Things seemed to resume to normal on Wednesday, or as close to normal as they could be considering I had no vehicle, Andrew was nowhere to be found, Dixon was for once not hitting on me and rumors were swirling around the office about the parking lot confrontation. I managed to keep myself busy with the house viewings and meetings with my clients and being in contact with the bank on and off all day. Though I have to admit, Andrew did remain in the back of my mind. That horrible nightmare would just not go away and his face would flash before my eyes randomly as I went about my business.

Alex was supposed to meet me at the office at six sharp and follow me back to his place. He still wasn’t letting me stay alone and I was perfectly fine with that. He had insisted that morning that we should stay at his place, it would be safer and Andrew wouldn’t know where it was. Fine by me, I just hoped he didn’t show up at my place of business again.

That didn’t seem to be a problem though, because the police had reported that he was nowhere to be found. They had tried his office that morning, but his secretary reported he hadn’t checked in yet. And he still hadn’t checked in by noon or even three. He also wasn’t in New York, he wasn’t even scheduled to be there for another couple weeks. So where was Andrew? That was the burning question of the day. Wherever he was, I hoped it was as far from me as possible.

“So, what do you want to do this weekend on our double date?” Anna’s voice invaded my thoughts and I turned from my computer to find her perched at the edge of my desk.

I gave a shrug and rubbed the back of my neck. “I haven’t even thought about it since I mentioned it yesterday.” A beat. “Is there something you want to do?”

“Well, we have to do dinner,” she pursed her lips together and tilted her head in a thoughtful manner, “and I suppose we could do a movie.”

I made a face. “I don’t want to do a movie.”

“Ooh, we could go to a jazz club. Does Alex like jazz?”

“I don’t like jazz.”

She chuckled. “Alright, well…we could go to some kind of music lounge.”

“I bet Alex knows a place.” I sat up straighter in my chair and fiddled with a folder on my desk. “Have I told you that he’s a musician?”

“Really?” Her brows lifted. “Well then, we’ll let him recommend somewhere.”

“Okay,” I offered a smile, “and you guys can pick the restaurant.” Then I blinked. “Oh gosh, I haven’t even told him about this. What evening did you want to do this?”

“How ‘bout Saturday?”

I gave a nod. “I’ll talk to him and see if he’s free. If not, we could maybe do something Friday night.”

“Yeah,” she stood straight and smoothed her blouse down some where it had bunched up, “either night is fine with me. My mom can watch Abi.”

“Okay, great,” I offered up a smile, “I’ll talk to him tonight and let you know tomorrow.”

“Perfect.” She flashed her own pearly whites before growing serious. “So, still no word on Andrew, huh?”

“No,” I frowned and rubbed my forehead. “No one knows where he is. Why would he just take off?”

“Duh, because he knows he’s in trouble and that you probably reported him to the police and now they want to talk to him.”

I chuckled low at her ‘duh’. “Maybe, but still…he’s a grown man why is he acting like a child?”

“Sometimes they’ll do that. Greg behaves like a child every time I ask him to clean the bathroom.”

“Well, whatever the case, I hope they find him soon. I hate not knowing where he is or if he’s gonna find some way to get in contact with me again.”

She frowned, crease lines appearing on her forehead. “We aren’t going to let that happen.”

I gave a little nod, trying once again to push my awful nightmare to the farthest corner of my mind. “Right, I’m not worried,” I lied. “Besides, I’m going to be staying with Alex and Andrew doesn’t even know where he lives.”

“Good.” Anna gave a nod just as the phone on my desk rang. “I’ll letcha get that.” Then she touched my shoulder and moved back to her own work station.

I watched her go then reached and lifted the receiver, holding it to my ear. “Houghton Real Estate, Morgan Weston speaking.”

“Hey, baby,” my boyfriend’s rich voice greeted me.

It sounded like music to my ears and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “Hey.”

“How ya doing?”

“I’m okay. How are you?”

“Doing alright. I was just calling to see how your day was going.”

“So far pretty good. I’ve got a house to show in about,” I checked my watch, “forty minutes and I’ve already shown two. Then I’ve got to make some phone calls and work on an offer that one of my clients gave today.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a pretty full schedule.” He paused a moment. “Do you have time for lunch?”

