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Bri wrinkled her nose. “It could be an hour or two before they’re ready to release it.”
Fine by him.
“In that case, let me give you a lift home.”
She hesitated, a flicker of indecision darkening her irises. “I’ve already imposed too much for one week.”
Unless he was reading her wrong, she was tempted to accept.
“To tell you the truth, I’d love to have an excuse to defer shopping, and there’s nothing on Nan’s list that can’t wait until tomorrow. Besides, you have groceries that will spoil if you don’t get them home soon.”
“I don’t know ...”
“A piece of advice? Don’t overthink this. You’ll actually be doing me a favor.” He offered her his most engaging grin. “And Nan will be fine with this, trust me.” More than fine, in light of all her questions about Bri. Assuming he decided to tell his grandmother why her shopping had been deferred.
Bri rested her hand against the car, and all at once her scraped-raw knuckles registered. Two of them had bled.
“Hey.” He positioned the cart to keep it from rolling and circled around it to join her. “What happened here?” He took her hand.
Her brief, sharp intake of breath suggested his simple touch had the same electrical effect on her that it generated in him.
“I, uh, must have grazed them when you pushed me down.”
So the damage was his fault.
His stomach kinked. “Sorry about that.”
“Better than getting shot. They’ll be fine.” She tugged her hand free.
“Why don’t you let me take you home? It’s been a tough afternoon on the heels of a tough week. I’m parked over there.” He waved toward his car, several spots away in the adjacent aisle. “Or you could call your brother to pick you up. Unless he’s still at the scene where I spent most of my day.”
She blinked. “You met Jack?”
His ploy to pique her interest had worked.
“Yes. He tracked me down.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“I’ll tell you all about our chat if you let me drive you home.” He snagged her cart as it began to roll, hoping she’d take the bait he’d dangled.
But if she didn’t, he’d try again. Push harder. The time had come to get answers to at least a few of the questions that had been plaguing him since the day they met. And perhaps one of those answers would offer a clue about the odd happenings of the past week.
Because if someone was targeting Bri, they needed to figure out fast who it was before one of these incidents turned deadly.
SIXTEEN
AS THE WARMTH OF MARC’S TOUCHlingered on her skin and seeped deep into her pores, Bri’s resolve to keep her distance from the man standing inches away wavered.
Not good.
She brushed a smear of parking-lot dust off the sleeve of her jacket as he waited for her answer.
If she didn’t want to get involved with him, she should refuse his offer of a lift. Call Jack to pick her up.
Yet much as she loved her brother, it would be oh-so-nice to spend a few more minutes with Marc. Strength and competence radiated from him, and she could use a bit more of those until she regained her equilibrium.
Besides, if she called Jack, she wouldn’t get the straight story about the exchange between the two men.
