 52 of Chasing Sunrise

Chapter Twelve

With a thanks to herneighbor, Kasey entered Amanda’s back door. “Hello!”

No answer.

Concerned, he walked through the immaculate kitchen and down the hall. Light from the bathroom splashed onto the hallway concrete floor.

Suddenly, Amanda belted out, “If you don’t know me...”

Once at the bathroom, he peeked around the corner to find her carefully placing a piece of tile on the mosaic.

“Don’t quit your day job!” he yelled.

Amanda jumped and swiftly spun around while tugging the earphones from her head. She hit a button on the tablet sitting on the closed toilet. “What the hell? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Then she scowled. “Thank you for that unsolicited opinion.”

“Well, I had to tell you in case you thought you had a career in singing.”

She set the earphones, glue, and tiles on the bathroom counter. “How did you get in here?”

“You haven’t answered my calls or texts. I got worried and drove over. I knocked and rang the bell. When you didn’t answer, I asked Mrs. G to let me in so I could check on you.” He’d told Amanda how he’d met Mrs. G the day she was sick.

“Yes, about Mrs. G. I tried to convince her we weren’t a couple.” Her scowl became an all-out frown. “I could tell she didn’t believe me. What did you say to her?”

He shrugged. “The truth. You weren’t feeling well, and I cooked soup for you. We spoke for half an hour. She’s a fan.”

“I can’t believe she unlocked my door for you.”

“All you had to do was answer your phone.”

“It went for a swim last night.”

He tried not to laugh. “A swim?”

“In the tub with me and hasn’t worked since. I have it in a bag of rice trying to dry it out.”

Eyes on the mosaic behind her, he saw she’d added several tiles. “It looks fantastic.”

“Thanks. The part you did really helped. I appreciate it.”

The peace he’d felt while working on it washed over him again. “I enjoyed it.” He scanned her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her pink-painted toenails.

“I’m a mess.” She crossed her arms. “This is me on Saturday mornings before I’ve showered.”

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