“I can see the gears turning over there,” Devon remarked. “What are you up to?”
Shaking his head, Campbell ignored the question and dug into his salad.
Devon folded his arms, waiting. “Cam?”
Campbell chuckled. “Let’s just say, when I see her tomorrow, I just may shoot my shot.”
Sierra peered through the rain-slick windshield of her rental car as she drove down the road Wednesday afternoon. The trip from her hotel to the gated community took her halfway across the island, and she was glad the drive was almost over. What had begun as an overcast day with soft, drizzling rain had morphed into a dark, gray-skied downpour. The wipers ran at their fastest speed, giving her enough visibility to operate the car safely. But if the rain increased much more than this, she wouldn’t be driving anywhere else today.
Pulling up to the gate at The Glenn, she rolled her window halfway down and gave her name to the guard. The iron gates soon parted, allowing her entry to the complex. Driving through the area, she could see it looked just as picturesque as the photographs in the booklet. The buildings were built from multicolored bricks and accented with stone, and the grounds were manicured with shrubbery and flowers. The images in the brochure had been taken on a sunny day. Today, the plants looked beaten down by the rain and wind, but at least she knew they would look better once the weather cleared up.
She found her building, and pulled into a parking spot in front of it. A tall figure stood on the landing above her, and after she cut the engine, she took a closer look at his face. Campbell. Good, he’s already here. With her purse on her shoulder, she opened her umbrella and got out of the car. Jogging through the sheets of rain, she climbed the stairs to the second level of the building.
Beneath the canopy of the roof she closed her umbrella, and walked up to the door of unit 202 B, where Campbell stood. Before she could stop herself, she looked him over. He wore a pair of dark slacks and a light blue button-down shirt with the MHI logo on his front pocket. It was a very different look from the suit she’d seen him wearing in the office. Guess these are his casual work clothes. He looked just as good dressed this way as he had before, but she pushed that thought out of her mind, telling herself that what he wore and how he looked weren’t any of her concern.
She looked back to his face to find him smiling at her.
She blinked, tried to match his smile. Had he seen her staring at him?
Finally, he spoke. “Some weather we’re having.”
She nodded, relieved. Either he hadn’t seen her staring, or had decided not to bring it up. “Yeah. The storm must be pretty darn close.”
“Well, let me get you inside before the weather gets worse. The forecast says Hester’s gonna hang around for a while.” He extracted a single, silver key on an MHI key chain from his pocket.
She watched as he put the key in the lock...or attempted to.
His brow furrowed as he tried a second time to put the key into the lock. “What in the world?” After lifting the key chain in front of his face, he flipped it over and looked at it. He frowned, uttering a single word. “Crap.”
Confused, she asked, “What is it?”
“This isn’t the right key.” He slipped it back into his pocket. “The Glenn is laid out with two condos to each floor, an A unit and a B unit. This is the key to 202 A.”
She glanced to the left. “The unit next door? Can’t you just lease me that one, since we’re already here?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. That unit was rented earlier this morning. Aside from that, your unit is already set up with grocery delivery and everything you requested.”
Hopeful, she asked, “You got me a guard?”
He cleared his throat. “Let me revise that. Almost everything you requested is set up in this unit.”
She sighed, turning to face the parking lot. Moments later, the wind changed direction, and a spray of fat raindrops hit her in the face.
Wiping away some of the dampness with her hand, she looked to Campbell. “What do you need to do to get the right key? I’d really like to get out of this weather.”
“I’ll call my intern, Jacob. He rented the other unit, so I’ll see what he can tell me.”
While he talked on his cell phone, she moved away from the railing, resting her back against the wall in hopes of avoiding another involuntary shower. She tried to eavesdrop discreetly, but all she heard were a few of his deep-voiced words, in between the bouts of wind and rain.
When he disconnected the call, he turned her way. “The key is still at the office, but Jacob had put it away with the paperwork for the other unit. Even though it was rented today, they’re not moving in until tomorrow.”
“Is that policy? If so, why didn’t you put my key with my paperwork?”
He looked sheepish. “That was an error on my part. I had another appointment right after you and I didn’t match up your key. Sorry about that.”
She pursed her lips. Fine as he was, he seemed a little forgetful. “So, what happens now?”
“Jacob is going to bring the key here.”
She blinked several times. “So we’re just going to be waiting here, in this weather?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Dandridge. But it’s either that or go sit in our cars until Jacob gets here.”
She looked out at the sky. It had grown even darker since she’d arrived, not to mention the heavier rain and the insistent winds. She shook her head. “Nah. I’ll wait here. I’m not going back down there.”
“I’d hate for you to have to stand up this whole time.” He moved closer to her.
Her heart rate sped up for a moment before she realized he was walking past her.
“Can I borrow your umbrella?”
She nodded, handing it off to him.
He opened it, then dashed down the stairs and into the driving rain. She watched as he went to his car, took something out of the back seat and locked up. Holding something close to his body, probably to keep it dry, he jogged back across the sidewalk and up the stairs. Once back on the landing, he closed the umbrella and dangled it over the railing, giving it a little shake. Then he handed the umbrella back to her, along with the thing he’d retrieved and had been clutching to his chest.
She took the soft bundle.
“I always keep a blanket in the car for emergencies. Fold it up a few times so you’ll have somewhere to sit.”
She did as he asked, and after she’d folded the thick, plaid blanket into a neat rectangle, she placed it next to the door and took a seat to one side. Looking up at the handsome man towering over her, she thought she’d follow her mother’s sage advice. When life gets salty, make margaritas. Rachel Myers Dandridge was known for her odd little sayings, and that was probably one of Sierra’s favorites. It meant make the best of a less than ideal situation. To that end, she patted the blanket next to her. “You can sit here. There’s plenty of room.”
He seemed surprised. “Really?”
“Sure. No reason for you to stand up the whole time, either.”
“Even though I got you into this mess?” He seemed pretty disappointed with himself.
“Everybody makes mistakes, Campbell. Besides, it’s your blanket.” She patted the spot again. “Join me.”