Page 38 of Gentle Fox

"Pretty sure axe murderers don't bother to ring the doorbell. They would just smash through the door and call it a day."

Owen let out a frustrated breath. "You know what I mean. Why didn't you call me and let me know you were on your way?"

Gracie plopped both hands on her hips. "Because I wanted to surprise you, and since when are you sleeping in on a Saturday? Last time I checked, you were up before the sun all your life." Gracie peeked back out the window even though she had only been outside a few moments before. "Yup the sun is definitely up."

Owen's sister didn't give him the opportunity to respond before she was whipping herself in my direction. "Hi! I'm Gracie, and you are?" She tilted her head to the side and waited for me to answer.

"Annalee." My name barely squeaked out of my mouth. This wasn't how I expected my morning to go nor how I thought I would be meeting Owen's sister.

"It's nice to meet you, Annalee. You're fucking gorgeous and I can totally see why my brother was still in bed."

"Oh, no, we aren't . . ."

"Annalee's the receptionist at the security firm. She's waiting for her apartment to be ready."

Owen and I spoke at the same time. My words were laced with desperation for Gracie to understand this wasn't at all what it looked like even though technically that was a lie. Up until three days ago I had been in Owen's bed and would be back there now that Gracie was here.

"Oh, so this isn't . . ." Gracie waved between Owen and me.

"Nope."

"No."

Again we answered at the same time. Owen's sister looked like she didn't believe us and who could blame her. We sounded like two teenagers caught in the middle of the act by our parents.

"If you say so." Gracie shrugged. "So where am I staying since you mentioned not having a bedroom for me?"

Owen scrubbed his face with his hand. He didn't look all too keen to explain the current sleeping arrangements, so I took charge.

"Owen had bedroom furniture delivered this week. I've been using it but it's yours now. I'll make sure there are clean sheets on it before tonight."

"Oh no, I can't possibly take the bed from you! I can find someplace else to stay."

The way the last sentence sounded so unsure, when there was nothing unsure about this woman since the moment she showed up, told me everything I needed to know. Staying somewhere else was not an option.

"No, it's fine. It was worked out before you showed up. Owen was just waiting for you to arrive."

I looked at the man himself half expecting him to speak up. This was his house after all and Gracie was his sister. But instead I found him staring at me curiously and I wondered what that was all about.

Owen's sister glanced back and forth between us. "If you're sure . . ." She dragged the last word out but I was already nodding my head.

"Absolutely. I'm just going to go jump in the shower quick and get a head start on my day. I'll let the two of you catch up."

I dashed back to the bedroom that would no longer be mine before either of them could say anything.

Everything about that conversation was awkward and I needed time alone to get my head on straight before I spent any more time with Owen or Gracie.

It wasn't until I was shampooing my hair that I let myself think more about Owen's sister. Owen had mentioned she was a lot younger than him but I hadn't expected the woman to look like she was barely old enough to drink, with raven-black hair that hung in loose waves down her back and crystal blue eyes that were as clear as the Mediterranean Sea. Not to mention dimples that stood out more often than not. Owen's were hidden by the scruff on his face but Gracie's were all anyone could focus on. The young woman was stunning. Owen would be beating guys away with a bat as soon as the men in town saw her.

I rushed through the rest of my shower and quickly dried off. As I pulled out the first drawer, I groaned. I would need to move all my clothes again. Owen had been insistent that I left them in his bedroom but my stubbornness won out in the end.

Now I wished I would’ve listened to him. Moving everything after just getting myself organized, would be a pain.

I shuffled down the hallway but stopped before entering the kitchen when I heard Gracie mention my name.

“Just exactly where do you plan to have Annalee sleep while I’m here?”

Shit on a shingle.

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