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20
Zack was quiet. Not that he was the type of person to go on and on about things, but this wasn’t the usual Zack that Lucy had seen either. He’d barely said a word to her when she’d walked into Tate’s looking for him. She’d seen that other man in the booth, but hadn’t known who he was. Tate had said something about the guy being an old friend and had come in looking for Zack.
The man left in such a hurry that she hadn’t been introduced, and then when she’d brought up the subject she’d swiftly been shut down. Clearly, Zack didn’t want to talk about him.
Tate had brought her a cool soda, and she’d sat down in the booth where the man had previously been, and she’d caught a glimpse of the paperwork on the table. She wasn’t proud of herself, but damn, she could read upside down.
She’d read part of what she’d seen before realizing what it was and quickly putting a stop to it. She hadn’t meant to snoop or pry; it had been a reflexive action that she hadn’t consciously thought about until she caught herself.
Zack had an employment contract in front of him, presumably for a job back on Wall Street although she didn’t recognize the name of the firm. She’d always known that he wasn’t planning to stay even if he didn’t have a job currently. She’d assumed that wherever he decided to make his new life wasn’t going to be this little town in the middle of the cornfields in east central Illinois. While she’d come back home and was happy about it, that didn’t mean that he wanted to.
Still, it had hit her hard in the solar plexus, taking her breath away when she’d seen the contract. Her heart ached at the thought of him packing his stuff and leaving, waving goodbye as he climbed into his rental car and headed out of town and onto new adventures.
She didn’t regret any of the time they’d spent together, but this was harder than she’d thought it would be. She’d fallen for him, which was monumentally stupid, but he’d somehow slipped under her defenses and she’d opened her heart. Now it was going to be broken, and she only had herself to blame. This wasn’t his fault. He’d never made any promises. Not one.
Her mind had already jumped ahead, of course, thinking of ways that it might work long-distance. Modern aircraft existed so they could fly to see one another as much as possible. They could video call every day, too. But there was one caveat to all of that. Zack hadn’t indicated that he wanted the relationship to continue after he left. In fact, they’d never discussed the future at all.
On purpose or simply an oversight? Lucy couldn’t be sure. With everything that had been happening, it hadn’t been an important topic of conversation.
Zack pulled into her driveway, and she stepped out of the car, juggling the Styrofoam takeout containers that were making her stomach growl hungrily. They’d ordered dinner from the tavern as neither one of them had eaten much today. She couldn’t wait to sit on the couch with a plate full of delicious food and watch something mind-numbingly boring, so she didn’t have to think too much.
Instantly at her side, he took the food from her hands.
“I’ll carry this while you unlock the door.”
“You just want first dibs on the food,” she teased, wanting to lighten the mood.
If they only had a small amount of time left, she didn’t want to spend it feeling awkward and sad.
“You know me so well.”
This time he’d smiled, seeming more like himself which had her breathing a small sigh of relief.
“Don’t get any ideas about my cheeseburger. I’m starving,” she declared unlocking her door and pushing it open. “And I want all of my fries, too.”
He was chuckling, but she’d frozen in the doorway, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was a mess. Everywhere. Tossed cushions, open cabinets and drawers. It was like she’d left a pack of wolves in her house all day, letting them run wild.
“What’s going—”
Zack broke off, seeing the same thing. She heard his indrawn breath, and then he’d placed the food on the foyer table so he could reach for his phone.
“I’m going to call Finn. We need to get out of here. They might still be inside.”
Christ on a cracker, that hadn’t occurred to her. Had someone broken into her home, rifled through her belongings, and was still inside?
Shit. And double shit.
With her heart pounding in her ears, she backed away from the door and stood near the car as Zack’s clipped tones told the receptionist at the sheriff’s station what had happened.
“Why would anyone break into my house?” she asked when he hung up. “This whole thing is surreal.”
Lucy lived in a quiet suburban area with nice neighbors. She knew most of the families up and down the street, and she’d never had a moment of trouble since she’d moved here.
There didn’t seem to be any sign of life in her condo, but Zack insisted that they wait for Finn or one of his deputies to check out the house first.
Finn’s official SUV pulled up in front of her house and exited his vehicle, quickly jogging up to where she and Zack were waiting.
“I’ll go in and check everything out,” he said. “Just wait here for a minute.”
