No wonder writers crafted tales of keeping captive princesses safe in ivory towers.
“You’ve tested that lock three times.” Gwen graced him with her pristine white teeth and brilliant smile.
“It sticks.”
“Ah, huh.”
“When will you know about Karen?” He twisted the lock a fourth time.
“We’ll finish the background check, and then have them meet. We should know if it’s going to work in a couple of weeks. Maybe sooner.”
Enough time to add a couple of cameras…update a couple of things. He didn’t like the amount of motion the outside detectors were picking up. He stood in the yard, completely still, and the damn things were going ape-shit crazy. Glitches like that made people ignore the signals.
He tapped the control panel used to set and unset the alarms. “What’s your distress code?”
“Zod.”
“What numbers?”
“Nine six three.”
“When do you use that code?” He was drilling her, but he didn’t know what else he could do.
“If someone was here threatening me and telling me to turn off the alarm. I know the drill. Nothing is going to happen. I’m a big girl.”
“You’re a tiny girl the neighborhood paperboy could snap like a twig if he wanted to.”
“Tommy would do no such thing. He’s a good boy.”
The edge of his lips lifted ever so slightly.
“Is that a smile I see on Neil’s lips?”
He forced his lips to a thin line.
“Oh, my mistake.” Gwen hid her own grin.
“I’ll call tomorrow with details about who will come to fix a few things.” He returned his equipment to his bag. “Lock the door behind me.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave him a mock salute.
“I’m serious, Gwen. Your security habits suck. Your brother isn’t going to let you live here alone if you don’t start taking things seriously.”
Her playful grin fell and Neil knew he’d used the wrong words to get her to move over to his way of thinking.
“My brother is not my keeper.”
“He owns the house.”
“Samantha owns the house. And she’d never make me leave.”
Neil’s jaw started to twitch again.
“Perhaps I need to remind you that I’m not a child.”
His eyes did a quick sweep of her body. “You don’t have to remind me of that.”
She took a step toward him, placed her hand on his arm. “I’ll try and be better about locking the doors.”
He nodded, not willing to let her know how much the thought of her living there alone distressed him. He opened the door to let himself out and called over his shoulder. “And park your car in the garage.”
“Oh my God, Gwen, get up here!” Karen laughed as she yelled from upstairs. “Quick.”
Gwen hustled up the stairs and found Karen hovering over her bedroom window. She’d pulled the curtains back enough to peek out.
“What is it?”
“Look!”
Gwen switched positions with her roommate and narrowed her eyes. It was late at night and the neighborhood was dark…except for the light coming from the new neighbors’ hot tub. A couple of days had passed since their arrival. In the Jacuzzi sat two people, and from what she could see one was a woman and the other a man. If Gwen had to guess, she’d say that they were an older couple. Maybe retirement age. “What am I looking for?”
“Just keep watching.”
Gwen was about to leave her spying perch when the woman stood to move to a different spot.
“She’s naked.”
Karen started laughing. “Ewww!”
“We have naked neighbors…” I never saw this back home.
Karen peeked beside her all the while giggling. “Look how hairy he is.”
Gwen averted her eyes. “We shouldn’t stare.”
“They shouldn’t parade around naked.”
“They’re in their own yard.”
“Surrounded by two-story houses.” Karen flashed a brilliant smile. “That’s the crazy crap you never get when you’re locked behind security gates at an estate.”
Gwen couldn’t argue with that. She took another quick look.
The phone rang and both of them jumped.
“We shouldn’t stare.”
Karen continued to watch while Gwen answered the phone. “Hello?”
“There’s noise coming from the backyard.” Neil skipped pleasantries and started issuing orders. “Make sure the doors are locked.”
“You know, Neil, normal people say hello when they call on the phone. A little ‘hi, how do you do,’ stuff like that.”
“The motion detectors are off the charts.” There was frustration in his voice.
Gwen purposely hesitated to say anything.
She heard him sigh. “Hello, Gwen. Can you tell me what’s going on over there?”
Isn’t that better? “Why hello, Neil. Nice of you to call. Nothing’s going on. Our new neighbors are enjoying their hot tub. Perhaps their tub is interfering with your equipment.”
“I should come over and see for myself.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Why not?”
“I do not need my new neighbors thinking I’ve invited people here to gawk at them.” That wouldn’t be the way to introduce herself.