Page 84 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"I'm sure she doesn't have any hidden snakes in her room. Kids and their imaginations." He winked at me. "But let me check it out just in case." He had winked. And he had smiled. But his expression was serious even though his tone wasn't. He was suddenly ready to get down to business. And that made a world of difference to me. He didn't laugh at me or call me crazy. He took the threat seriously. Because it was his job to keep my family safe. If he said that the upstairs was all clear, I'd believe him.

I wandered into the kitchen while Porter checked Scarlett's room. It was easy to get lost in writing about memories like they were currently happening. And even though I wasn't being as productive as usual, I had completely lost track of time. It hadn't just been hours since James had landed. It had been almost exactly eight hours.

I tried not to let myself worry. Worrying never helped anything. He was probably just in meetings all day. "I know I promised you ice cream, little man," I said and opened up the freezer, trying to distract myself. I pushed a few things aside and frowned. No ice cream? How was that possible? I shoved a few more things to the side and sighed. Now that it wasn't an option, I was desperately craving it. Sorry, baby boy. I stared at the contents of the fridge, but nothing else looked appealing. Maybe I was just thirsty. I opened up the cabinet to grab a glass and saw a note from Ellen on the counter, sitting in front of my bottle of vitamins.

Penny,

When I unpacked your suitcase, I didn't see your pill holder. I'm so sorry, but I must have accidentally put it in James' suitcase. It was a careless mistake and I'm very sorry. It won't happen again. I do hope you two had fun at the wedding.

My apologies,

-Ellen

I shook my head as I poured myself a glass of water. Did she really think I'd be upset with her? I had forgotten them too. I unscrewed the cap and took six instead of two, to make up for the missed days, and swallowed them down with a huge gulp of water. Ugh. I hated these pills. I couldn't wait until I was allowed to go back to my daily gummy vitamin. Scarlett had gotten me hooked on them. They were fruity and delicious and probably everything a vitamin shouldn't be. But it got her to take them.

"If she's hiding snakes it must be under the floorboards," Porter said.

I jumped. I hadn't even heard him walk down the stairs, let alone into the room. "Thanks for looking."

"I'll call an exterminator in the morning just in case. They can probably check it out better than I can. I really don't know a thing about snakes."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I'm glad he was taking me seriously. "That would be great."

"Where is Scarlett right now?" he asked.

"She's spending the night at Rob and Daphne's. Apparently she didn't think I was capable of protecting her from the snakes." I laughed awkwardly.

He gave me a tight-lipped smile. The same kind of smile that Mr. Caldwell had given James. The same smile that people gave me when they found out about m

y heart murmur.

"Maybe that's for the best. I know she usually sleeps in your bed when James is away, and I was just about to advise you against it."

Whenever James was away on business, I always forced our daughter to sleep in his spot. I didn't need to be embarrassed. Porter had cameras everywhere. He knew I didn't like to sleep alone. But I still felt a blush cross my cheeks. "Why were you going to advise against it?"

"In case she's planning something."

I laughed. "Planning something?"

"It would have just been a precaution. But we don't have to worry about it now."

Now. Because my daughter refused to be alone with me because she was scared I couldn't protect her. I pressed my lips together. "Okay. But she gets scared when James isn't home. She's probably going to call in the middle of the night for me to come get her. And then she's going to try to crawl in my bed regardless."

"So, we'll lock her door."

"Lock her up?" I laughed again. "She's not a criminal. Besides, you know how good she is at opening locked doors."

Porter shrugged. "Just be careful until the exterminators come. And let me know if she does call tonight. I'll escort you to Rob's to get her. Is there anything else you need tonight?"

This conversation was ridiculous. But not because of the snake part. Because there was literally no chance Scarlett would call me in the middle of the night if she was scared. I needed to hear James' voice. He always knew exactly the right thing to say to me. "Could you maybe call James real quick? To see if he answers? I've been trying to call him all day."

"Of course." Porter pulled out his phone, clicked on a few buttons and put it to his ear. "Good evening, Mr. Hunter." Silence. "Yes, everything is fine." He gave me a smile. "Mrs. Hunter just wants to talk to you." Silence. "Very well. Goodnight, Mr. Hunter."

I reached out for the phone, but Porter pulled it from his ear and then hung up. I blinked. "Did he not realize I was standing right here?"

"He's in a meeting. He said he'll call you as soon as it's finished."

I went through the time difference in my head. "It's after 10 o'clock in London. What meeting would he have so late?"

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