Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(27)

She nodded.

“You want me to ask Logan about it?”

Sarah hesitated, but eventually gave another nod.

“I’ll call him later tonight.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you have a real estate agent?”

“No.”

“Can I help you with that too?”

“I . . . I know what I just said, but thinking about selling my dads’ house still freaks me out.”

“You don’t have to make any decisions right now. We’ll see about moving you into an apartment and making sure you’re safe first. You can decide if you like living here in Castle Rock. Then you can decide what you want to do.”

“Okay. Cole?”

“Yeah, angel?”

“You promise if I disappear, you’ll try to find me?”

Cole’s heart almost broke. He moved the hand at her hip and palmed the side of her face. “I promise,” he said, looking into her beautiful hazel eyes. “In fact, starting tonight, we’ll institute a check-in system. Whatever you’re comfortable with. You can text me when you get home and when you leave. If you give me your work schedule, I’ll know when you’re supposed to arrive at work and when you’re leaving. That way, if I don’t hear from you, I’ll know something could be wrong.”

“You’d do that?”

“Absolutely. You can check in with me as much as you want. It won’t bother me, and if you ever need anything, or you’re scared, just get in touch, and I’ll come check things out.”

“But I live twenty miles away.”

Cole couldn’t stop his thumb from brushing over the edge of her mouth. Her lips parted, and he resisted taking more liberties. “I wouldn’t care if you lived an hour away. You need me, I’m there.”

Her hand, which was curled around the nape of his neck, tightened.

“And you should know, I’d planned on texting and calling you anyway . . . not just because of that buttmunch messing with you. I want to hear about your day. Listen to you laugh. And it’s probably too soon to even offer this, but if you’re ever too scared to go back to your house in Parker, you can come to my place. It’s not much, just an apartment not too far from the gym, but I have a guest room. I know we’re just getting to know each other, but there are no strings attached to the offer. You can hole up in my guest room and not even have to see me if you don’t want to. I want you to feel safe, Sarah. And if you’re with me, I can guarantee I’ll make sure no one fucks with you. Okay?”

He saw the tears in her eyes, but wasn’t surprised when she fought them back and simply nodded.

“Good. Trust me, angel. Logan and his brothers are taking this very seriously. If there’s anything to find on Owen, they’ll dig it up. And even if there’s not, they’ll still figure out a way to get him off your back so you’re free to live your life without having to watch behind you all the time. Okay?”

“Okay. Thank you. I’ve been so scared. I just knew I was going to end up on one of those shows on the ID channel. You know, where the women disappear without a trace and their bodies are never found?”

Her words made Cole shiver, but he leaned forward and gently kissed Sarah’s forehead. “Ready to eat?”

“Yeah.”

He helped her stand, then sit again in her own seat. Francesca must’ve been watching and waiting for them to finish their heartfelt discussion, because the moment Sarah had scooted back up to the table, she reappeared with a tray of food in her hand.

She placed steaming plates of pasta on the table. “Here you go! This is tonight’s special. I expect you to tell me if it’s too spicy or not spicy enough. Give me your honest reactions, no holding back. Okay?”

“It looks and smells delicious,” Sarah told her.

Francesca beamed. “Ah, you are easy to please,” she said, then turned to Cole. “Since your woman is too nice to tell me if something’s wrong, I expect you to. Got it?”

Cole smiled. “You know I will. But when have I ever complained about anything you’ve made?”

“Never. But there’s always a first time,” she said with a smile. “Enjoy!” Then she turned and hurried back into the kitchen.

They ate in silence for several minutes before Sarah looked at him. Her fork was poised over her half-eaten meal, and she had red sauce on her chin. She smiled and said, “I can’t believe how good this is.”

Cole leaned over with his napkin and dabbed at her chin. “Right? I swear, Francesca is a genius with food. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, and now I remember why.”

“Why? I’d eat here every day if I didn’t care about my cholesterol or weight,” Sarah joked.

He patted his stomach. “Because I eat too much. It wouldn’t look good for the owner of Rock Hard Gym to weigh four hundred pounds.”

Sarah laughed, and Cole had never heard a better sound in his life. She’d had a hell of a day . . . and an even worse couple of months. But she hadn’t lost the ability to find joy in the smallest things.

“That’s true. I’m totally full, but can’t stop eating.”

“If you can’t finish, I’m happy to help you,” Cole told her as he reached toward her plate with his fork.