Page 6 of Cursed Fox

Nancy

I unlocked my front door and prayed that my house was presentable. I wasn’t a messy person by nature, but I also lived alone with very few unexpected visitors. There were times when I left dirty dishes in the sink and uncapped makeup on the bathroom vanity.

Although, there should be no reason Lex ever entered the master bathroom, or the bedroom for that matter. We were there simply so I could pack a bag and then leave.

"Come on in." I motioned for him to enter after I stepped over the threshold. "It won't take me long to pack, but feel free to make yourself comfortable on the couch."

Lex merely grunted, and I took that as a sign that he’d heard me before I dashed upstairs to my bedroom. The house I’d moved into after leaving Willow Creek wasn't big by any standards. The bedrooms were small, but there were three of them, and that was all I had cared about when I started looking.

In so many ways, I’d been lucky. After my asshole of an ex-husband left me with two kids, no money, and no job, I knewit was important I found something reliable. Wes had been that for me. He gave me a job, helped me find this house, and even helped with the down payment. He’d been my hero at a time in my life when I would've sworn all men were jerks. So if my boss said I could trust Lex, then I would trust the man. Wes never steered me wrong.

Well, except when it came to spreadsheets or any of the other software programs I used. Wes absolutely did me wrong when it came to those. The man was what people would call street smart but book dumb.

I carelessly shoved jeans, shirts, and anything else I needed into a suitcase. Other than visiting my kids, I rarely traveled, but I still managed to keep a toiletry case prepped at all times. I grabbed it from under the bathroom sink and nearly jumped ten feet in the air when I stood up and saw Lex in the reflection of the bathroom mirror.

"You scared the crap out of me," I chastised him as I turned around. "Did you need something?"

I couldn't even begin to fathom why he would be in my bedroom when the man had barely looked at me for more than a handful of seconds since the moment we’d met.

Lex pointed to my suitcase. "Can I take that for you?"

Huh? Maybe he wasn't a complete asshole after all. I walked out of the bathroom and passed him on the way to the suitcase. It wasn't until I placed the toiletry bag inside that I realized, lying on the very top, completely out in the open, were my underwear.

Of course they couldn't be cute or even lacy ones. Not that I owned many of those at my age, but a woman could try and hold on to her youth. Nope. In my haste, I had grabbed my granny panties. The same ones that showcased just how big my ass really was.

I was sure my face was seven different shades of red when I closed the case and zipped it up. Not able to look the man in the eye, I yanked the blue bag off the bed, set it on the ground, and rolled the case in his direction.

"Sure! I'm all ready to go." The words came out a few octaves too high. Even to my own ears I could tell I sounded like a prepubescent boy about to go through the change.

Before Lex could respond, I rushed down the stairs, leaving my suitcase behind. The whole reason he’d come up was to grab the damn thing anyway, so there was no point in arguing. Not when I was already too embarrassed.

Lex's loud footsteps echoed through the otherwise quiet house as I grabbed my keys from where I’d tossed them on the table in the front entryway. I’d made it to the edge of the driveway before Lex's words stopped me dead.

"You don't need those. We're taking my Jeep."

Looking over at his vehicle, I tried not to let my shiver show. "You expect me to ride in that?" I pointed at the vehicle in question. "It doesn't even have doors. How can it be safe? Or road legal for that matter?"

The man moved quick. I had to give him that. Lex stood next to his Jeep before I even finished asking the questions. With one hand firmly placed on the mesh rope that stood in place of the door, he answered, "It's safe."

Two words. That was all he was willing to give me, and yet somehow I knew they were true.

I thought back to my boss, and how he would never do anything to put me in harm’s way. If Wes were standing there with us, he would've confirmed I was perfectly safe with Lex and his Jeep.

There was that word again. I had spent my whole life playing itsafe,and look where it got me. I married the man I was told would bring me a comfortable life, and he left, leaving nothingbut criticism in his wake. Eventually, I was forced to leave the town I loved rather than subject my children to their father's mistakes.

I took a good job that I eventually learned to love because of the people who worked there, but I never wanted to bother them. Even when I knew they would help me in a heartbeat. I was good at being cautious, but now I wanted to live a little.

"Let's go," I said before I could change my mind, and hopped in when Lex moved the net aside.

Buckling my seat belt, I looked straight ahead. I didn't question if he secured the door properly. I didn't question the lack of a window or roof. I was going with the flow.

Well, for a tiny bit, I did.

When we turned onto the highway instead of heading toward Willow Creek, I asked, "Don't you need to go home to grab anything?" Secretly I hoped the answer was no. The last place I wanted to see was the town I grew up in. There were too many bad memories tied to that place.

"Nope."

One word. That was all he gave me. But it filled me with so much relief, I could've kissed the man.

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