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Another tinkling of the bell sounded.
“I’m sorry. I’m closing early to—” Janie straightened to look at her customer and then stopped. She swallowed at the sight of Hunter standing there, beard neatly trimmed, hands tucked into his black North Face coat. She cleared her throat as she dusted away the feeling of being caught. “I’m closing early today.”
His brow furrowed, concern seeping into his steady gaze. “Everything okay?”
“Of course.” Her voice had gone up two octaves. Dang it. Janie painted on her sweet smile. “Everything is perfectly fine. I’m just taking the afternoon off.”
“Oh.” Hunter nodded, honest relief allowing his lips to relax. “I’m glad to hear it. Do you have plans?”
“Um . . .” Heat crawled up her chest and oozed into her neck. “I do, actually.”
Hunter’s easy smile directly contradicted her earlier accusation of him being possessive. “Good. I’m glad you’re taking the day off. You deserve a break every now and then.”
She waited for him to ask what she was going to do. He didn’t. More proof—he didn’t see her as something that belonged to him. Someone to manipulate and control.
Hunter had his faults, but he wasn’t that sort of man. He’d never been that sort of guy.
“Can I help you clean up so you can get out of here?” He stepped toward her, holding his hand out for her cleaning rag.
“Thanks,” she squeaked, and then wiped down the next table, double time. “I got it though.” Goodness, she was acting super weird. There was no way Hunter wouldn’t notice that she was being weird. She rolled her shoulders back and faced him. “Was there something I can help you with? I think I have a cinnamon roll left. I could go—”
“No. I don’t want to keep you from your afternoon off. I had just come to talk to you about the groundbreaking, but that can wait.”
“Oh.” Her heart squeezed.
Hunter took three strides closer and touched her elbow. “Thanks, by the way, for agreeing to help me. It means a lot.”
Had her offer to help come off as something she hadn’t intended?
No. She was overthinking this, just like she did when it came to anything involving Hunter. “Of course.”
The pop of a car door shutting nearby sounded, and from the corner of her vision, she saw a man passing the big front window and then stop at the front door.
Grady.
Panic shot through her chest as that bell above her door rang again.
Hunter turned to see who passed through, and his jaw visibly tightened. His hand fell from her elbow, and he shoved it into his pocket.
“Hi, Janie.” Grady looked at her and then eyed Hunter. “Am I too early?”
Oh dear. There was no way Hunter could misunderstand that—and neither was there a chance Janie could tamp down the heat that was sure to paint her cheeks crimson.
“Not at all. Let me just finish—”
Hunter reached toward her and snatched the rag from her hands. “I got it.”
Janie stared at him. His eyes didn’t smile, but he didn’t scowl at her either.
“I got this. Key is in the pantry, right?”
Janie felt numb as she nodded. “Where Aunt Lucy kept it.”
His lips pressed into a line, Hunter nodded. “I remember.”
Her ears rang as if she’d been in the path of a blast wave. Inside, her core quivered. She glanced a Grady and found him watching her with a quiet look of uncertainty.
“Off you two go,” Hunter said, false cheerfulness in his voice.
