AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded absentmindedly. The list of things I needed to do overwhelmed me. I’d called my friends, who’d offered to help, but almost all of them had their own businesses to open that morning.
“You have someone to help?”
“Mmmm.” Thankfully, I’d scheduled my part-time employee, Kayla, to work. “I’ll sweep this up, move the juice to the fridges that weren’t broken, and we’ll be good as new.”
“You need someone to take the broken fridge to the dumpster out back?”
I’d need to talk to the insurance company. I wanted to expand my business, sell my juices to local stores, fitness centers, and hotels, and the break-in wasn’t good publicity for my business. It could completely derail my plans.
“It’s on wheels. I can probably push it to the back.” I walked over to the counter, stepping around pieces of broken glass, and grabbed a garbage bag to throw the broken bottles inside. I’d need to grab a mop from the back. I was already opening later than I’d hoped and was missing out on catching the early festivalgoers. I didn’t want to lose any more business.
Colton stood nearby as if he were reluctant to leave. “Let me know if you have trouble. I’ll stop by to help.”
“Really?” I paused, a bottle in one hand and the bag in the other.
He nodded. “We’re friends.”
“Right. Friends.” My sister’s ex. He was off-limits to me. Right now, he was probably thinking of me like a little sister who needed his help. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll get this cleaned up in no time.”
I infused a chipper note into my voice. The customers wouldn’t even know what had happened. Not if I could help it.
He tipped his head to the side. “You always this positive?”
“You know I am.” My older sister had done all the worrying when we lived with my biological parents and afterward as we moved from foster home to foster home. I quickly learned it was easier to think good thoughts than dwell on the what-ifs. And everything had turned out fine in the end. We ended up with good foster parents who adopted us. Though, even if the tilt-a-whirl slowed, the threat of being thrown off never ended.
“I’ve seen more bad than good. Whoever did this stole the money from your register. If they think you’re an easy mark, they’ll be back. And next time, they might be bolder.”
I barely repressed a full-body shiver I experienced at his words. Would they be so bold as to attack me walking down the street? I talked a good talk, but I didn’t like walking alone at night to my car.
“You take deposits to the bank?”
“After closing. I just keep a few bills in the register in case someone comes by early or after hours.” Whoever broke in only got a handful of dollars.
“I don’t like you walking with cash by yourself.”
I bristled. “I’m not yours to worry about.”
“What time do you make your run?” he persisted.
“I close at six.”
“If you feel unsafe, call. I can stop by or send someone to accompany you.”
I tipped my head to the side, considering him. “Isn’t that beyond the scope of your department’s duties?”
“I feel responsible for you.” His shoulders were squared, his gaze steady.
His sentence was punctuated by a sharp clink as I pitched a bottle into my garbage bag, resuming my cleanup. A fake smile curved over my lips. “That makes me feel all warm and gooey inside, Officer Castle.”
Sarcasm wasn’t something I used often, but I was tired of him acting like I was his responsibility. His ex’s little sister. Someone to watch out for. Protect. It would feel good if it were because he was interested in me, rather than some misguided desire to take care of me as if I were his responsibility. Irritation prickled my neck.
“You need to be careful.” His voice was gruff.
I tied off the now-full garbage bag, setting it to the side to carry to the dumpster later when Colton was out of my space. “And why is that?”
He tapped the badge over his heart. “I’ve seen things.”
“You said that. I get that you see the worst in people, but I like to look for the good.”
