Page 28 of Shadow Justice

She crossed her arms, then uncrossed them because the gesture felt defensive. The conversation should have felt purely practical. Instead, everything about it hummed with the knowledge that Reid would be sleeping in her apartment. Not downstairs. Not outside. Not in some vague protective orbit. Here, in the room where she curled up with Blue and watched old movies when rain hit the windows. Here, close enough to her bedroom that she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Years ago, he’d left before the morning could ask anything of him. Tonight, he was asking where to put his shoes.

“The couch, then,” she said. “With a blanket. I have extras.”

“That works.”

The small exchange settled awkwardly between them and then softened into something almost ordinary. Holly went to her tiny linen closet and pulled out a pillow and a thick quilt she’d bought at an estate sale five years ago. She liked to pretend it had belonged to someone kind. She handed both to Reid, and their fingers brushed.

Neither of them moved too quickly. Neither of them held on to the quilt too long.

“I need to grab a bag from my truck,” Reid said.

She stepped to the door. “I have to walk Blue again. I’ll set the alarm downstairs after we’re back.”

“I can grab it on the way back from the walk.”

Of course he was going with her.

After realizing that someone could be watching her, it was almost a relief. A relief she didn’t want to feel.

Blue turned circles when Holly pulled on her raincoat and grabbed his leash, his excitement enough that she had trouble attaching it.

Reid’s eyes warmed as he opened the door. “He has a lot of energy.”

Blue yanked her out the door. “And believes he’s in charge.”

Outside, they did their usual route with a few side trips that Blue’s nose insisted on. Reid didn’t comment, only matched their pace. The rain had stopped, but the puddles were everywhere, and Blue thought each needed inspection.

When they returned to the building, the dog was soaked. Holly was glad she’d worn her raincoat after Blue had shaken himself close enough to spray her.

Reid grabbed a small duffel from his truck, and once they were all inside, Holly set the alarm and double-checked the locks before they climbed the stairs. It was the first time all day she’d been grateful for the ritual. Lock, alarm, lights, register, back door. Each step had always marked the shop shifting from public to private, from community to quiet. Tonight, with Reid standing nearby and the case pressing against every wall, the ritual felt like a promise she was making to herself.

Sanctuary was still hers. No one got to take that with a message on a punch card.

Upstairs again, Reid set his duffel beside the couch and removed his jacket. He wore a dark T-shirt beneath it, and Holly made the mistake of noticing the width of his shoulders. Not that she hadn’t noticed earlier, but down in the shop it had felt different. More abstract. Here, in the privacy of her apartment, it brought back too many memories.

She turned toward the kitchen before that observation could do anything more destructive. “Water?” she asked.

“Please.”

She filled two glasses, handed one to him, and drank half of hers while Blue supervised from the center of the room. The dog watched Reid take off his boots.

“All I have for dinner is stuff to make sandwiches,” she said, trying not to sound embarrassed.

“Sandwiches are good.” He came into the kitchen and washed his hands. “What can I do to help?”

She directed him to the cabinet with plates before she dragged out cheese, lunchmeat, and bread. Condiments came next, which she had far too many of, and she also grabbed pickles, lettuce, and a tomato.

Reid built his sandwich, adding sliced pickles, a swipe of her favorite farmer’s market sauce, and a slice of tomato.

Blue sat very still, panting, and waiting for his dinner. She fed him before she made her sandwich.

Reid took a seat at the breakfast bar. “I bet he’s a good watchdog.”

She loaded her bread with turkey, provolone, and tomato, then slathered on the sauce. “He’s a bit hyper about it, actually. He thinks everything is a possible threat. Roni’s trying to make him more discerning, but it hasn’t worked yet.”

They ate in silence, the past bubbling under Holly’s skin. She wanted to say something, but the heaviness of the day weighed on her. They needed to have the conversation, but not when her emotions felt so raw.