Free Wicked Obsessions by Marilyn Campbell Page B

she'd decide what to tell Selena when she saw her.
    By late afternoon, Teri and Drew had each finished their work without further interruptions, and he offered to take her out for an early dinner.
    She made a face at him. "Are you saying you don't really want to be here at five o'clock?"
    He shrugged. "Would you rather sit here and stare at the clock? A police officer will be keeping an eye on the house. And if something is about to happen, I'd rather we both be out of harm's way."
    She justified her quick acceptance by agreeing with his reasoning. It wasn't like he had asked her out on a date. They were merely two friends sharing a meal. But to make sure there was no confusion, she chose a well-lit, family-style restaurant.
    Throughout dinner, they each made an effort to keep the conversation light and the topics general and far away from ex-wives, children and missing husbands. Teri could not help but notice that, although she talked a lot about her work, Drew carefully avoided any mention of his former career. The more time she spent with him, the more curious she became about his life, but he didn't seem the least bit inclined to fill her in. On every impersonal subject, however, he was knowledgeable, expressive and often humorous.
    And she wished she'd met him a lifetime ago.
    Teri's conscience demanded she pick up the tab and, after a brief debate, Drew agreed to split it with her.
    From the restaurant, he took her to a large discount store. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought of a dozen things I wished I had today..."
    She smirked at him. "And this will burn up another hour, right?"
    He just grinned.

 
     
     
    Chapter 6

     
    It was dark when they finally returned to Teri's house. From the outside, everything appeared to be normal. "I want to thank you again, Drew... for everything. You were right about working this afternoon and getting out of the house. It was a lot better than sitting around waiting for someone to come burn the house down around me."
    "Good. A lot of people wouldn't be so rational in your situation. Now, let's go inspect everything to make sure there are no surprises."
    He checked every door and window for possible tampering before they went inside the house, the garage and her studio. Nothing had been touched.
    "Do you think this means Rico paid them off?"
    "I'd bet my boots on it. If he hadn't, there would have been some kind of follow-up tonight. Those kind don't make empty threats. However, I'd be happy to stay—"
    "Stay?" Teri's eyes widened.
    "Since I'm such a gentleman, I'm goin' to pretend I didn't notice how you misconstrued my perfectly gallant meanin' and go on. If you'd like me to stay in the studio tonight, while you're in the house , I'd be glad to."
    "Oh my, no, that wouldn't be a good idea. I mean, what if someone—"
    "Sh-sh-sh. 'Nuff said. But call me if you need anything . Even if it's just to talk to someone... besides Selena. If you don't call me, I'll give you a call tomorrow. For my own peace of mind."
    "All right. Do you need to use the dark room any more this week?"
    He slapped his forehead. "Ah, dang! I almost forgot to ask—I landed a really great opportunity but I need a studio for an hour or two. I'd be more than happy to pay you rent—"
    "When do you need it?" she asked, cutting him off with a wave of her hand.
    "Friday afternoon. But it's a shoot with two models. I know it's a huge imposition but I haven't been able to arrange anything else yet."
    "Not a problem. No matter what I'm doing at that time, you can use the studio." She didn't even want to consider what she might be doing at that time. She just wanted to enjoy the fact that her studio was still intact.
    * * *
    "Fool!" Drew said aloud to the empty apartment. He was ten kinds of fool. The one thing the psychiatrist warned him not to do—right after no more booze and no more drugs—was no more co-dependent relationships.
    "Be aware," the clinic doctor had stated, "besides being an addict, you have a