Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“I’ve got cameras up.” Hawk pointed to the overhang of the porch, first at one corner, then the other.
Realization dawned. Had he seen Finn come in yesterday afternoon and not leave for over an hour?
“How long have those been there?” I asked.
“Put them up yesterday while the rest of you were at dinner,” Hawk said. I relaxed. “They’re hooked into the system,” Hawk continued. “The entire perimeter is covered. Video, audio, and motion detection lights all around. If anything bigger than a rabbit moves near the cottage, the lights will go on, and we’ll get an alert. Depending on how interested the deer are, you might need to get good blinds for your bedrooms so they don’t wake you up at night.”
He stopped, taking in my wide eyes.
“I don’t want to freak you out,” he said.
“Too late.” Though it was good to know that if Lydia made any sudden moves, there was no way she was getting near Nicky while he was on the estate.
“Don’t worry, just be smart. It’s my job to be prepared for any eventuality, no matter how unlikely. It’s your job to be smart. Lock the doors. Use the alarm. Windows and doors are on the alarm. There’s a panel at both doors. They work the same as the panels at the house. I set it with the same code you use for the main house.” Hawk went back inside, stopping to show me the discreet panel to the side of the door, a smaller version of the alarm panels we had in Heartstone Manor.
“Any questions, let me know.”
With that, Hawk left as quietly as he’d arrived. I pushed away thoughts about the alarm and the reason we needed all this technology.
Back in the main room, Finn was gone, but the women were hard at work, putting things to order. I got to work unpacking the rest of the kitchen things with Scarlett, Hope directing us from her seat at the table where she’d been relegated after Griffen glared one too many times at Parker.
Hope grumbled, but Parker sat her at the table, slid a scone in front of her, and said, “Don’t make me fight with my brother. He’s going a little crazy with you so pregnant. He’s going to drive you nuts when he has a fragile newborn to protect.”
“I’m trying not to think about it,” Hope admitted. “He’s a little overprotective.”
Griffen walked by with Finn, heading back to the house for another load of whatever we were missing. The first floor looked mostly done to me, but I trusted Parker’s plan. Griffen stopped short at seeing Hope sitting complacently at the table. Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, he met Parker’s eyes and said a quiet, “Thank you.”
He and Finn left. Billy Bob were gone, and Royal had gone to the Inn to get some work done. All that was left was the unpacking. There wasn’t much in the kitchen, just the dishes and silverware Parker brought over and the kitchen supplies from Finn. Scarlett and I had that done in no time. We found Sterling in Nicky’s room, halfway done putting his clothes in the dresser. His bed was already made in a cute red and blue tartan comforter and crisp white sheets. Sterling had tucked his worn stuffed Pikachu under the covers as if he were napping.
She looked over her shoulder at us. “Oh, good. Savannah, I left his odds and ends over there by the closet. Can you figure out where you want them? I have almost everything else in the dresser. The stuff to hang is on the bed.”
The rest of us jumped into action, moving on to books and toys when we were done with the clothes. From there, we moved to my room. It didn’t take long to put my things away. Someone had already unpacked my books downstairs, leaving mostly clothes and toiletries up here. My wardrobe wasn’t huge, mainly because I’d been wearing a uniform to work since I’d been back in Sawyers Bend, first waiting tables at the Inn and then at Heartstone.
Parker slipped one of my uniform dresses onto a hanger, lining it up with the other four. “I love this dress. It’s so pretty, and it looks official, but not boring. Plus, it looks great on you.” The black and white A-line houndstooth dress was comfortable, easy to clean, and looked far more formal than it felt. Most days, I wore it with black leggings and black Mary Janes. I could do almost anything in that dress and still feel worthy of the house. Even though Griffen and Hope had said they didn’t care about my uniform, Heartstone Manor demanded more than jeans and a t-shirt.
“Thanks,” I said. “It’s the bonus of choosing my own uniform. And it saves me tons on clothes.”