Page 106 of Let Me Be the One

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CALLIE STOOD INthe hallway, staring up at the attic. The scraping noise she’d heard while showering came again, making her pulse race. It was far too late to bother Liam, who would have to be up early tomorrow, and no way would she call on Tanner or Kam.

The past week had been a lesson in endurance.

A dozen times at least she’d wanted to call Tanner, but over and over again she’d reminded herself of how he had left. Howhehadn’t called.

At the end of the third, lonely day without a word fromhim, Callie told herself to snap out of it, then she took steps in that direction by throwing herself into home repairs.

In very little time, she had completely transformed the interior.

For a reasonable price, Liam and a few of his friends had helped her put fresh paint on the walls. With the house so small, they’d accomplished it all in rapid time. Bright white in the bathroom and kitchen, pale grayish blue in the bedrooms. Light, neutral sand tone for the living room and hall.

She’d bought new window treatments, which were already installed, and she’d sent for her beautiful bedding, but it hadn’t yet arrived.

Surprisingly, the house had hardwood beneath the worn carpet. Though Liam insisted he could tear it out, without charge, Callie had hired men to come in. Since they came at a time when Liam couldn’t be there, Kam had dropped in, claiming no one wanted her home alone with strangers.

Very sweet, but she assumed that “no one” meant him and Addie. Tanner had been suspiciously absent even when she went over for dinner once.

After that, she didn’t go again. She loved seeing Addie, but it was just too awkward for her right now.

To continue her home decorating spree, she’d even gotten a new couch and chair. After adding new lamps, a throw blanket, and pillows, it looked like a brand-new house. At least on the inside.

Eventually, she’d like to have the floors refinished, but it wasn’t top of her list at the moment.

No, right now she was concentrating on being brave enough to find out what was making that awful noise in her attic.

The house wasn’t cold, but her skin prickled at thethought of going up there. Still, this washerhouse and she damn well needed to learn full independence.

With that decision made, she dragged a chair from the kitchen and climbed up to reach the rope hanging from the attic door. It pulled open and she saw the stairs that Liam had described to her earlier. Still hearing that odd sound, Callie imagined a rat, or possibly a raccoon, just waiting for her to stick her head up there.

But that’s exactly what a man would have done, and she didn’t have a man, soshe’dhave to do it. Damn it, this was one adventure she didn’t want.

Cautiously, she unfolded the wooden ladder, then went back to the kitchen to return the chair and to get both a flashlight and a broom. Awkwardly carrying them both, she slowly ascended the stairs, one step at a time, all the while her ears were straining for a sound.

The fact that it had now gone curiously silent did not reassure her.

Her chest went tight, her breathing shallow, her palms clammy. She shined the light into the opening, and found that the attic was surprisingly clean. Pausing, she forced oxygen into her lungs, then quickly went up another step and flashed the light all around.

All she saw were boxes, most of them cardboard, others wooden, along with old suitcases, some trunks, and a few pieces of broken furniture. One trunk was open, with balled-up newspaper spilling out.

At the far end of the attic, she located a window that, until now, she had only ever seen from the outside. It had always been closed, but now she noticed a broken pane in the bottom corner. Pieces of jagged glass littered the attic floor. Could a tree branch have done that? It might explain the sound she heard.

Frowning, she listened—and something moved to her right.

When she jerked around and shone the light there, she came face-to-face with an enormous snake coming out of the open trunk.

With a startled scream she dropped the broom, lost her hold on the ladder, and half slipped, half fell down, banging her arms and legs on each rung until she landed on the floor with a painful thud. For a stunned second she just lay there, shocked, the flashlight still gripped in her hand.

Until the hideous snake dropped down beside her.

Screaming again, Callie scrabbled to her feet and raced, limping, to her front door. Without daring to look back, she wrestled with the lock and just as she was turning the knob, the door was shoved open, half knocking her back.

Hard hands grabbed her upper arms.“Callie.”

She almost screamed again—until the furious barking of a dog penetrated her fear.

Somehow, Tanner was here and that was all well and good, but she wanted out. “It’s in the house!”

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