Page 38 of Finding Zara


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“Very funny.”

“Thank you! Seriously though, I’ll put him in the back of my truck and set him free somewhere out past the valley on my way home.” Unable to stop myself, I tapped a finger on the tip of her nose and said, “You wait in the kitchen. I won’t be long.” It took all of ten minutes and I was back down in the front hall, caged rat in tow.

“I’ve got him! You wanna come say hi?”

“Nope!”

I chuckled again, taking the offending creature out to my truck and placing him carefully in the back.

I headed back to the kitchen. “The intruder is safely stowed away.”

“Thank God for that. And thank you again. Maybe some peppermint tea?”

“Sure, thanks.”

She grabbed the tea things and leaned against the counter, arms crossed, looking at me earnestly while the kettle boiled. “I’m so sorry to call you out so late, thank you for coming.”

It seemed oddly formal, considering everything we’d already done together. It wasn’t like I was pest control on an emergency call. “You already said that.” I looked at her for a long moment, then the penny dropped. “It grates, doesn’t it?”

She tilted her head. “What does?”

“Asking for help.” An unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes before she nodded. I couldn’t imagine it, surrounded by friends and family as I was, to feel that turning to someone for help when you needed it wasn’t the most natural thing in the world. The kettle flicked off and I watched as she poured the boiling water over the leaves in the tea pot. Then she started fiddling with the cups, not looking at me. I got the impression that the admission had cost her. “Zara.” She flicked her gaze up at me, then back to the cups. I kept quiet. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and raised her head, looking me straight in the eye, her chin jutting out determinedly. Well, I clearly had her full attention. What could I say that would make her see that she wasn’t alone without overstepping?

“Okay, so I know we’re doing this whole casual/not casual…whatever. But on top of that, I genuinely like you.” Her eyes clouded in confusion. I guessed that she had been expecting a lecture of some sort on the perils of self-imposed isolation. I smiled warmly. “I like you as a person. I couldn’t do what we’ve been doing if I didn’t. And I have a feeling it’s the same for you, right?”

She eyed me watchfully, but nodded all the same.

“So, here’s the thing: when two adults like each other and spend a bit of time together like we’re doing, do you think they could maybe call each other friends?”

She turned away to finish making the tea; I suspected it was to give herself time to think it through. Looking for holes, caveats, conditions. I continued to smile reassuringly when she returned her gaze to mine and my heart squeezed when she smiled back, a little shyly, and nodded her head. “Great. And friends help each other. So, if you ever need a hand, you know you can ask, yeah?” I took the mug she handed me.

“Yes.” She wrapped her fingers around her own mug, leaning back on the counter and bringing it up to her face, and blew on the tea gently.

Leaning my hip against the counter, I said, “So, since we’re friends, and you’ve just agreed that you’ll take help when it’s offered… May I ask you something?”

Her guard went straight back up again. “Only if it’s okay for me not to answer.”

“Of course. It’s just that this has been weighing on my mind and I want to put it out there. You said something the other day about it being a shame to have to sell Ruby’s house.” I saw tension instantly snap through her spine, but pushed on. “Do you reallyhaveto sell it?”

I thought she wasn’t going to answer at first, then she blew out a breath.

“Okay, Ally knows, so since we’re friends now, I guess it’s okay if you know too.” She took a fortifying sip of tea. “I didn’t exactly tell you everything there was to tell about my ex. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t running the restaurant properly, or that he was bad with money. He was actually using it as a front tolaundermoney…and…other stuff. He got arrested, he’s in jail now, but his shenanigans left a lot of innocent people high and dry. I always prided myself on sourcing locally, using small retailers and suppliers, you know? I had no idea that his actions could bankrupt them.” Her voice cracked and she lowered her head, staring down into her tea. “And the thing is, I should have known, I should have seen what he was doing. If I can’t make all that right, all those suppliers’ lives will ruined. And that will be on me for the rest of my life.”

“Oh, Zara, you can’t think like that.”

Raising her eyes, she looked me square on. “Well, I do.”

The thought that she couldn’t be more the polar opposite of Clarice flitted through my mind. “Maybe I could—”

“No, Matthew.”

“But—”

Her face broke into a smile and my heart squeezed harder than before. “It’s okay.I’mokay, I promise. I’ll take Ruby’s gift and sell it. It will break my heart, but it will also make everything right. Then I’ll go…well, I have no idea where. But I’ll be able to start fresh at least.” It was said in a dry, emotionless tone but her eyes told a different story. Anger, hurt, sadness, determination.

“So, there’s really nothing I can do to help?”

“Well, there is one thing, actually.”

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