Page 19 of Smoldering Nights
She looked around the room.It was simple but comfortable.Pale gray walls and soft lighting.Lifting the window shade, she saw the window framed the tree line outside like a painting.Her suitcase sat by the closet where she had left it.Mitch had even placed a small glass of water and a packet of pain relievers on the nightstand, just in case.
The gesture made her chest ache in the best way.He cared.She hadn't had anyone in her life who'd really cared about her in such a long time.She’d been engaged once, to a man she admired and loved with her whole heart.But he’d broken their engagement and moved to London for his job, without asking her to join him.He just moved on.She was devastated.Then she heard through the grapevine that he’d married about six months after arriving in London, and his new wife worked at the same company as he had.Things started coming together in her mind.Late nights, secret phone calls.He’d been having an affair with this woman, and their company offered them a fresh, clean place to make their relationship permanent.That was five years ago now and Izzy had avoided dating or getting tangled up with anyone since then.When she stepped into her father’s place at Petal Pushers, it offered her the diversion she needed to not dwell on her heartache.And she’d fallen in love again, but this time with her flowers and her business.She became happy again on her own.She’d done it for herself.That’s why this was so devastating; she’d grown here as an adult.As a woman who’d been broken and cheated on and she’d thrived.No way was she going to let someone take this away from her.
She stretched as she padded around the bed and opened her suitcase on the floor.She pulled on a clean pair of leggings and one of her oversized shirts, then stepped into the hall.The condo was quiet except for the steady tick of the wall clock and the occasional sound of traffic far off in the distance.
She padded toward the kitchen and found Mitch at the table, laptop open, phone to his ear.He had donned a clean gray t-shirt and dark blue sweatpants, and he looked as comfortable as someone with cracked ribs possibly could.His posture told her he wore the rib band he was instructed to wear, and that made her smile.His hair was tousled, and he looked like he hadn’t slept much.But he was so handsome.Not only did she feel safe around him, but she liked looking at him.His hair was dark, but there were grays at his temples and stippled throughout.That added to his handsomeness.He looked like a man who had lived a lot of life, but it didn't destroy him.
She looked into his eyes, and he nodded to her, still listening to whoever he was on the phone with.
“Yes, this morning,” he said into the phone.“Three cameras, two motion sensors.I’ll install the rest myself.”
A pause.
“It has to be first thing.She’s going back into her shop, and I don’t want her there without coverage.Thanks.”
He ended the call and set the phone aside.“Morning.”
“Morning,” she replied, unsure where to stand.She hovered near the table, twisting her fingers.“You didn’t have to sleep on high alert all night for me.”
“I didn’t.I slept.”He raised a brow.“You didn’t hear me snore?”
A soft laugh escaped her.“No, thankfully.”
He closed the laptop and leaned back in the chair.“How’d you sleep?”
“Better than I expected.Your place… it feels safe.”
He nodded once, serious again.“That’s the point.”
She moved toward the kitchen counter.“Can I make breakfast?”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.It’s the least I can do.”
Mitch hesitated, then nodded toward the fridge.“Help yourself.Eggs, bacon, make whatever you want.Coffee's made and ready for you.There’s bread, too.”
She opened the fridge and scanned the contents.“Are you one of those weird people who keeps ketchup next to the eggs?”
“Guilty.”
She laughed again and pulled out ingredients, her nerves easing with the rhythm of a simple task.As the bacon sizzled and the smell filled the room, she glanced back at him.
“You weren’t kidding about security,” she said, nodding toward the tablet propped up next to his laptop.It showed several camera feeds, including the front door, parking lot, and interior hallway.
“I take it seriously,” he said.“I’ve seen what happens when people don’t.”
The weight behind his words made her pause.
She turned back to the stove.“Mitch...last night.When you said I’d become important to you, did you mean that?”
He didn’t answer right away.His chair creaked, and his footfalls, though soft, sounded close to her.She turned as he neared.“I don’t say things I don’t mean,” he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
“Me neither,” she managed.
They stood there for a beat, the tension thick, but not uncomfortable.Electric, yes, but safe.Honest.
