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Mrs. Collins hooked her arm in Laura’s. “I have just the place. We’ll get you situated then I’ll be the one bothering you. First in the kitchen, then out on the town to spread the news about the new vision for the pantry along with a delicious treat.”
“We appreciate your hospitality, but I’m not sure if being out alone is a good idea,” Cade said. “Might be better to stay inside until we have more answers.”
“She’ll be with me. In daylight around plenty of people. No one will hurt her.”
Laura couldn’t hide her smile at Mrs. Collins’ confidence and held Cade’s gaze for a beat.
His eyes widened then he a gave a brief nod. “Please be careful and let me know where you are if you don’t mind. I’ll get to work.”
Laura let Mrs. Collins lead her out of the kitchen. She may have found a new friend in the most unlikely of places.
Savory scents waftedup the stairs to the library where Cade had been working for hours. He’d kill to have a room like this in his house. Floor to ceiling bookshelves covered one wall, filled with tomes of every color. The walls were a deep blue and two leather chairs sat in front of an ornate, marble fireplace. A generous bay window overlooked the back yard, which was overgrown and filled with weeds, a worn white fence enclosing it.
He’d spent the day drawing up plans and scheduling workers. As long as Mrs. Collins made quick decisions over the next couple days, and the supplies he needed weren’t on backorder, work should begin in a week.
His stomach growled as he clicked out of the browser window on his computer. He’d done as much as he could for now. Almost time to break for lunch. Maybe sneak down to the kitchen and discover what Laura and Mrs. Collins had spent all morning making.
The workspace Laura had set up on a side table by the tufted sofa caught his attention. She’d placed the flash drive she’d mentioned in the computer but hadn’t opened it. Intrigued, he crossed the room to the worn couch and settled the laptop on his lap. He opened the imported file, and a spreadsheet filled with numbers took over the screen.
Great. More numbers.
He scrolled down in search of any clue as to what the numbers meant or alluded to, but nothing.
Buzz, buzz, buzz
He scooped his phone from his pocket and swore under his breath at Matthew’s name on the screen.
“Where the hell have you been?” Unable to control his anger, he barked into the phone.
“Is Laura okay? Did they find the asshole who hurt her?”
“Yes, she’s okay. No, they haven’t found who broke in and hurt her. No thanks to you on either count.”
A low grumble sounded through the phone. “I’ve had shit on my plate.”
“Really? Because I don’t remember you telling me about anything you have going on. Just you cutting and running with no explanation then not answering your damn phone when we needed you.”
“Well, I’m back now,” Matthew snapped. “Standing in the office and no one is here.”
“Didn’t know I needed to punch a freaking card.” Cade’s irritation diffused a little knowing his friend and business partner was back in town. “Laura and I are at the food pantry. She didn’t want to work in the office, and I didn’t feel right leaving her alone. Someone came after her, and you weren’t around when she needed you.”
Matthew blew out a long breath. “I hate that I wasn’t here, but like I said, I’ve been dealing with my own shit. Thanks forlooking after her. I tried calling her before you, but she didn’t answer. I need to tie up some loose ends then I’ll touch base with her tonight.”
“Before you go, quick question.”
“What?”
Exhaustion made the word sound heavy, causing tingles of alarm to ripple through Cade. Matthew was always the happy one. The friendly one. The one most clients dealt with because of his quick wit and ever-present smile. Something was off, but Cade wouldn’t push. Not when he hated people to press into his business when all he wanted was to shut the world off for a while and process things.
He'd give Matthew some space. Respect his way of dealing with whatever was going on but be prepared to swoop in and help Matthew with his shit.
Until then, he still needed his partner to help run their company.
“Laura found a flash drive in the desk in the reception area. I just opened the files that are on it, and I can’t figure out what the hell it means. It’s a spreadsheet with a bunch of numbers. No notes or explanations. Any idea what it’s from?”
Matthew snorted. “I told you to leave the numbers to Laura.”
“Shut up, dipshit, and answer the question.” He rolled his eyes. Numbers might not be his favorite thing to stare at, but he wasn’t an idiot.
