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I offered him as much of a smile as I could muster. “Yeah. The cut-and-dry case I thought I handed the FBI turned out to be messy as hell. But it’ll work out.” It had to. There wasn’t a world where I would ever allow Gracie to be around Barrett again. “So, this is home for a while?” I angled my head in the house's direction.
“Yep, home. It’s stocked with everything you’ll need for a few weeks besides groceries. I have some cash to cover food and necessities.” Max eyed Gracie, who sat on the concrete front porch steps, head pressed against her bent knees. “She’ll adjust. Just like you will now that you’re somewhere a little more permanent. What do you want to do about school for her?”
I blew out a breath. “I haven’t gotten that far. It’s too easy to follow a paper trail if I enroll her, right? But I also don’t want her to fall behind.”
“Maybe anywhere else, but not here in Grandger. I can help you with that if you want. Maybe have her start after the new year.”
Again, tears filled my lower lids, his kindness and thoughtfulness almost my undoing. “That would be amazing,” I choked out around unshed tears. “Though I’m not sure how I can keep her from telling everyone why we’re here.”
“Does she not know?” I shook my head, pieces of my dark curly hair slipping free of the hair band and brushing along my face. He shrugged. “That’s your call. You’re the parent, but I find the truth works best. It’s the best way to keep you both safe if she knows what you’re running from.”
The feeling of eyes on me had me sweeping the front lawn and neighboring houses in search of the source. Movement in the window of the house next door drew my focus. Two sets of eyes peeked through the thin blinds. Shrugging it off as some nosy older couple who thrived on investigating the neighborhood drama, I turned my attention back to Max.
“Here are the keys to the house.” I took the offered dangling keys. “The Blazer is yours to use.” He looked over my shoulder and winced. “I’ll see if I can get you something different.”
“It’s fine, really. It’s not like I’ll use it for more than running to and from the grocery store.”
“If there’s something missing inside that you need, just call me.” Pulling a flip phone out of his back pocket, he placed it in my open palm. “I’m sure you’ve heard this a hundred times already, but do not contact anyone from your previous life. No social media activity. No mail, calls, emails, nothing.”
I nodded, curling my hand around the ancient device. “Yeah, I know. There’s no one I want to reach out to, anyway.”
Damn, that made me lame. Which I was, considering it was the truth. I didn’t even have a true friend to call and cry to. No, that was something I did all on my own, with a pillow smooshed over my face, alone in the bathroom to quiet my sobs.
I wasn’t lame. I was pathetic.
The sound of a door opening pulled me from my spiraling thoughts toward the same house that snagged my attention just moments ago. Except I was wrong about who I’d assumed was spying on me from behind the blinds.
The gorgeous man now standing barefoot on his concrete front porch, watching me and Max, was not old. He looked around my age, mid-to-late thirties. Long, floppy, dirty-blond hair whipped across his classically handsome face with the wind. Though it was his bare chest that I couldn’t seem to stop ogling.
Max turned, following my line of sight. My new sexy-as-hell, partially naked neighbor lifted his hand in greeting, which Max returned like they were friends. I swallowed hard and wiped at my lower lip to make sure there wasn’t any drool. Because hot damn. His stomach was rippled with muscles, his chest defined and decorated in various tattoos inked on his golden skin.
After being surrounded by older, way less fit men the past several years, I was slightly shocked that bodies could still be built like that.
Then my gaze snapped from his droolworthy physique to the man who stepped behind him. I internally squeaked in excitement at the just as gorgeous but taller and more broad man who looked like he lifted tires for an easy workout, placed a massive hand on the first neighbor’s shoulder.
I stared at that hand, studying the intimate way the man’s fingers curled around his partner’s shoulder. My stomach dropped as disappointment filled my veins.
Just my luck, the gorgeous neighbors were a couple. Not that I would’ve had a shot with either of them anyway. Or that I wanted one. Well, maybe I did. But that was fine. Maybe they could be the friends I desperately needed. Friends who I found instantly attractive and wanted to curl into those dual strong arms, savoring the protection they could offer.
“Those would be your neighbors.” Max’s voice had me shaking my head to snap me back to reality. “Trap is the one with tattoos. Shade is the other.”
I nodded, ripping my lusty gaze from the two men. I might have been exhausted and overwhelmed, but I wasn’t dead. The way my heart pounded in my chest while staring at them proved that.
“They’re….”
I watched the marshal as he paused. His brows pulled together like he was struggling to come up with his next words.
For a second, I was confused, but then it hit me. Max didn’t know me, didn’t know I was accepting of all kinds of relationships. He was struggling with how to tell me that my new neighbors were gay. Based on his reaction, I could only assume this small town had several bigots who no doubt made them feel unwelcome.
“It’s okay,” I said and smiled. “I understand.”
Both dark brows jumped along his forehead, disappearing beneath his mop of curly brown hair. “Understand what, exactly?”
“That they’re partners.” I motioned toward the two men who still stood watching us.
His head tilted to the side, a golden gaze searching my face. “Yeah, they are, but Shade is the chief.”
“Oh, I can totally see that,” I muttered under my breath. The big man could be the chief of me any day of the week—if I had the parts he was attracted to, obviously. “I’m glad they’re next door.”
