Brenda Jackson - Married Or Not? - Married or Not? / Ian's Ultimate Gamble

He laughed. “If you’re afraid you’ll get out of practice, you can always do something around here.”

She glanced around the room before meeting his gaze. The teasing glint in his eyes was adorable.

“Ah, now I get it. I pay for my room by keeping the place clean, right?” She couldn’t hide the amusement in her voice.

He sobered. “No, of course not. There are no strings attached to my offer, I promise.”

“I have a hunch I’ll get in plenty of practice getting my apartment cleared out and cleaned up.”’

“I hired a crew to go in and clean up the place and told the owner about what had happened. He agreed to let you out of your lease, given the circumstances.”

“You’ve already done that this morning?”

“Yes. I also had one of the men tow your car over here. I didn’t want it sitting over there any longer than necessary.”

“I’m not helpless, you know,” she said, feeling exasperated. “I’m perfectly capable of cleaning my apartment and of retriving my own car.”

“Okay. Sorry. I wanted to save you some of the grief. If you want to keep the apartment, you can let the manager know before he rents it out again.”

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I would have liked to at least save anything that was salvageable.”

“The cleaners figured as much and will see what is fixable, which they will save, and what isn’t worth trying to put back together will get tossed.”

“There’s really nothing worth anything, even when it was whole.”

As though unaware of what he was doing, Greg placed his hand at the back of her neck and massaged the bunched muscles there. The relief was immediate.

“Why don’t we go get something to eat,” he said after a while. “We both need some fuel.”

“I think you’re right. I’ll need to go to the library afterwards. I need to replace some of the textbooks that were damaged so I can finish up my assignments.” She got up and walked over to the window. When she turned around, she said, “I appreciate your offer of a place to stay more than I can say. You were right. I don’t want to stay in that apartment, and your talking to the landlord in your official capacity no doubt saved me a great deal of hassle.

“I need to find my own place, though. I’ll check the newspapers and see what I can find. You’ve been such a help and I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness.”

“Of course the decision is up to you. I have no problem with having you here. Until we get to the bottom of all of this, I’m a little worried about your living by yourself. If they found you so quickly once, they won’t have any trouble finding where you’ve moved.”

She allowed herself a small smile. “If they trace me here, they’re going to wish they’d never bothered me.”

He stood and stretched. “I almost wish they would. I’m getting hungry. Shall we go?”

“Let me get my purse.” She hurried down the hall and into her bedroom. Tears filled her eyes. What would she have done without Greg these past several hours? He had stepped in and done what needed to be done.

She hadn’t had anyone help her that much in years. The longer she stayed with him, the more susceptible she would become. Let’s face it. She was already halfway in love with him.

Sherri grabbed a tissue and quickly wiped her eyes, checked her hair and lipstick, grabbed her purse and returned to the living room.

Greg had changed shirts. Now he wore a crisp, white T-shirt that set off his tan. He really was something.

She smiled and said, “I’m ready.”

He stood by the bar, and when he saw her he picked up a key that had been lying on the counter. “I meant to give you this sooner. It’s the key to the apartment. Since we’re splitting up after breakfast, I want you to have a way to get in just in case I don’t get here before you return.”

“Thank you.”

“I’d like you to keep very aware of your surroundings, including any cars that keep showing up wherever you happen to be. Watch the people around you, especially their eyes. Eyes generally telegraph what people plan to do. Key my cell phone number into your phone so that you can get me by a push of a button.”

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I want you to be as safe as possible.”

“I’ll certainly do my best.”

He draped his arm around her shoulders. “Good. Let’s go eat.”

Once inside the car, Greg reviewed what he’d done and said.

Meeting Sherri had been like being hit by a bolt of lightning. He’d been feeling and acting strange ever since then. Why else would he have brought her to his apartment?

He had never offered to share his apartment with anyone, no matter how desperate they happened to be. He liked his own space. He’d lived alone for a long time.

There was no reason why he couldn’t have paid for a hotel for Sherri last night. He could have taken her to her room and made certain the room was safe before leaving her.

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