Chapter 5

The oven timer sounded and they broke to eat. She'd finish cleaning up what little mess remained later. They grabbed the pizza and a couple of beers and went into the living room. Peter snatched up the TV remote off the end table, pressed the power button, and flipped through the channels until he found the Milwaukee Brewers game.

Though an avid Brewers fan, Alex found it difficult to focus on the game. Thoughts of the break-in consumed her. She glanced at Peter every now and then to find him staring at the TV, but his lack of any emotion when the Brewer's scored caused her to wonder what he was thinking about. He obviously wasn't focused on the game either.

The game cut to a commercial break and upon sight of the Orkin advertisement, she gasped, remembering the large, hairy spider she'd captured in the bathtub.

Shit, what if it's loose?

She shuddered at the thought as she sprang to her feet. "Oh my God, the bathroom," was all she said before running down the hall, hoping the intruder hadn't removed the pot.

She heard the recliner squeak and knew Peter was on her heels. He followed her right into the bathroom. "What? What's going on?"

Alex shifted her gaze from the shower curtain to Peter. "This," she said as she flung the curtain back and pointed to the large pot in the tub.

Relief fell over her - the pot and book were still in place. She simply stared at the pot for a moment before turning back toward Peter, his puzzled gaze fixed on her.

Suddenly, she felt a bit foolish. But now that they stood staring at the pot she had no choice but to continue.

"Um, there's a spider under that pot. Could you please take care of it?"

"Let me get this straight, you just about gave me a heart attack over a spider?"

"Well, it's a pretty big one, you may need the shotgun," she replied. Heat began to rise from the base of her neck. She glanced beyond Peter, into the mirror, to find her cheeks as red as a vine-ripened tomato.

"Okay," Peter replied as he plucked a tissue from the counter and proceeded to reach for the book, removing it from the top of the pot. He looked back at Alex. "Don't you think you could have found something heavier to weigh down the kettle?" he teased as he flashed a smile.

He lifted the pot, eyed the humongous spider, and put the container back. "Holy shit, I think I'm going to need more than a tissue for this one."

Peter retrieved a roll of paper towels from the kitchen and returned to the bathroom. He tore several sheets off the roll, and then carefully flipped the pot off the spider.

She stood behind him and watched. When he squashed the spider, it made a loud pop. The sound caused her to gag. She looked away and cleared her throat. "I hate freaking spiders."

God, she missed Sam - he always took care of this kind of stuff. Now she had to throw herself at the mercy of others.

They returned to the living room to watch the remainder of the baseball game. The extra innings caused the game to end late. Peter glanced down at his wristwatch. He shifted his body in the chair and faced her more directly. "Alex, why don't you pack an overnight bag and come home with me tonight?"

Shock seized her heart.

"What? Go home with you?" she asked stumbling over her words.

"I'd like you to stay at my place for a while. Just until I figure out what's going on here."

Ah, now his question made sense to her.

"I don't want you to be alone."

His serious tone sent a shiver of fear snaking down her spine. The thought of being alone frightened her. She considered his request, weighing her fear against the perception of what people might think if she were to spend the night at Peter's. It wouldn't look good, spending the night at her dead husband's best friend's house.

A compelling need to be strong overtook her. She was sick and tired of being weak, vulnerable, and dependent on others. She propped her hands on her hips. "Peter, I'm not going to be forced from my home. They already took Sam from me, and I'm not giving up anything else, especially my home and freedom."

***

Peter stared at Alex as she stood before him with her hands on her deliciously curved hips. His nerves were shot. They had been since the day Sam was murdered. The more he dug into Sam's case, the worse it got. He worried about Alex twenty-four seven. Absently, he pressed his hand to his chest. The unease coiled within him for the past six months would be the death of him.

Alex stared at him, obviously waiting for a response. He knew his hands would be full, even before he suggested she stay at his house. That dang stubborn side of her tended to come out at the worst times. But he couldn't let her stay alone; it was too dangerous. He shifted his gaze to the couch. "Well, then I guess I'll just sleep here tonight. Tomorrow you're going to get a security system installed, so I don't have to worry about you so much."

"Okay," Alex replied as she turned and padded off to the hall closet. She returned a moment later with a pillow and blanket and set them on the sofa.

Peter made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch, which was about six inches shy in length to suit his needs.

He watched, unable to look away from Alex, as she moved down the hall. She entered the spare bedroom rather than the master. It hurt to see that. It pained him even more that she slept in the next room, and he couldn't be with her. His heart constricted. He thought about how much he loved her but couldn't have her. He'd loved her from the first time he laid eyes on her, but from the beginning, her heart had belonged to Sam.

Lucky Sam.

He let out a sigh.

Peter tossed and turned for hours, thinking of Alex in the next room and imagining what he'd be doing with her if he were sharing her bed. He pressed the palm of his hand to his chest. As much as his body ached for her, his heart ached for her more.

Just when he thought he couldn't feel any worse, he heard her cry. He went to check on her and just as he was about to knock on the door, he heard her mumble Sam's name. He wanted to cry himself for the agony Sam's death caused her. He'd give his right arm if her pain would go away. Over and over, he tried to bargain with God, offering anything for Alex to be happy again. No deal.

He couldn't take it. He spun back around and returned to the couch.

When daylight broke, he lifted himself from the couch, stretching all the kinks out of his weary body along the way. He needed to get to work.

He wrote Alex a note, telling her he'd call the security company and see if they could install a system for her right away. He'd stop by after work to check it out. Really, he wanted to check on her. He couldn't go a single day without seeing her or hearing her soft, lovely voice.