For Love of Livvy (14 page)

With the folded invoices tucked into my purse, I stood up and stretched. Bewildered couldn't begin to explain how I felt at the moment. Confusion over Aunt Livvy's seemingly other life included the fact that my house had been tossed twice, and a mysterious package left on the doorstep. Then there were the two handsome men that flitted through my days. Well, confused exhaustion was rampant. I would deal with things tomorrow.

After we cleared the dishes and tucked the remaining food away, Lola locked up and we left for the house. She pulled up outside the front door and asked, “Do you want me to stay again tonight?"

"No, but thanks for offering. I can't expect you to stay forever, though I must say I was relieved that you were there last night. I appreciate the meal and your company today. We'll catch up tomorrow.” I angled from the front seat and closed the door to the mini Cooper.

Lola slid the window down. “If I have any other thoughts, I'll call and if anything happens, let me know, okay?"

"You bet.” I smiled and stepped through the front gate toward the house. I heard the car idle as Lola waited for me to go inside and turn on the interior lights. The motion sensor lights came on as I walked up the path to the front door. I turned and waved as I entered the house, then flipped the living room lights on. Lola waited another few moments before driving away.

I locked the doors and wandered through the house, lighting the rooms as I went with taut nerves stretched to the breaking point. This was totally unlike me although I had been through a few harassing days that I could have done without. Inspecting each room, I flipped the lights off and my nerves calmed to a low scream. A tolerable scream, at any rate.

I stepped into the bedroom and changed into a t-shirt and sleep shorts when I heard a thud from above. My heart hammered against my ribs and in an instant, sweat trickled down my armpits. Opting for an optimistic explanation, I figured it may be something out of the ordinary that might have toppled over in Aaron's apartment. My heart wouldn't quiet, even though my brain fought to stay in control.

The cops should be my first call, but what if it was only something that had fallen over, I reasoned. Then I'd look like a paranoid freak, and I wouldn't be taken seriously when something bad did occur.

Okay, the baseball bat was in the closet. It was as good a weapon as I could get a grip on at the moment. I pulled the hall closet door aside and slid my hand around the bat handle. Grasping it tight, the weight of the wood stock gave me courage. The closet door closed and I turned the back entry doorknob.

The door opened on soundless hinges. I stepped into the hallway and tiptoed up the stairs toward the second floor. A thin beam of light streamed under the door at the top of the steps. My heart pounded harder and my mind splintered in different directions as I held my breath to listen for sounds.

Soft footsteps padded past the door, then hesitated. I could hear keys jingle and felt my eyes widen with fear as I froze, rooted to the spot where I stood.

The door handle turned, I couldn't see it but heard the slight scrape of metal against metal. Unable to move, I stood on the third step from the landing and watched the door glide open. My breath caught in my throat as I raised the baseball bat.

Aaron's silhouette filled the doorway from top to bottom and side to side. The man was definitely WWF material and had a magnificent build. Aaron Grant towered over me, his face in darkness while light from behind haloed his gigantic proportions.

"What're you doing in the dark?” His voice held a hint of humor and surprise.

In relief, I gawked at his silhouette, unable to get my thoughts together in a coherent manner. He reached out and flipped the light switch, brightening the entire staircase and landing. He took the bat from my hand, stepped back into the light and then looked the bat over with a solemn expression.

"I heard a thump,” I whispered.

"I knocked a book off the end table. Sorry about that.” His eyes sparkled and he stepped back farther into the apartment, inviting me in with a crook of his index finger and a wide smile. “Come on in, Vin."

It didn't take long for me to realize he was enjoying the situation immensely, and I couldn't figure out why. I entered the apartment on bare feet and wandered around. I checked out the furniture he'd brought in. Aaron's taste fit the décor of the unit. A sense of normalcy returned as I stared around the well lit rooms.

"When did you bring in these pieces of furniture? They're beautiful.” My gaze flicked back to him and I caught his eyes scrolling down my bare legs. I realized I didn't have any underwear on and the shorts slung down around my hips were skimpy at best.

