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And not necessarily that he’d hurt her. No. More along the lines of how he made her feel. Especially when he touched her.
“I don’t need much. I would just like a frame. No headboard is necessary.”
He nodded. “I can provide that. I have an old one sitting in the shed.”
Her brows puckered. “Why? That’s very odd to have lying around.”
“Well, the house you’re renting gets rented out a lot. Some people don’t always take all their stuff. I have a lot of treasures sitting in the shed. You’re welcome to browse through it all and take what you need.”
Why did she feel like that was another subtle warning from him not to split town in the middle of the night?
“For a price?”
“As a neighborly gesture. Not everything has to come with a price.”
Not in her world. Where she lived, everything always came at a price.
“I—”
His hand touched her shoulder, cutting off her words. He pulled it away when he noticed her flinch. She had to work on that.
“Eve, please take whatever you need. I’ve been meaning to take the stuff to a donation center. You’d be helping me out. Here I was helping Mindy out by storing the stuff, and I still haven’t gotten rid of anything.”
Somehow he managed to turn it around and make it seem like she’d be the one doing him a favor. Itwouldhelp her save money. Something she desperately needed to do. The little amount of money she’d snatched before she left was nearly depleted, and she wouldn’t get paid from the cafe for another few days.
“Okay. I appreciate it. I’ll be over later tonight, if that’s okay. I have an afternoon shift at the cafe and should be done a little after six after we clean up.”
“I’ll cook and have it ready by seven.”
“Oh, that’s not—”
“I’ll see you then, Eve.” He winked, cutting her off once again, then walked away before she could protest.
What just happened?
She didn’t want to have dinner with him. Be in the same room as him. Pretend that everything was normal in her life. She only wanted to live in her bubble and forget all about her troubles. That was impossible to do when every time she looked at him she was reminded that he was the law. She broke it every day using the alias she purchased in a dirty alley.
While she waited for the clerk to ring up her supplies—curtains, bedsheets, a comforter, and a mattress—her mind swirled with excuses to get out of tonight’s dinner.
Nothing good came to mind other than feigning a headache. Problem was she knew she was a terrible liar. She knew he already suspected something was off about her. She could see it in his eyes every time he glanced her way.
Her shift at the cafe went by fast. Juliet talked her ear off, as usual. Eve had no idea how she could be so chipper all the time. Displaying a smile every minute of the day. Her face hurt forcing a smile for most of her shift.
By the time she arrived home, she wanted nothing more than to take a shower and crawl under her blankets on the hard floor. Unfortunately, her mattress wouldn’t be delivered for another two days.
Instead, she fixed the little makeup she wore, combed her hair, and put it back into the ponytail she had it in. She paused putting her lip gloss back into the medicine cabinet hiding behind the mirror.
Her lotion, toothpaste, and floss all sat on the bottom shelf, yet something didn’t look right. She swore this morning she put the lotion bottle on the right side, and now it sat on the left. Or had she?
“Stop it, Eve!”
Shaking her head, trying to release all the tension filling her up, she put her mind back into focus. The lip gloss hit the middle shelf with a soft clink. She was losing her mind. Making things appear odd when in reality, she was afraid to walk across the lawn. She’d eat quickly, grab a few things from the shed, and leave. Nothing to worry about.
A few minutes later, she carried the half-consumed pie Juliet insisted she take home with her across the bright-green grass. Griffin opened the door before she could knock.
It startled her for some reason, causing her to step back—as usual, tripping on her feet—again.
Griffin hada split second to decide whether to save the pie flying in the air or grab Eve before she went tumbling down two steps. Eve won.
