Page 99 of Show Me

“Look who decided to come home,” Sam calls from the sofa.

The scent of garlic, onions, tomatoes, and other herbs fills the air, making my stomach grumble. When was the last time I ate? Lunch? Didn’t stop. Breakfast? Not then either.

I didn’t feel like eating when I made Ruby’s breakfast. Sweat slicks my hands as I scrub one on my jeans and loosen the grip on my keys with the other.

Ben leans over the back of the couch, grinning. “We were about to send out a search party.”

I drop the keys in the bowl by the door. “Work.”

“Uh-huh.”

The skeptical tone of Sam’s voice sets my already frayed nerves on fire. I should’ve gone somewhere else.

Fuck. This is my place. It’s not like I have anywhere else I can go.

“You’ve had work for a while. Somehow, you’ve only recently started disappearing.”

I don’t answer. Just stride for the kitchen. The sink’s full. The counter’s a mess where Ben dropped everything after working on a new recipe. I arch an eyebrow. A pizza box sits open, one slice left. A flop? Or something to bide the time while he finished?

I grab a glass, fill it, and drink half of it in one go.

Ben follows, leaning against the counter. “You staying for dinner, or you got somewhere else to be?”

“I’m here.” I tip my head toward the box. “Dinner going to be any good?”

“Of course.” His eyes narrow into slits as he crosses his arms over his chest. “When is it not?” He has a point. It’s rare for something he makes to go wrong.

Sam shows up in the doorway, mimicking his brother’s position. “You’ve been over at Ruby’s.”

It’s not a question, and there’s no point in denying it. I set the glass down. “She had a break-in.”

“We know,” Ben says. “Bella told Dominic. Dominic told us. Whole town probably knows by now.”

Figures.

Sam watches me. “You staying there?”

“Sometimes.”

Ben lets out a low whistle. “Damn.”

“It’s not like that.” The words come out too quick. Too defensive.

Shit. Heat creeps up my neck as I clench my teeth together. The last thing I want is for these assholes to start talking shit about Ruby. I don’t give a fuck what they say about me, but…. I stop there before going any further.

Sam says, “Right. Because you install security systems and feed livestock for women you’re not involved with.”

My teeth grind together. “She needed help.”

I should’ve thought about this from her point of view. This is a small town, and people talk. Not that I’d do anything different. I wouldn’t leave her alone after someone broke into her home, where she should feel safe, where she should be safe.

“And you stayed.” The joking tone is gone.

I don’t respond.

Sam nudges the pizza box toward me. “Eat. You look like you’ve been thinking.”

“I don’t think.”