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Without any more evidence, they didn’t have a way to find answers. For now, he had to just stew. Was it safe to take Lia into town? They couldn’t all isolate at the lodge forever. And it wasn’t as if he was without skills to protect her.
Lia had started training with Tansy and Sam on various martial arts. She’d taken multiple self-defense courses down in Atlanta because she hadn’t owned a car. She’d walked to and from work no matter the hour of the night. His jaw clenched and his palms sweated every time he thought about it. Her hospital hadn’t been in a stellar area of the big city and he was glad she’d never been attacked. He wondered if her reputation as a doctor who worked her ass off to save people had helped her without her knowing it.
He’d spent the morning running a session with several Midnight Security clients. He’d talked about the psychology of communication. How to read beyond what people said with their words. How to find out what they really wanted in all kinds of situations and how to convince clients that the security personnel knew best about what would help protect them.
Those were all things he did intuitively, but he’d had training to hone his natural skills. Skills he’d learned from his parents and the Riveras. They’d all listened with their whole attention.
His talk had gone over well with the clients and it gave him a path he could follow if he stayed here in Vermont instead of going back to Sacramento and the FBI.
He found Lia on the large deck in front of the lodge. She leaned on the railing, studying the lake. Her body language seemed to be dialed to pensive, so Joe picked up his pace. She spotted him when he reached the stairs. Her body straightened and her smile made everything better.
He jogged up to her and swung her into his arms for a kiss. They hadn’t moved to the next level of their relationship yet, but he was more than ready to take that leap. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself. How did your talk go?”
“It was good. Easier than I thought it might be and the people attending all seemed pleased with it.”
Her face lit up. “I’m not even a little surprised. I bet you were amazing.”
He laughed. “You’re pretty good for the confidence.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you interact with everyone here and I’ve seen you on the job. You know how to read people and respond. You know how to stay calm and in control.”
He kissed her lightly again and then put his mouth right next to her ear. “You make me want to lose control.”
Her body shivered and she leaned into him. “That sounds like fun.”
“Hey Chevy.” Flynn called from the side of the house. “Tessa and I are heading to the No Fail Diner for some lunch. You guys want to come with us?”
Good old Flynn. Joe had told him he was worried that Lia might be nervous about going into town. Having extra people around should help. He grinned down at the woman in his arms. “What do you say? Want to try the whole date thing again?”
She rolled her lips together. “Are you sure you should be going there? What if someone is after you?”
And she was worried about him, not herself. “We’ll keep our eyes open. I’ll keep you safe.”
She smiled softly. “I’m worried about you, not me.”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to take care of each other.”
In deference to the injuries Tessa had sustained to her legs long ago, they took the golf cart with the ladies riding and he and Flynn walking alongside.
At the sawmill, they checked the cars and found nothing of concern. The entire area was covered by surveillance cameras, so that wasn’t surprising.
He insisted on taking his new car, wanting to show Lia that he wasn’t worried about being attacked again. Once they arrived in Phail, he parked in the same lot and they walked to the diner. Lia’s eyes darted everywhere, looking for attackers at every corner. He wanted her to love this town enough to stay, he didn’t want her afraid.
Ginny Phail greeted them as they walked in. “I’m glad that jerk didn’t scare you away. Nice to see you all again.”
The four of them shared a taco platter for lunch and chatted with locals who stopped to meet Lia or check for news about the tire slashing incident.
Lia’s eyes had widened at every new person who came into the diner, but she relaxed as everyone was a friend. Flynn kept everyone laughing with stories of growing up on his family’s ranch.
After they finished the food, Joe leaned back in the booth and settled his arm over Lia’s shoulders. Her smiled reached her eyes when she looked at him and he couldn’t resist a quick kiss.
Tessa smiled at Flynn. “How about we take a walk around town?”
Flynn frowned at her. “You sure?”
She nodded. “I can stop at lots of places if I need to.”
