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But not anymore. No more chains, no more beatings, no more lies. And now she’d prove herself to everyone around her and make her way in the world. Provide her child with the love and life she’d always wanted.
Heavy footsteps ambled down the hall, and she sat up straight. Her heart fluttered in her chest. Spending the day working with Cade hadn’t gone how she’d expected, but it hadn’t been horrible. They’d shared an interesting moment on their way to the food pantry then he’d kept his distance once they returned to the office. Probably busy making plans to help make Mrs. Collins’ dreams come true.
Or avoiding her.
“Still at it?” he asked, stopping in front of her desk. The strap of his laptop bag hung on one shoulder, and he held a cluster of files in his hand. His dark hair was disheveled, as if he’d run hisfingers through it a hundred times, and his constant five o’clock shadow enhanced his chiseled jawline.
With her fingers glued to the keyboard, she glanced up. “Yeah. I spent most of the day getting acquainted with your different systems and organizing things. Now I’m going over some of the numbers for the new project.”
“You didn’t have to do all that.”
She shrugged. “To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do.”
He grimaced. “Sorry ’bout that. I guess I should have given you some direction.”
“That’s okay. I’m supposed to be making your life easier, not harder. I’ve gotten a good handle on how you guys operate, and I think I’ll be able to help with the different aspects of payment with the pantry. It’s a little different with money coming in from multiple avenues and not one source.”
“Sounds like a pain in the ass.”
“Which is why I’m taking on the numbers while you handle the planning.” She nodded toward the jumble of papers spilling from the stack of files.
He placed his free hand over his heart. “My angel.”
Heat crept up her neck at his compliment and she dropped her gaze. “Just doing my job.” She inwardly cringed at the false cheerfulness in her voice. He made her so damn uneasy. Not in the way a lot of men did nowadays. In a way that reminded her that even after all her years suffering under Isaac’s abusive thumb, she was still a woman.
A woman who couldn’t help but appreciate a handsome and kind man.
Okay, enough. Cade was her brother’s best friend. He was nice to her because of Matthew. Just like he’d put up with her traipsing after him in the woods and giving him treasures she’d found. She had to stop whatever silly childhood fancies stilllingered in her head. Those were obviously purely a way to cling to a simpler time and forget her daily struggles.
Not a smart way to handle her issues.
Cade cleared his throat, a nervous tic she remembered he had as a kid. “Well, umm, I’m headed home. Why don’t you do the same? I can wait and lock up after you.”
Although tempted, she shook her head. “No, thanks. I found some papers shoved in the desk drawer I want to file and other odds and ends I’d like to sort before tomorrow. Then I can come in knowing I have everything the way I like it.”
Her excuse may be complete bullshit, but there was no reason for Cade to question it. Besides, sounding like an overachiever was better than admitting how much she hated to be home. To sit in a tiny house night after night lost in her fears about her future.
He gave a sharp nod. “All right then. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She offered him a smile and waited for him to leave before hanging her head on a sigh. The offer to work for her brother’s construction company had seemed like an amazing opportunity, but now she wasn’t so sure. The weird tension she felt when around Cade was exhausting, if not the teensiest bit exciting. But she wasn’t at a point in her life where she could afford to focus on anything other than her baby.
Which is why staying late and figuring out what she could do to make herself invaluable here was important.
Switching gears, she opened the top drawer of the desk and grabbed the crumbled paperwork. She tried to remember if Matthew had ever had a secretary, but she couldn’t think of anyone.
Not like she’d spent much time in the office or talking to her brother about his business. She’d been too caught up in her nightmare. But whoever had sat in this desk chair last hadbeen a mess. Wanting things as neat as possible, she flattened the wrinkled papers then found their proper homes in the large wooden filing cabinet behind the desk. Now to clean the clutter and wipe out the dirt. Then she’d head home.
Sitting back down on the squeaky chair, she picked out wadded up post-it notes and bent paper clips. She swiped her hand along the smooth wood and the tips of her fingers brushed against something small and hard trapped at the far corner at the back of the drawer. Determined to clean every last inch of the desk, she tugged on the object until she pulled out a flash drive.
“Hmm, what’s this doing in there?” She flipped the rectangular device between her fingers.
Intrigued, she found the correct slot in the computer and shoved it in.
Thud!
The loud blast of sound coming from down the hall set her nerves on edge—like a tree branch whacking against a window.
She stilled, holding her breath and tuning into every shift of energy in the air. Goosebumps skittered up her arms. Her heart pumped like crazy in her chest.