I tilted my head and peeked to the phone. “Do you want to have lunch with me?”

“I would, actually.” I could hear his grin through the phone.

“Well, I’m sure I could finagle that after this showing. It might be a late lunch, but if you don’t mind that, we could meet up somewhere.”

“Not at all, baby. I can find something to snack on and tide myself over with.”

“Okay, then I’ll give you a call when we’re finishing up and we can meet somewhere.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be waiting. Good luck with the showing.”

“Thank you. I’ll talk to you in a while then.”

“Okay, baby. Be careful, I love you.”

I felt my heart flutter. “I love you, too.”

And then he was gone.

With a sigh, I replaced the receiver and began to gather the paperwork I might need for the showing. I was supposed to meet Lance and Nicole Braden at the house at one sharp and if I left now I would just miss the lunch rush hour on the expressway. That was one thing I did not miss while in Connecticut; Los Angeles traffic. You had to time it just right if you wanted to miss the gridlock action and get anywhere. Or not go to certain places at certain times. LA traffic was definitely not fun.

I made it to the SUV and inside when my cell rang. After slipping my blue tooth receiver into my ear, I accepted the call and pulled out of the parking spot. “Hello?”

“Morgan? It’s Candace.”

“Candace? Hey!” I greeted my sister in law. “What’s going on?” She hardly ever called me, so this had definitely piqued my interest.

“I just wanted to let you know that we’re almost settled into the condo and would love for you to come out and visit sometime soon.”

I maneuvered the SUV along the boulevard, trying to keep my attention focused on my driving. “Are you there now?”

“I am, I’ve been here since Sunday and started my new position Monday.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“Yeah, I really like it so far.”

I slowed for a red light. “And Grayson is back in New York?”

“Unfortunately. But he’ll be coming out here Friday evening.”

“Oh, well that’s good. Is it weird being there by yourself?”

“A little bit, but even in New York, sometimes we rarely saw each other.”

I don’t know how she and Grayson were even happy in a relationship like that. I know I couldn’t do it, but everyone was different and what’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander, so more power to ‘em. “And you like your new job?”

“I love it!” She gushed over the line.

“That’s great, Candace. I’m glad things are going well for you.”

“Thank you. Let’s hope they continue to be this way.”

I chuckled and started through the now green light. “I’m sure they will.”

“I hope so.” She paused a moment before continuing, “So when are you going to come out and see us?”

I lifted a brow. “Well, I was gonna wait until you guys were settled a bit more.”

“Things are pretty settled right now. We’ve got most everything done and we’ll be finishing up this weekend once Grayson gets out here.”

“Oh good. I know when I moved it took quite awhile to get everything situated like I wanted.”

“Of course, but we hired this great decorator and she’s really whipped this place into shape.”

A decorator, how nice. “Well good then. The less work you have to do the better.”

Candace chuckled. “That’s what I told Grayson.”

I had to laugh at that. “So, when are you wanting me to come visit?”

“Oh, whenever you have some time. It’d be best to be a weekend because then I wouldn’t be working, but whenever you’re available.”

I mentally ran through the obligations I had lined up over the next few weeks. “I’m not sure if I’ll have any real free time until July.”

“Ooh, that would be perfect! Grayson will be here over the July 4th weekend. You could come then. And even bring Alex.”

I smiled. That actually sounded quite nice. “I’ll check my schedule and see what I can do.”

“Okay great. And just let us know.”

“Will do, take care of yourself and tell my brother I said, hello.”

“I sure will. You take care of yourself too, Morgan.”

I thanked her and promised to keep in touch then disconnected the call. The idea of going out to Arizona over the weekend actually sounded like a fun idea. We could go out to dinner, hit up a couple of ‘hot spots’ and check out a fireworks show. And it would be even better if Alex could come with me. Knowing my brother and his wife, they just might get caught up in their work and if that did occur, Alex and I could go find something to do on our own. I could ask him about it at lunch today and the double date with Anna and her husband.

Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling up to the house that Braden’s were interested in. They spent the next 45 minutes looking the house over and trying to decide if it was “the one”. Finally, just when I thought I was going to have to call Alex and postpone our late lunch even later, they finally made an offer and ten minutes later I was out the door and heading for the café to meet my boyfriend. I put the offer in on my phone as I was heading downtown and left a message for the realtor that was in charge of selling the house. Hopefully, within the next few days, the Braden’s would have an answer.

Alex was waiting at the table when the hostess showed me to it. He stood as I approached and enveloped me in a hug. “I was about to call you.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” I held him tightly, taking in his scent and the feel of his arms around me. “I sent you that text.”

“I got that.” He pulled back and kissed my mouth softly. “But I was still worried."

“Well, I’m here now,” I pulled back and smoothed my hand over his arm, “so no worries.”

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “That’s right. Here, have a seat.” Then he moved around me and pulled out my chair.

I got seated and we ordered drinks and appetizers from our server, then were left to pour over the menu.

It didn’t take me long to decide that I wanted a grilled chicken pita and after Alex made up his mind and we placed the orders, we finally relaxed back in the chairs and sipped our drinks.

“So, your day going okay today?” He asked me after setting his coke glass back down on the table.

“So far, I had a couple make an offer on that house I was showing so hopefully it’ll come through for them.”

“Oh, that’s good.” He sent me a charming grin.”

“Yes, it is and I have another family that their offer went through and they’re just waiting on the inspections.”

“Well, look at you.” He leaned in and took my hand, lifting it to his mouth and kissing my fingertips. “You seem to be a kick ass realtor.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m trying.”

He chuckled as well and played with my fingers. “So no word from Andrew, huh?”

That sobered up the mood and I shook my head. “No, they still can’t find him. But he hasn’t tried to contact me, so that’s a plus.” I had finally relented and told Alex about my horrible nightmare that morning over cereal and coffee. He’d pouted and kissed my forehead, told me Andrew wasn’t going to find me like that and that he’d do everything in his willpower to keep me protected.

Alex’s face went stony. “He better not even think about trying to see you again. And you call me and the cops if he tries.”

I nodded. “Of course. If he even calls me I’ll call the cops.”

“Good.” He relaxed some and I squeezed his hand. “I talked with my lawyers this morning. They think we have a pretty good chance at getting that restraining order, especially since he threatened you.”

A wave of relief moved through me. “Really? What do we have to do?”

“You have to fill out a few forms requesting that Andrew have no contact with you, and give an Affidavit and then the court clerk presents it to a judge who decides if you should have one or not.”

My mouth formed a little ‘oh’. “So, they may say no.”

“It’s possible, but under the circumstances, I don’t think that’d be the case.” He held my hand protectively with both of his. “And there’s even this thing called an ex parte, or temporary restraining order, which is like an immediate one if the judge thinks you need it; which basically orders the person to stay away from you until the hearing on the order.”

I gave a little nod. “When can we get started?”

“My guys are faxing the paperwork to me today, so tonight you can fill it out.”

I watched him with a thankful expression. “Okay, that sounds great.”

“Good.” He kissed my fingers again then just watched me with a love filled expression.

“So, my friend Anna, the one you met last night, wants us to go out with her and her husband this weekend.” Time for a subject change.

“Oh yeah? What do they want to do?”

I gave a shrug. “We weren’t entirely sure cuz we didn’t know what you’d feel like doing. But dinner for sure. And then maybe a music lounge. I told her you might know of somewhere cool to go.”

He gave a nod. “There’s a few that you might like. What kind of music are you wanting to see.”

I trailed my fingers along the back of his hand. “Long as it’s not Jazz, I don’t really care.”

“You don’t like Jazz?” His brows lifted at my confession.

“No,” I chuckled and gave a shrug, “and I really can’t tell you why. It just…doesn’t hold my interest.”

“That’s too bad, but everyone has their own style.” He tilted his head in a thoughtful manner. “How ‘bout a Blue’s lounge?”

“Yeah,” I nodded some, “I could do Rhythm and Blues.”

“Great.” He kissed my fingers again. “And we can let your friend and her husband pick the restaurant.”

“Okay, that sounds good.” I smiled then looked as the server returned with our appetizers.

“So, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” he began as we filled our plates and began to chow down on the food.

