Shelby tried to keep things professional on the job as did Mike. It really wasn’t anyone’s business, and while they were working, Mike and Shelby kept things cool. Everyone in the garage knew she was or had dated Gavin, but even he agreed and kept things cool when he picked her up from work or for lunch. Shelby didn’t try to keep the fact she was seeing Gavin and Mike a secret—that would have been impossible—but they did try to be discreet.
It was a busy day at the garage, Shelby had several customers to deal with and spent much of her time on the phone trying to get the parts they needed at the best price for the customers. She didn’t even realize she had worked through lunch until Earl was at her desk with a sandwich and drink for her. She looked up at him thanking him. It really was considerate of him.
“I noticed you worked through lunch and no one brought you anything. I guess Mike and Gavin are busy today?”
“Yes, they had something planned. This is great.” Shelby ate the sandwich; she hadn’t realized how hungry she was. “How much do I owe you?” she asked, not wanting to leave Earl hanging for the cost of her lunch.
“I got it today. Maybe you can pay me back another way some day,” he answered with a grin.
Shelby wasn’t sure what he meant by that but smiled in response, trying not to encourage him. Every now and then, she caught him watching her. It always sent a shudder down her spine and not the good kind.
As she finished her lunch, one of the guys called Earl back to the garage. Earl was a nice guy, but she just wasn’t interested in him. She had Mike and Gavin. They were all she wanted.
The rest of the day went fast, and before she knew it, the boys were cleaning up and it was time to close the garage. She wondered how the men were doing with the moving. They had called a couple times, but she had been so busy they hadn’t actually talked. She grabbed the phone and called to see what the plan was.
Mike answered, sounding out of breath and annoyed. “Hey, honey, what’s up?” he asked curtly.
“Nothing, I was just checking in. How’s it going? You sound aggravated.” she asked him, concerned.
“Well, we got everything out of Gavin’s room and moved to storage. We had to take the bed from the playroom apart to get it up my stairs. It’s in the bedroom waiting for us to put it back together. All we have left to do is carry in the mattress tonight. We’ll meet you at my house as soon as we’re done.”
He didn’t tell her about all the trouble they had taking it apart and that it had taken five of them to get the mattress up the stairs. It wasn’t going to be any easier to get it up Gavin’s stairs either. He just hoped they could get the bed put back together tomorrow. After they got the mattress up the stairs, they were stopping for the day.
They ended the phone call, and Shelby made sure everything was locked in the garage. Mike had given Gavin and her keys to his house, so her getting in was no problem. Shelby gathered her things, turned the alarm on, and headed across the street to Mike’s. She felt like she was being watched, but there was no one around. Just paranoia, she figured.
Shelby let herself in Mike’s house, turned the alarm off, and reset it for home mode. Kicking off her shoes, she lay on the couch and pulled a blanket over her. She was tired from the long day and just wanted to relax for a while. She didn’t mean to fall asleep but must have because when she
woke it was dark and cool in the house. She wondered where her men were and grabbed for her phone to check for messages and to see what time it was.
It wasn’t as late as she thought it. It had only been an hour. The men should be close to being done. Wondering if she should call them, she just decided to wait. She got up to turn some lights on, and none would work. The electricity must be out, she thought. That explained why the house was cold. She lit some candles and went to turn the fireplace on. She had forgotten it wouldn’t work. Even if they were gas logs, they needed electricity for the fire to light. She wrapped back in the blanket and grabbed her e-reader. At least it would work, she thought. Wondering if she should call the guys, she decided to wait a little longer. Grabbing another blanket, she settled down on the couch to read.
She was just getting into the story when she thought she heard something. Listening a minute, she heard nothing more and went back to her book. She read for a few more minutes, thinking the noise had just been her imagination when she heard something again. She stopped again and listened longer this time. Not hearing anything else, she was sure it was just the fact that she was in the house alone and went back to reading, wishing she could put some music or TV on to break the silence.
After reading the same page three times, she put the book down and grabbed her phone ready to call Gavin or Mike. Looking at it, she had no service, which was weird. She put her phone down and went to the house phone, luckily, Mike still had one, and many people didn’t. Shelby grabbed it and hit the button—no dial tone. Duh, she thought, it won’t work with electricity. Now what? She paced the room a few times and sat on the couch. It was cold in the house, and she felt colder because she was alone with no way to contact anyone if she needed help.
“Keep trying, she has to be there,” Gavin said to Mike, who was attempting to reach Shelby on the phone. They were on the way home and had initially called to see what she wanted to eat, thinking they could pick up dinner on the way home.
“She’s not answering the home phone or her cell phone, they both go straight to voice mail,” Mike said.
They were both starting to worry.
“Did you try the garage in case she’s still there for some reason?” Gavin asked as he ran his hands through his hair. “Do you think she went to the store or out to get something to eat?”
“Maybe she’s just asleep. It was a rough day at the garage from what she told me. That’s it—she’s taking a nap.” Mike surmised, trying not to worry.
“Let’s just head home, and we can order something in after we make sure she’s okay,” Gavin suggested.
Mike agreed and headed the truck toward the house. There had to be a reasonable excuse why Shelby wasn’t answering either phone. Mike drove faster than he should have, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He just needed to get to her.
When they go to the house, they could see the candles flickering in the windows, but everything was quiet. Why would she have candles, he wondered.
Gavin went first, and Mike followed quickly behind him. They found Shelby sleeping, wrapped in blankets lying on the couch. Mike squatted down in front of her and kissed her awake.
“Hi, honey,” he said as her eyes opened.
She threw her arms around his neck and almost fell off the couch onto him. Raining little kisses all over his face, she held him tight. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
Gavin knelt beside them and put an arm around Shelby. “What’s wrong, honey? What happened?”