Chapter Thirteen

Dinner arrived, they ate in silence. Cole, through much frustration, managed to get the crib together, before turning to the changing table and groaning.

"Maybe I should get Beverly over here. She's studying a Masters in engineering."

Tess's ears prick up at the mention of Beverly. "She's still here?"

"Well, yes. She's on semester break. There aren't many other options for her during vacation time. I'm sure if there was, she'd be anywhere but here." Cole said. He dragged the change table box over and ripped at the top. "Why the interest in Beverly?"

"No, reason." She said, a little too quickly. Cole noticed and stopped what he was doing to make eye contact with her.

"Spill it." He insisted.

Tess sighed. "I don't know; she was just giving me a weird vibe at dinner that first night."

"Pft." Cole hissed. "Don't worry about Beverly, she wouldn't hurt a fly."

"You didn't see the way she glared at me across the table. It was like I'd taken the last piece of chicken or something."

Cole raised an eyebrow at her. He was crouched down, pulling the contents of the box out across the floor. A bag of nuts and bolts fell to the ground. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands. "There would have to be a thousand pieces here." He scratched the back of his head and twisted his lips into a snarl, before flopping back onto his sexy behind and crossing his legs like a schoolboy. Methodically he took each screw from the bag and laid it on the sheet of paper, on top of its picture. "Beverly is just a deep thinker. She's into all this social justice jazz and really thinks before she speaks. She's not in the least impulsive, but she's a good kid."

"Yeah, sounds like a laugh a minute." Tess walked over to the window seat and plonked down, leaning her back against the glass of the window.

"Hey, no judgy eyes. She'll warm up to you. She just likes to get to know people before she talks." Cole turned back to his task at hand.

"Can I help? It looks like this might take a while."

"Nope, I'm leaving it until tomorrow, it's getting late. I'll come back first thing after breakfast and we can spend the day doing up the nursery if you like." He was already on his feet and making his way to the front door.

"I'd like that." She smiled as he reached the door and turned to give her one last look.

"Alright, then I'll see you in the AM." He hesitated.

Tess looked at him, really looked at him. He looked tired, disheveled even. It wasn't something she was used to seeing from the strong, rugged Cole Washington. Color stained his cheeks as he became visibly uncomfortable under her gaze.

Did Cole just blush? No, must be the lighting. She told herself. Because admitting the truth may throw her into an emotional spin that she couldn't afford right now.

"Cole."

"Yes."

"Thanks for tonight." Her lips turned up at the corners, ever so slightly.

"Anytime." He said gruffly and made his way out across the lawn until the darkness swallowed him up.

Tess closed the door and surveyed the home. There was stuff strewn from one end of the house to the other. She wasn't even sure where the bags containing her new clothes were, which was a shame as they held a comfy set of flannel pajamas that were calling her name.

She peeked in the top of a few bags that were laying on the kitchen counter but they held baby bottles and diapers the size of the tiny underwear she used to wear in a past life before her ass became the size of the screen at the drive-in theater.

Yawning, she gave up and made her way to the bedroom, turning off lights as she went. Once there she stripped down and pulled on the satin negligee. It seemed even tighter than it had the night before but she chose to wear it just in case Cole turned up extra early tomorrow.

Dragging herself into bed, she reached out and turned off the bedside lamp before rolling on her side and instantly closing her eyes. Her legs throbbed to the beat of her heart and she was unsure if they hurt more under the pressure of her weight or when she eventually put them up.

The day's events swirled through her mind, causing her to smile to herself at times, like when she thought of how childlike Mrs. Washington had become when she discovered Target. She was surprisingly spritely for her age, dashing from one rack to the next, pulling clothes off the hangers and throwing them into the cart at the rate of knots.

There were also times throughout the day that Tess had frowned and almost cried too, for that matter. Seeing Cole go all cold towards her when she mentioned her stay here as temporary, was unexpected. Her mind tried to sort it out logically, but her eyes just couldn't stay awake. Before she was ready her breathing became deeper and she could feel herself beginning to slip off to sleep.

An image of her baby as a punk rocker flashed into her thoughts. He stood in front of a crowd of toddlers who were chanting his name. She strained to hear. What name were they calling him? She couldn't make it out but watched as he moved towards a microphone stand. He breathed in—but before a song could come out a loud crash threw her awake.

