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“Talk to a representative,” Eden said into her phone for what felt like the millionth time. She’d gotten caught in the endless automated maze of basically every customer service line on Earth and still hadn’t talked to an actual human yet.
If it hadn’t been for Chandler, cracking jokes and making her smile, she probably would’ve lost her shit a long time ago. As it was, she sat on the sofa, phone in one hand, typing on her laptop with the other, multitasking like her life depended on it. In a way it did. Her professional life anyway. Thankfully, when Lena checked in, she shared that she’d handled most of the clients and had put them on her schedule as well, freeing up Eden for now to deal with the insurance company and all the paperwork their claim would entail. She owed Lena big time for this. More than she could ever repay.
Finally, after she talked to a human rep and set up a time to meet them at the site of the salon fire later that day to go over damages, Chandler sank down on the sofa beside her with his own laptop open.
“So,” he said, his shoulder resting comfortably against hers, making her heart quicken a bit despite the situation. “I’m worried.”
“About?” She frowned. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Well, now that it’s all over the media that we’re still alive, I’m guessing whoever’s behind this will try again.”
Her insides tightened a bit, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t expected the news. “Okay. Makes sense. Obviously, we’ll have to stay on alert—but I’m not concerned, though, because you’re here.”
Chandler gave her a look, leaning in and kissing her sweetly before continuing. “I’ll be by your side through all this. Just like I promised. But we still need to be careful.” He shifted his laptop between them so they could both see the screen. “The good news is, I may have found something on the security footage.”
“Show me!” Eden leaned in to peer at the screen as the grainy black-and-white footage played. It showed a man entering the salon, jamming the door between the front and the back, and starting the fire in the entryway. Only problem was, there was no clear shot of his face. He was wearing a hat, and he kept his head down the whole time. “So, how do we figure out who this guy is? Because I don’t recognize him at all.”
“We keep looking for connections to Ross the same way we have all along,” he answered, “but now, if we find someone who seems to fit the bill, we check to make sure they match the height and build of our arsonist. It gives us something to go on at least.”
Eden sat back, shoulders slumped. “Not enough.”
“We have to start somewhere,” he said, closing his laptop and checking his watch. “Listen. You stay here and be safe and keep fielding your business calls. I’ve got a meeting with Peter, my dad’s friend who works in the prison system. Hopefully, he’ll be able to give me some new leads. I’ll be just a phone call away, if you need me. Will you be all right?”
She nodded, but felt anything but all right. “I’m fine. Just tired. And stressed. And…”
“Hmm.” He took the phone and laptop from her and set them on the coffee table before pulling her over onto his lap. “Well, I do have some time before my appointment, and I happen to know a great stress reliever, if you’re interested.”
A slow smile spread across Eden’s face as she felt his body respond to hers. It wouldn’t actually make her problems go away—it was just a distraction, but damn. She really needed a distraction right now. Eden leaned closer until her breasts brushed his chest and his breath caught, making her pulse pound harder with want. “Oh, yeah. I’m interested.”
