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She grinned and tossed the chopped veggies in the pan. They too sizzled in the butter. Then she looked over at Dylan. “You, too?”
Dylan smiled and approached the island from the other side. “I believe I will. Plus, there’s something I need to tell you.” His expression said it was bad news.
I should brace myself, and plan to get lost after breakfast.
“Okay. What is it?” She cracked some eggs into a bowl, poured in a little bit of milk, along with a pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. As she whisked, he got closer and spoke in low tones.
“I know you said not to, but I work for Enclave Auto, so I called in a tow for your vehicle after we left the bar.”
Her head whipped up in surprise. She’d been totally off base about what they were discussing. Best of all, maybe she wouldn’t be kicked out after the meal.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Although he probably got a great discount and the service might not cost her an arm and a leg. Expense had been her primary concern last night when he’d suggested it.
“How much did it cost?” she asked tentatively, not really wanting to know. She went back to whisking.
His eyes narrowed. “The thing is, they couldn’t find your car.”
She stopped whisking. “I’m sorry. What? They didn’t find it? How can that be?” Her mind circled around once trying to make sense of this. “Oh no. Was it stolen?” His bedroom brown eyes looked despondent about having to tell her this. “Or did the local police pick it up for being abandoned?”
“No. I know the sheriff, he wasn’t aware of it.”
“So stolen then?” She pushed out a long sigh.
“It must have been. I’m sorry.”
Her eyes slammed shut. Fucking Sammy and his endless supply of thugs and henchmen. “I shouldn’t be surprised after seeing Ted in the area. Damn it. I had some belongings tucked in the empty wheel well where the spare should have been that I really wanted to keep.” She blew out a breath and took out her sudden frustrations on whipping the eggs into a lemony froth.
“I’m truly sorry. I have my friend Gabriel at the auto shop keeping an eye out for it. Plus, Duke, our local sheriff, is also on the lookout for any reports, okay?”
She stopped beating the eggs into a frenzy and nodded. “Okay. Thanks.” She finished with the eggs, pouring the well-beaten mixture over the softened onions and peppers and lowering the heat.
She cooked bacon in their microwave and finally made a small batch of buttered, cinnamon-sugar toast before gratefully sipping a hot cup of coffee for herself. She munched on a piece of toast, giving them all the eggs and bacon. Suddenly, her appetite was nonexistent.
Dylan cleaned his plate first, groaning as if he loved it. Hunter was close behind him. “Thanks, that was really good. Certainly better than what the two of us could come up with.”
She nodded, wondering what was next. Ever waiting for the hammer to fall and the end of her stay here.
Hunter finished his coffee. “I’ve got to go over and assess the damage to my workshop today for the insurance report. I promised Kendall last night that I’d take care of it pronto. You two will be okay all alone today, right?” he asked suggestively.
Dylan pushed out an annoyed-sounding sigh. “I wish. But I promised Gabriel I’d work for a few hours today.” He turned to her. “Will you be okay here on your own?” Dylan asked.
Before she said anything, Hunter said, “You can come with me if you want to. I’ve also got to make sure that no one can get in. I might be awhile.”
“I figured they’d close the place down entirely with the fire and all.” Lilianna sipped her coffee and nibbled at her cinnamon toast.
Hunter poured another cup of coffee. “Well, they might have, but it’s rented out for the day exclusively to the Braxton Wholesale Food Company and all of their employees. Kendall called and told them the woodcarver’s shack would be closed and why. He also offered to discount another day if they wanted to reschedule, but they wanted to go ahead and come on out.”
“How long do you think you’ll be?” Lilianna asked.
He shrugged. “Probably half the day. I’ve got to survey the damage. Submit the report to insurance. Make a list of what needs to be done to fix it all back up the way it used to be. Maybe take a quick look at the surveillance footage I have set up both inside and outside on the premises.”
