“I just wish that Blackwood wasn’t threatening us. That we didn’t have to worry about him or what he could do to you and this business.”
“We’ll take care of him,” he said convincingly. “Today.”
“You want to talk to the customs official today?” She asked, her eyes widening, wondering if it could be true, that they could be done with this so soon.
“I’ll go late this afternoon and speak with Jenkins,” he said.
“I’m coming with you.”
“I’d rather you stay with Emmaline or Lily,” he said with a wince.
“Tommy, this is all happening because ofme. I want to be there with you, to help convince the official to work with us.”
He studied her for a minute. “You know, you have a point. You just might have a better chance of convincing him than I would.”
“Except that I’m a woman.”
“Yes, but you have connections, and you have a way about you that makes people trust you. Very well. We will go together. But any sign of danger and we’re out of there.”
She smiled in relief that he trusted her, that he didn’t shuffle her opinions away.
“Same for you.”
“Of course.”
Impulsively, Minnie reached up and threw her arms around his neck.
“Thank you, Tommy.”
“For what?” he asked, blinking those deep green eyes in surprise.
“For standing up for me. For protecting me. For believing in me and listening to me and not telling me that I don’t offer any worth because I’m a woman.”
“To me, you offer more worthbecauseyou’re a woman,” Tommy said, and that made Minnie fall for him even a little more. “I’ve got some business to do in the shop, and then we’ll go late afternoon, all right?”
“Of course. I’ll come help you.”
“Whatever you’d like to do. Oh, and Flora — Jack’s wife — said she would stop by to visit with you today. She’s happy to talk about being the wife of a blacksmith.”
“Thank you, Tommy,” Minnie said, hoping he could read all she felt in her smile. How much she had come to care for him. What he meant to her. That she was slowly falling for him, scared to admit it. She hadn’t been able to say it yet out loud, for fear that he wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings, but this was becoming more than just an arrangement of protection for her.
She knew that he cared for her. She just wasn’t sure if that was the love of a friend or a romance, although he was clearlyphysically attracted to her, judging by the other night. Would that be enough?
“Anything for you, Min,” he said just before the door closed behind him. “Anything at all.”
The docks greeted Minnie and Tommy with the usual salty air, lusty catcalls, and hustle of those both working upon them and passing through.
Today, the trepidation in Minnie’s chest seemed like it was about to leap up and choke her, but she kept her hand gripped tightly in Tommy’s, grounding her, centering her, providing her with peace that she didn’t know she needed.
He would take care of things. One way or another. Of that, she was certain.
As Tommy had promised, Flora had stopped by. She was a motherly figure and understanding of Minnie’s concerns of wanting to help without getting in the way. Flora had told Minnie that she had been in the same position years ago and had soon found her way, although it had taken some time, for she hadn’t had anyone to advise her, and Jack had been as clueless as she was.
“You’re in good hands with Tommy,” she had told Minnie, and Minnie had agreed wholeheartedly.
It was why, as nervous as she was, she was confident going to meet with this official, as long as she was standing next to Tommy.
Tommy led Minnie into a nondescript building tucked away in a corner of the bustling dockyard. The interior was dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of tobacco and stale coffee. A thin, wiry man with a sharp nose and beady eyes sat behind a battered desk, his feet proppedup as he lazily flipped through a stack of papers. He glanced up as they entered, his eyes narrowing.
