Cry Me a River PG-13 Edition by Devyn Dawson

times.  That’s how she heard about the brother moving to town.  The cops get a description of him from her and asked for the phone number of her friend. 
    The police look around the house and discover my bedroom window had been jimmied open.  My hands began trembling at the thought of someone in my house.  “Okay, I’m scared.  I’ll call my security company and have them come out this week and add censors to my windows.  I bought the cheaper package from the security people, but it is worthless if I can’t turn on the motion detector because of my pets.”
    After an hour everyone but Caide left.
    We take the coffee cups to the kitchen to wash by hand.  The dishwasher is rarely used unless I’m entertaining. 
    “River, do you have any family in the area?”  Caide takes a dishtowel and dries the cups.
    “No, I don’t have any family in this part of North Carolina.  I’ll go stay at a hotel, no biggie.” 
    Caide takes my wrist and pulls me in and hugs me again.  His now familiar cologne gives him a sexy clean smell.  “I want you and your dog to come stay with me.”
    I pull back and shake my head no.  “A hotel is fine, they have all of those locks and a mini-bar,” I say trying to be funny.
    “I have a guest room; you can stay in there until the security company can come out and upgrade your system.  Until then, we’ll go to Lowes and buy some dowel rods to put in the window to keep them from being opened.  Go pack your bag, I’ll play with Rusty.”
    The tone in his voice sends shivers through me.  “Caide, I’m not going to be an inconvenience to you.  Thank you though.”
    “You’re a hard-headed woman.  River, you could have been in a lot of trouble last night.  We don’t know what this guy Lance is capable of, and I’m not going to have you stay in a hotel.  Besides, how will you help me bake cookies from a hotel room?”
    I throw my head back in exasperation, “You’re insufferable.”
    “Maybe, but I’m going to keep you safe.  Go pack.”
    With that, I’m off to my room packing a suitcase.  I’m going to go willingly to Caide Palmer’s house and bake cookies with him.  Who woulda thunk it?  This is going to turn out bad, I can feel it in my bones.
    I pack my bag and get everything ready, including the cat in the carrier.  I go back to my room to make sure I have everything when it hits me.  Like a tsunami, fear washes over me and knocks me off my feet.  Someone almost hurt me last night, and they were in my house.  I sit on my bed and put my hands over my face as I burst into tears.  Who would have cared for Rusty and Casanova if I had been killed?
    In the midst of my ugly crying , the bed dips down under the weight of Caide next to me.  His arm goes over my shoulder and he pulls me closer to him. 
    “Are you crying because you’ve realized I’m about to school you at baking cookies?”  Caide jokes.
    My elbow finds his rib cage and he laughs.  Like that, I’m no longer crying.  Now to gather up the strength not to fall for this guy.  I won’t fall for him.
    Not falling.
    “Do you know how to get back to my house, or do you need to follow me?”
    “Oh yeah, I guess I should follow you.  Don’t drive like a bat out of hell,” I demand.
    “No bat out of hell driving, grandma.”
    ____________________________________________
     
    For dinner Caide grilled some k abobs and I made a potato salad to enjoy by the pool.  We talked about the ocean and stories of pirates along the coast many years ago.  I excused myself to do some ordering before work tomorrow.  He refused to let me help him clean up the kitchen and now I’m in the guest room down the hall from his bedroom.
    The more time I’m around Caide, the stronger my crush on him grows.  He’s wrong for me, but my brain says he’s perfect.
    He’s not.
    He is too.
    Shut up brain.
     
    I wonder if he has any wine, I can use a drink and escape from payroll.  I need to hire a manager who