Another man who liked my wares, I thought as I looked away. Gosh, for the past several years I hadn't been able to develop an interest in anyone. Now I had two hunks on my hands at the same time. Everyone has choices in life, I guess.

"This afternoon after I left you in Newport, I had some free time before my next stop. I loaded these pieces into the truck and hauled them in. Sorry if I scared the daylights out of you, but nobody was home when I arrived, and I don't have your cell phone number. Can I offer you a drink or something?” His eyes glittered as he uttered the word “something."

I ignored the offer of “something,” not exactly ready for what that would be and shook my head. I sat at the counter and twiddled with a coffee stirrer for a moment and then looked up.

"I feel kind of stupid, but I can tell you now that it'll be nice to have someone else in the house. I feel like I have to search the apartment every time I come home. It's a very uncomfortable feeling, one I've never had to deal with before.” Why I told him that, I'll never know. I guess it was just a moment of truth and I blurted out my anxiety over the culmination of events.

"That's why I started to move in right away. After you told me about the second episode, I figured it would be better if I were here. All you need to do is yell and I'll be downstairs in a flash."

"Marcus will undoubtedly be relieved that I won't have to call him every other minute when there's an intruder."

"I'm sure.” His eyebrows lifted in a sardonic manner, but that's all he said.

Curious as to whether he had actually run into Richmond, I tried to come up with an angle to get the information out of him. While I weighed my words, he satisfied my curiosity.

"Before I returned here this afternoon, I ran into Trooper Richmond. Actually, he stopped me for speeding, but only issued a warning when he saw it was me. When I asked about last night's incident, he filled me in. You were fortunate that the intruder panicked. You know that, don't you?"

Still fiddling with the plastic stirrer, I glanced around before my gaze settled on his.

"Yeah, I know. Did Richmond say anything else?"

"No, just that you were lucky. Tell me what's going on, Vinnie. Maybe I can help you."

"It's complicated and growing more so by the day.” I swiftly explained what had happened to date and watched his face for emotional responses to my mishaps. His dark good looks gave nothing away and for a moment I considered two things. One was that he had a poker face and the other thing was that his demeanor meant he already knew what I had told him.

Either way, I was apprehensive. If he was aware of the situation it could mean he was involved in the bad side of things and my safety was in jeopardy. I may have invited the spider into my parlor. A slight shiver ran down my spine and his gaze tightened.

"Vinnie, don't scare yourself to death. Don't let your imagination get out of control. Let Richmond do his job and things will work out. What you need is a distraction. Why don't we go to Narragansett Beach tomorrow? I have the day off and we can have dinner at the Spain Restaurant while we're there. You do like the beach, don't you?"

"Sure, who doesn't? I have a couple things to take care of in the morning, but I'll meet you back here around eleven if you like."

Maybe he was right and innocent, too. I needed to get away from the house and Livvy's issues for a time. I rose from the stool and padded to the door.

"Great, I'll see you then. Bring your swimsuit and a change of clothes, okay?"

His suggestion brightened my mood while the smile he bestowed upon me was charming.

The bat in hand, I trundled down the steps to my apartment. My eyes slid toward the bolt that was in place on the back door. Reassured, I strolled through the hall into my apartment and locked up. More at ease than I had been for some time, I put it down to Aaron's proximity.

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A sharp rap brought me upright in bed. I realized someone knocked at the outer door. A robe tossed over my clothes, I scooted into the hallway to unbolt the lock. A smile crossed my features as Larry and his Elizabeth Taylor wannabe stood on the back step while bright sunshine poured in the doorway.

With a motion of entry, I ushered them into the house and hustled along behind. The coffee pot was perking and I was thankful it was on automatic. I pulled mugs from the cupboard, milk from the fridge and apologized for not having any food to offer them.

Lanky Larry was so bemused, I could have fed him rocks with jam and he'd never have known. Liz Taylor was another matter altogether. Lanky had a grin that spread from ear to ear and his eyes glazed over every time he looked at Liz. I, on the other hand, could see Liz was a real piece of work.