I felt my heart skip a beat and met his gaze. “What’s that?” His voice held a tone that let me know some kind of news was coming; but good or bad, I wasn’t sure.

“Well,” he lifted one of his nacho chips and dipped it into the mass of cheese, peppers, salsa and sour cream dalloped on top, “I got a phone call earlier from my mom.”

I paused with my fork poised over my own plate. “Is everything okay?” Suddenly, thoughts that he might have gotten a phone call like I did flashed through my head.

“Oh yeah.” He nodded and took the bite, waiting until his mouth was empty before continuing, “She just is planning on coming out here to visit me next week.”

I watched him. “Your mom is coming out?”

“Yeah,” a grin stretched over his face, “you’ll like her, at least I hope you will, but she’s a cool lady. She’s really been there for me through a lot and we’re pretty close.”

I tilted my head, a small smile tugging on my lips. “Does she know about me?”

“Of course.”

“You think she’ll like me?”

“She’s going to love you.”

My smile grew. “Good and I’m sure I’ll love her. She’s a part of you, how can I not?”

“Exactly.” He chuckled some and reached for his coke glass. “She’ll be staying with me though.”

“Well, that’s okay. I can’t imagine you’d make her stay in a hotel.”

He shook his head at that. “Of course not, and if Andrew hasn’t been found, you’re staying with me, too.”

“What’s your mom going to think of that?”

“She’d agree with me.”

I smiled and just watched him a minute. “Maybe your mom and I could like, go do stuff together; like…shopping, or we could go out to lunch.”

“Baby, that’d be great!” I could see his eyes light up at that suggestion.

“I think so too. And then the three of us will have to go do something. Maybe we could take a day trip somewhere.”

“Or a weekend trip.”

I gave a nod then looked as our server brought over our main courses, thanking her and letting her take away the appetizers that were now nearly gone.

“So, what day is your mom arriving?” I questioned as I put my napkin in my lap and made sure my pita didn’t have any tomatoes on it.

“Tuesday morning. I have to pick her up from the airport at ten in the morning.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

He looked to me, his fork halfway to his mouth. “Would you want to?”

I gave a little shrug. “If you wanted me to. But if you don’t, I completely understand.”

“Could you get out of work?”

“Yeah, I could probably even take that day off.”

Alex gave a crooked grin then took the bite of his food. “I wouldn’t mind if you came with me,” he replied after he’d eaten the bite and wiped his mouth.

“Kay,” I reached my leg out and brushed it against his, “I’ll do that then.”

He smiled at me and we were quiet for a few moments while we concentrated on eating. Then something suddenly popped back into my head.

“Oh, I nearly forgot; Candace called me earlier and we were thinking I might go out to Arizona to see her and Grayson over the July 4th weekend.”

“Really?” He arched a brow.

“Yeah,” I gave a little nod and offered a sweet smile, “and she wants you to come, too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes,” I chuckled some, “and I think it’d be a great idea; we could go to dinner, check out the town and go see some fireworks.”

“What about your brother?”

“What about him?”

He sighed and leaned forward some, his expressive eyes meeting mine. “He doesn’t like me much.”

“Oh, don’t even go there. He likes you just fine. And it wouldn’t even matter, because Candace likes you and she wants you out there.” A beat. “And so do I.”

“Well, I guess that decides that.” He chuckled and smoothed his shirt. “I’ll see if my schedule’s free and letcha know.”

“Kay.” I grinned and nudged his leg again. “Maybe we could turn it into a road trip.”

“Maybe.” He nodded some and returned back to his food. “How long a drive is it?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll look it up. And of course, if it’s too far we won’t drive, but if not, I think a road trip with you could be fun.”

His lively brown eyes danced as they watched me. “How good of a road trip companion are you?”

I smiled brightly at him. “The best. I bring lots of snacks, good tunes and plenty to keep us occupied with.”

“Hey, maybe we could rent a car and defile the backseat along the way.”

I giggled low. “Eat your food.”

“Ooh, you know, we could probably defile the backseat of my SUV after our lunch.”

“I have to get back to the office.”

“We’ll see, Ms. Weston, we’ll see.”