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Coach was already waiting with the girls who were panting like he’d taken them on a jog. Which, admittedly, they probably needed after being in the car so much.
We stopped into the coffee place, then I booked it back to Murphy’s place, having a gut feeling that she was someone who held people to their word, who would get suspicious if I was out later than I’d said I would be.
I figured I was right when the security system disengaged just seconds after the dogs and I got to her door.
“Got you an extra large and some bagged grounds,” I told her.
“You went shopping?” she asked, brows scrunched.
Here was the part where I had to do something I didn’t want to have to do.
I lied to her.
Well, I implied a lie.
Which was the same thing.
“You can place orders and pick them up nowadays. No one has to shop if they don’t want to.”
“Oh,” she said, accepting that as she unleashed the panting dogs.
“We kept a quick pace,” I told her as the girls both made their way to their water dish.
“They needed the exercise,” she said as I noticed a smudge of something on her cheek.
When I reached out toward her, though, she flinched back. A move that all but confirmed my suspicions and fears about what had happened to her.
Someone had hurt her.
And I had the sudden and unexpected urge to track him down and slice his fingers off, one by one.
“You have a smudge,” I explained, then reached again, slower. This time, she let me, her gaze on me, weighing and measuring me and my actions. “All better,” I said, pulling my hand away, then passing her the cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” she said, taking a step back.
“Anything I can do while you work?” I asked, gesturing around.
At that, she looked at me for a long moment, like she didn’t understand my presence, like I didn’t fit.
I imagined I didn’t.
That no one did.
In this little world of hers.
From what she’d said of him, her father sounded like a complete recluse. With no mother or other family in the picture, from what I could tell, she’d been raised to be much the same. In her own world. Away from everyone else. No one, I imagined, in her space. When or if she dated, I imagined her spending time at their place, not wanting anyone in hers.
“Ah… place an order for the pet store?” she asked. “The girls like the remade meals there. Turkey stew is their favorite, if they have it.”
“On it,” I said, nodding. “I won’t bug you while you work, save to drop off refills,” I assured her.
“Okay,” she agreed, watching me for a long second before turning and walking away.
I ordered the food for the dogs, then spent most of the day playing with them or petting them in between bringing their mom coffee.
It was interesting to go in there, finding her in her zone, hardly even noticing my presence when I dropped off a new mug and took the old ones away to wash.
I didn’t interrupt when the girls got antsy again, just taking them out to the patch of grass out back.
I fed them.
I ordered food.
She didn’t emerge.
Not until nearly eight that night, looking bleary-eyed, and coming to a sudden stop as she saw me lounging on the couch with the girls.
“I took them out, but I think they wouldn’t mind another walk,” I told her. “I can take them alone, if you want to eat instead,” I said, waving toward the take-out in the kitchen.
Her gaze moved in the direction, looking even more perplexed.
“Ah, no. I’ll go too,” she said, leaving me to grab the leashes as she slipped on her shoes. She tried to hide it, but I didn’t miss her slipping on an inner waistband holster and gun on before turning to me.
“All set?” I asked.
“Yep,” she agreed, taking a leash, setting the alarm, and then we were off.
“You look like your eyes hurt,” I told her as we walked along the sidewalk in front of the beach, the dogs sniffing around.
“They do,” she agreed. “I’m not good at stopping when I am… in the zone. End up giving myself headaches.”
“I could interrupt you more if you want, force you to take breaks.”
“Gotta get the guns done,” she said, shoulders slumping.
“Can’t hurt yourself in the process. How long does a job usually take you?”
“Depends. This one isn’t that complicated. A week, if there are no hitches.”
“How are you sure they work?” I asked. “It’s not like you can test them here.”
“Once I’m sure they’re done, the dogs and I take a ride out to a private range owned by a… friend of mine.”
“Was that hesitation because he’s less of a friend and more of an ex?” I asked, surprised at the surge of jealousy that moved through me.
