Page 28 of Pick Yourself Up
“I started researching when I was in the hospital. I couldn’t imagine having to work my next shift in the lobby alone. A nearby business that trains personal protection dogs popped up on my search. I visited, and it took about three seconds to fall in love with Boomer.”
Gray smiled and patted the dog on the head. “From what I can see, the feeling’s very much mutual. He’s a great dog.”
“He is. With him at my side, I was able to get through my shifts.”
Gray nodded. “Until?”
He was perceptive. “Until I decided I didn’t want to anymore. I didn’t want a job where I was nervous every moment.”
Gray rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Good choice. Life is too short to hate your job.”
He said it with total conviction. “Is that why you left bodyguarding?”
He nodded. “I always knew it would be a stopgap job until I found something I loved, but I didn’t expect to hate it more than I loved it.”
“I’m glad you ended up here.”
His face lit up. “Me, too.”
Deciding they’d had enough introspection for the morning, she unlocked the door and swung it open.
Mustiness greeted their noses, and Boomer’s ears perked up while Amber sneezed. The dog woofed softly, a sign he was curious about something, but not concerned about anything that could bother either of them.
Gray opened the flashlight app on his phone and swept it inside the dim interior. The windows had been boarded up at some point, probably to protect the glass and stop vandals from accessing the building.
She pulled out the flashlight she’d found in a kitchen drawer. “I’m betting we can find a bigger flashlight in one of the barns, but I didn’t want to wait until everyone was up to ask about it.”
Gray chuckled, the rough rumble coating her skin with those shivers that had her thinking all kinds of interesting thoughts.
Glad for the dimness that would hide her flush, Amber moved her light across the floor. “Okay, Boomer, we can explore. I don’t see much debris on the floor. Just be careful of your paws. Explore.”
Boomer nuzzled her hand and moved about a foot ahead of her, nose to the ground.
She and Gray followed at the dog’s pace, checking with their lights for obstacles on the floor.
There weren’t many. “Whoever the last person in this house was, they appear to have cleaned up before they left.”
Gray splayed his light over the walls and into the gloom. “Even the furniture they left has been covered. So far, the biggest danger is dust. Maybe mold. We’ll have to get masks before any renovations.”
She agreed, thrilled that he used the word we.
The foyer of the house was large, with a wide staircase heading up. On either side, large double doorways stood open into other rooms.
Boomer paused and checked over his shoulder. Amber smiled. “Your choice, Boomer. Where do you want to go?”
When he wasn’t actively on guard duty, she spoke to the dog as if he were human. When she was scared or nervous, she used the shorter commands he was used to. Commands he followed instantly.
With Boomer and Gray at her side, she had no nerves exploring the empty house. Even in the shadows, with creaks echoing in the cavernous spaces, it wasn’t scary.
Relief that she wasn’t completely broken rushed through her. It helped to have her companions, but the excitement of exploring a new space and the anticipation of digging into a project filled her. If she could move past the debilitating flashes of fear and nightmares, she’d be okay.
As long as the Lauzon family didn’t follow up on their threats to make her pay for the mess at The Sidderlight.
With Chicago in her past, she should be safe.
She hadn’t told Nathaniel, Shirika, or any other staff member where she was going, just that she was planning to spend time with her family. She’d implied that she’d be visiting various family members in different locations.
Amber disliked being less than honest, but her small fib should keep her friends safe. If they knew nothing, there was no reason for anyone to bother them.
