Page 18 of Jasper

That sounded like the best idea ever, but she shook her head. “No. You’re right. A storm is brewing, and it’s best if we had that generator before it hits. I’m perfectly capable of waiting on the technicians.”

“You sounded a little…uneasy about being left alone.”

She grimaced. Of course she did. “Well, sure. I haven’t been up here in years, and there’s no power. Plus, I will be alone in the house, so it’s sparked a little worry, but I’ll be fine. You go do what you need to do. I’ll look around for more bedding to wash once the power and the water come back on.”

He stared at her for a long time, and she squirmed under his scrutiny. “Sloane, if there’s something wrong, you can tell me.”

“There’s nothing wrong. You should get going, though. Those clouds look pretty nasty.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” She’d lie if she had to.

“How old are you?”

“What?” She looked at him, startled.

“It’s just that you look eighteen, but sometimes you don’t sound eighteen.”

“That’s because I’m not eighteen. I’m twenty-three. My mom says I inherited Gran’s genes. She never looked as old as she really was. It can be a real pain in my ass, though. I’m always getting carded everywhere I go, including the movies.”

“All right, well, I put my number in your phone last night. Text me if you need anything.”

“How did you…”

“Car charger,” he said with a grin and walked out the door.

The first thing she did was to make sure every window and door in the place was locked tight. She decided it was best to keep busy so she didn’t drive herself crazy thinking about all the possible ways those guys could break into the house and murder her. She even started to imagine the technicians might be them, but she shut that down. She needed power and an internet connection if she was to find out anything going on back home.

She did go through the closets looking for additional bedding, but it looked like Jarrod must have moved everything up to the attic. She started to pull down the ladder that went up there, but there was a knock at the door.

Sloane froze. What if it was the murderers? She stood no chance. But she could hide in the attic. And that was exactly what she started to do, but then common sense filtered through her panic.

It had to be one of the utility technicians. She hurried downstairs and looked out the entryway window. A power truck was in the driveway. She looked at the tech, and he waved at her through the window. He looked harmless, but one never knew.

Hesitant, she unlocked and opened the door.

“Hi, ma’am. I’m from the power company. I have an order to turn your electricity back on.”

“Yes, thank you. What do you need to do?”

“Just make sure the meter is working and then connect you up to the meter. It’ll only take a minute. Once I’m assured you have power, I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Okay.”

The man—Steve, as it said on his shirt—nodded then took off around the house. She closed the door and locked it. She wasn’t sure how long it would take, but she’d be glad for central heat. The fire kept the front room warm, but the rest of the house was frigid.

Plus, she needed to use the bathroom in a very bad way. They’d used up their supply of well water last night, and when she really needed to go, outdoors had been her only option. She’d squatted with Jasper laughing at her complaints. He’d stayed outside with his back turned while she walked to the tree line and did her business. An experience she wouldnotbe laughing about in her old age.

Another knock sounded at the door, and she peeked out. Telephone people were here, which meant internet. She opened the door, a little more confidently this time because Steve was still here.

“I’m Martin. I got orders to get your phone and internet up and running. I don’t think Jarrod had internet, so I’ll have to check that. Might take me a little longer to get you set up because of that.”

That was Jarrod. He’d once told her he did everything on his phone. Which meant he probably ran into town and used the free Wi-Fi somewhere. He was in the service, so he was gone more than he was home. Having internet a few months out of the year didn’t make sense. At least that was what she reasoned as she let the man in.

“The power’s not on yet, but Steve is working on it.”

“No worries. I can get everything wired up, and then we’ll test it once the power is on.”

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