Obsession Falls(57)

Josiah turned out the light and for a moment, it felt like I couldn’t quite breathe. Then he reached over and pulled me close, tucking my back against his front. He took a deep breath and with his exhale, the tension in my body melted. He was warm and strong and close, and I could have stayed in bed with him forever.

And as I fell asleep, warm and safe in his arms, I fell a little bit in love with Josiah Haven.





CHAPTER 23





Audrey





Light peeked through the bent blinds and it took me a second to remember where I was. Josiah’s house. Not just his house, I was in Josiah’s bed.

I took a deep breath and let that sink in.

The reason I was there threatened to dull my moment of bliss. But I pushed reality away just for a moment so I could bask in the feeling of waking up next to Josiah Haven.

Since I had my back to him, I shifted a little so I could peek, hoping to catch a glimpse of him sleeping.

I was not prepared for what I saw.

Josiah was on his side, facing me, and between us was Max. My dog lay stretched out, belly up, tucked alongside Josiah in blissful doggie sleep. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. Josiah, who’d been somewhat indifferent to Max at first, was basically snuggling him in his sleep.

If I hadn’t fallen for Josiah a little bit the night before, I would have then.

Max seemed to sense I was looking at him. He opened his eyes and was wide awake in the space of a second. He jumped off the bed, tail wagging.

“I’m coming,” I whispered. “Give me a second.”

I cast a longing glance at Josiah. He looked so big and warm and comfortable. I would have loved to tuck myself against that burly body, but I didn’t want to test the limits of Max’s bladder. I got up, careful not to wake him, and took Max outside.

Considering everything that had happened, I decided to give my mom a call. I didn’t want to worry her, but I also knew she’d be upset if I didn’t fill her in. It was early, but she’d always been an early riser. I knew she’d be up. While Max sniffed around the yard, I took out my phone and called her.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hi, Mom. Sorry it’s so early.”

“Is it? I’ve been up for a while. How are you?”

“Fine. Sort of. Actually, something creepy happened last night. I figured I should call and let you know what’s going on.”

“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice suddenly laced with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It was disconcerting but I’m not hurt or anything.”

“What happened?”

“This is going to sound crazy, because it is, and I don’t know how else to tell you other than just coming out and saying it. Someone wrote a swear word on my door. In squirrel blood.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I got home last night and someone had written a swear word in big letters in squirrel blood. The poor little squirrel was left in front of the door.”

“Who would do such a thing? Did you call the police? Have they found them yet?”

“I don’t know, and yes, and no.”

“They must have done it to the wrong house. Someone wouldn’t target you like that.”

“That’s one of my theories, too, but I just don’t know. There was another dead squirrel outside the house not long ago, but I didn’t think much of it. There’s a lot of wildlife around here, I thought it had just died there. But now I’m not so sure.”

“You need to move home. Immediately.”

I rolled my eyes. “While I appreciate the offer, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Audrey, you can’t stay in that house.”

“The police came and they’re doing everything they can.”

“You still can’t stay in that house.”

“Mom, I have a lease. And one act of vandalism that could have been random or a mistake isn’t going to get me to move.”

“It might not have been random or a mistake.”

I followed Max toward the driveway. “I know.”

She took a deep breath, like she was about to tell me something important or possibly difficult to hear. “You know your father was loved and respected in Pinecrest, but anyone who enters politics makes enemies.”

I paused to consider what she was really saying. “So you think someone from Pinecrest found out where I live and wrote 'bitch' on my door in animal blood to get back at my dad who passed away two years ago?”

“Stranger things have happened.”

“Mom, has someone been targeting you? Has your house been vandalized and you didn’t tell me?”

“Oh no, certainly not.”

“Well, it seems like if Dad had enemies who would do this kind of thing, they’d go after you first.”

“Perhaps. Although my security system could be enough of a deterrent. They could have tried to get to me and settled for you instead.”

Was my mother really suggesting I was a second-choice vandalism victim? I couldn’t help but sigh. “I’ll mention Dad to the police in case they want to follow up on that lead.”

“Be sure you do.”

Although there was no way I was going to suggest to my mother that Colin might be the perpetrator, I did wonder if she’d seen him lately and if he’d been acting any different.