She sat bolt upright. Her heart racing. What the hell was that? Or was she dreaming? She let out a slow, staggered breath. She'd been dreaming. Resting back against the pillows she lay there in the dark waiting for her heart to stop galloping. She reached out for a tissue to dab at the dampness that had formed on her forehead. When she heard the faint sound of plastic rattling.

Holding her breath, she strained her ears, every sound amplified, the tick, tick, tick of the clock in the sitting room, the low hum of the refrigerator engine, the pounding of her own heart in her ears.

Rattle, rattle.

There it was again. Despite her condition she practically flew out of the bed and down the hall to the sitting room. Her eyes darted around, attempting to take it all in before they settled on a file of boxes in the corner. It looked like one had slid and taken the rest with them.

Nothing to see here, just your everyday, common, shopping landslide.

Exiting the room, she looked back once over her shoulder, when something caught her eye. The front door safety chain not only hung, unchained but it was swinging.

Tess's back ached under the strain of a thousand pins, pricking into her. Had she locked it? She replayed her steps like an old silent movie. She'd shut the door behind Cole but did she slide the chain? She just couldn't remember, her mind a foggy mess from the twenty-second nap she'd just had.

How long had she actually been in bed? Could the chain still be swinging or had someone come in or out of the door? Is that what caused the boxes to fall or had it been the sheer weight of all the things Mrs. Washington had bought?

She stood like a statue in the middle of the floor, unable to decide what to do. Unable to remember events clearly enough.

She shook herself out of her trance and went over and locked the door. This time she would be sure the chain had been slid securely in its cradle. Turning, she waddled down the hall and went back to bed. She tucked her legs under her and picked up her phone. Clicking on Coles number she listened to the peep of the ring tone. Until Cole answered.

"Hel—ahem" He cleared his throat. "Hello?"

Hell, he'd been asleep.

"Cole?"

"What is it, Tess?"

He sounded annoyed. Contemplating pretending she'd rolled on her phone in her sleep she hesitated. Before saying. "I'm sorry to wake you."

"You didn't. What is it?" He said, his voice clipped.

If he hadn't been sleeping but he sounded sleepy, what had he been doing? Her mind rushed to images she wished she could burn. It was none of her business anyway.

"I... I just want to know if you remember hearing the chain lock slide when you left here tonight?"

"No. Why would something like that register with me?"

"Oh... okay. Don't worry, I'm sorry I bothered you. Night." She pressed the button that disconnected them before his sighing made her feel even more ridiculous.

She turned off the light again and rolled back to her side. But this time, sleep evaded her. She lay, bathed in the glow of the moon shining through her window. Lighting it up like the opening of a cave.

The yellow haze was comforting and before long she had laughed off her paranoia and began to contemplate sleep. When suddenly, a dark shadow passed from one side of the window to the other. It was fast, incredibly fast in fact and had no associated noise. Maybe she caught sight of her eyelashes. GG had given her a thick-set before she'd left New York because apparently it was crucial to look gorgeous while giving birth because so many photos are taken immediately after. She tried to relax, yes it was definitely the ridiculously long, thick lashes, she'd just been convincing herself things were going to happen. Unless GG had been right and it was a ghost.

No.

That was crazy.

Right?

She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. The lamarz DVD she watched may be completely useless while giving birth but she was thankful for its calming effects in this stressful moment.

When her breathing returned to normal she opened her eyes and they practically bulged out of their sockets, with what she saw. The silhouette of a person. It was small at first but as it crept closer and closer to the house, the outline became larger and larger until they were standing right at her window. Unable to blink, her eyes burned and began to water.

The blood rushed through her veins with an added urgency. In a panic, she did the only thing she could think of.

"Cole, come back to bed, I'm getting lonely in here." She called out to the empty darkness.

Immediately the figure took off running into the distance until it disappeared and all that was left was a perfect canvas of yellow moonlight.

Flicking on the light and snatching up her phone she called Cole again.

"Yes, Tess?" He answered. His voice seemed distant.

"Cole there was someone at my bedroom window." She bit her lip trying to hold back the tears for fear she wouldn't be able to stop them once they started.

She waited, he didn't respond. She heard a sigh and he cleared his throat.

"Tess do you need me to come over?" There was something in his tone. She could tell he was irritated but Cole wouldn't want it to show. Always the gentleman.

"No, forget it. Just letting you know in case I get murdered in my sleep." She snapped.

"Okay, I'm on my way." She heard the creak of what she assumed was his bed. Then a giggle, a female giggle.