Thick black mascara gummed up his eyelashes. His lips were painted outside the lip line. Pancake make-up masked his skin and blush sat atop the entire mess. That always amazed me. If it was supposed to cover the wrinkle lines around the mouth, it had the reverse effect.

Striking eyes pierced me like a pin into a butterfly while his black wavy hair was styled in 1965 era Liz Taylor fashion. He seemed familiar, but who knew what he really looked like without that gunk on his face and in regular clothes. I took in the attire and smiled to cover my discomfort at the piercing gaze.

Liz wore a bright red jersey top, covered with a nubby silk jacket. The long, flowing skirt ended at the ankle and bright red sandals adorned his feet. Glaring red toenails tipped the hairy toes of his size twelve's. I figured he hadn't realized he needed to wax those ugly puppies.

Cordial to the max, I served coffee as heavy footsteps treaded the stairs. I knew Aaron had a light step, but he'd heard the commotion and probably wanted his presence known. Lanky turned to me with a question in his eyes and opened his mouth as Aaron knocked on the door and walked in.

Both men smiled a greeting at one another. Liz took in every inch of Aaron's form. I watched the whole scene while I pulled another cup from the cupboard and poured Aaron some coffee. Handing him the cup, I smiled and winked. He grinned, and I knew he'd caught the Liz Taylor look.

"Will you be ready for eleven?” Aaron asked after I introduced Liz.

"I should be. I've got to run to my mom's for a few minutes, and then I'll be back."

"Do you want me to take you and then we can leave from there?"

"No, it's no problem to come back here. I don't mind at all."

It wasn't necessary to have him meet my mother. She'd only ask me a million questions about the guy. If my father met him, well, it would be another battle of wills. My father and I butt heads on a regular basis. He was determined to marry me off. I was determined to stay single until I met Mr. Right.

Finishing our coffee, Lanky took Liz upstairs to see the apartment with Aaron as a tour guide. This let me off the hook for entertaining them any longer. I silently blessed Aaron for his intervention on my behalf. I took a quick shower, stuffed beach gear in a duffle, and headed for Cranston.

Upon arrival, I hustled into the house to find my mother in the laundry room. Folded clothes covered the counter as she drew colored clothing from the dryer. She turned to me with a smile as she matched socks.

The papers were folded in my purse and I took them out and spread them on the folding counter. My mother looked at them and then at me.

Her glance took in the documents and she asked, “What's this about?"

"These are bills from Conclavia Inspirata. I got them last night.” In a few sentences, I'd explained what Lola and I found when we'd ended up in the Providence shop. I left out the near arrest incident. Why worry her for nothing?

An amazed look covered my mother's features. She never expected to have this issue arise and compound her grief for Livvy. In a soft voice she asked, “Do you think your cousins are involved in this?"

"I hate to say it, but I do. Why they have done so is unfathomable to me, but it might be an honest deal gone bad for some reason. We have to find out more about their dealings before I turn these papers over to Marcus. I don't want to give Auntie Josephine a heart attack for no reason.

"Kenny is the worst of the two, but until I know more I'm not going anywhere with this evidence. I don't know what the police will make out of it. They're not always right in their assumptions."

"Yes, I know dear,” Mom said. “I'll have coffee with Josephine today, then I'll call you later or are you coming to dinner?"

With a glance at my watch, I looked up at her with a grin. “No, I have a date for the beach. My new tenant and I are going to Narragansett and then to The Spain for dinner. Can't get much better than that, huh?"

Her eyes lit with a smile and she nodded. “Indeed.” She smiled. “What about that nice young man, Trooper Richmond? He surely seems a good fellow."

"He is. This is just a beach and dinner thing, not wedding plans or announcements of any kind, okay?"

"Will you bring your tenant by sometime?"

"We'll see. Right now, I just want to clear Aunt Livvy of any wrong doing. That's my goal.” I gave her a hug and kissed her cheek before I left for home.

It had just turned eleven by the time I reached the house. Aaron leaned against the truck as I drove in and parked the car. He glanced at his watch and smiled at me. I slid from the driver's seat and locked the car doors.