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“Why won’t they give up?” A tremor shook her straight to her toes.
“I’m not sure. We’re doing all we can, through the police department, the insurance company, and Guardian Agency channels.”
He paused and she braced for more bad news. “Just say it. Please.”
“Connor asked if you can forward calls to the bakery to your cell phone.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “Yes, of course.” When it was done she looked up. “Anything else?”
“He’ll monitor your calls, if that’s okay. You can trust him.”
“I trust you,” she admitted. “By extension, I trust anyone on your team.”
He stepped in close and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Thank you.”
She rested within his arms for as long as she dared. The comfort was priceless. Maybe she should be more independent, considering they weren’t in what she’d call a real relationship. They were in a situation with extra benefits.
And somewhere along the line, she’d fallen in love. She could feel it moving through her like a river—an unstoppable force she’d have to deal with eventually.
But today, there were other things at the front of her mind.
“How is Callie?” Lila asked.
“I sent her home, told her we’d call her in when it was time to clean up.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “She’s shy, but pretty hardheaded about helping. I assured her you’d keep her informed about Connie’s progress.”
“Sounds like the Connie Copeland effect is working on her. Gram always sees potential in people. Always.”
“This will be over soon. You and your grandmother—hell, the whole town—won’t be dealing with this forever.”
She smiled up at him. “Why is your confidence so unshakable?” It was one of his most appealing traits, though shemanaged to keep that detail to herself. For now. She wasn’t sure he wanted to hear how much she cared. How much she loved him.
She didn’t want to upset the balance between them right now. Having his help, his protection, and yes, his affection would be enough.
“Lots of practice. More than a few failures in between,” he admitted. “Go on and be with your grandmother. And let me know if anyone makes contact.”
With a kiss, Travis left her to work his case. She tried to do as he asked, returning to Gram’s room and doing what Nyland asked as well.
Throughout the day, between tests and naps, Lila talked with Gram about as many things that weren’t business as possible, though every topic eventually circled back to the bakery or how the bakery fit into the town.
Nina arrived with a cart full of flowers for the room and she was a lovely distraction for both Gram and Lila.
Nina’s mother, Roxy, wasn’t far behind. She bustled in on a cloud of positive energy before shooing Nina and Lila away. “We’re setting up a call with the Parkers,” Roxy explained, holding up the tablet she carried. “We’ll just bore you youngsters to tears.”
Nina and Lila made their escape to the coffee station. “My mom is determined to convince Connie to visit the Parkers in Florida for a week or so and let you handle the clean-up and reopening.”
“I would love that,” Lila gushed. “Everyone would love that,” she said, thinking of Gram’s friends, staff, and business neighbors. Having Gram away from all this chaos would be perfect. “I’ve been wondering how to keep her from overdoing it once Dr. Nyland releases her,” she said.
“Leave it to Mom.” Nina grinned. “No one can resist when she’s made up her mind.” Nina pulled a bottle of water from the drink cooler. “Now tell me all about Travis. He’s been Lt. Frasier’s shadow over there all day.”
The question should not have been a surprise. Nina was sincere with her desire to reconnect and this was life on Brookwell in a nutshell. People could be nosy, but down deep, most of them cared about the people and community as a whole.
She gave Nina the short version about meeting on the yacht and sprinkled in plenty of her honest feelings for the man who’d become so important to her. As she did, she felt an ache deep in her chest. Pushing the hollow sensation aside, she reminded herself she’d have time to worry about how to get over him once this was actually over.
“I’m so happy for you,” Nina said. “It’s obvious the two of you will go the distance.”
If only. Lila smiled.
“A group of us go to Charleston periodically. To hang out and do girl stuff. To meet people who haven’t known us all our lives,” she added with a short laugh. “Those of us who are still unattached, I mean.” She picked at the label on the bottle. “I love to check out some of the newer bands too. Sometimes I can convince them to come out here to the Pelican.”
