Page 29 of A Reaper's Secret

She didn’t wait for anyone to protest oroffer help, or even provide excuses to not help. Amy went straightto the back, going to her cleaning supplies. She reached for thebrush and bucket,pulling them out, only to come to a stop when Daniel wrapped hisarms around her.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying.”

She sighed. “Seriously, do you really needto ask me that question?” She pressed her lips together and spun around. Moretears had started to fall and it was like her eyes were doing theopposite of what she wanted them to do. She clenched her hand intoa fist and tried to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I’msorry.”

“No, I get it. You’re upset.”

“Wouldn’t you be if someone did this to yourbar?”

“Yes,” Daniel said.

She tilted her head to the side and triedto smile. “But, everything else is fine. I’ll clean up the mess … handle the windows,and then, you know, I’ll fix it all, and it will be good asnew.”

Daniel stopped her as she tried to walk pasthim. “Talk to me.”

“There is nothing more to be said. I havework to do.”

He folded his arms across his chest, and atfirst the view of his arms distracted her. Shaking her head at herown wayward thoughts, she had to remember to clean up.

“Talk to me,” he said again.

Amy looked past his shoulder toward themain dining room of the café, but she couldn’t see it. The mess wasingrained on her mind,though. The glass. She dropped her gaze to the floor and thenlifted her head to look at him.

“Someone did that,” Amy said. “One windowcould be deemed an accident. Two, kids messing around, but all thewindows, including the glass in the door … you and I both know this was an attack on mycafé. Someone has a problem with me, and I don’t know who it is. Itcan’t be a local. I would know if I upset someone, and besides, weall know when someone has a problem, they let you know.”

He agreed.

“Which means it might be a tourist, butagain, we have so many, and I’ve had amazing reviews,so I don’t know. That is thepart that scares me. I don’t know why or who did this, and that isfreaking me out.”

Daniel reached for the brush and bucketand put them to the side, then took her hands. His hands lookedclean now. There wasstill slight bruising but the cuts had already healed. She had donea good job for him.

“I can promise you, Amy, you don’t have toworry about this, at all. I’m going to handle it.”

Amy sighed and tried to pull her hands away,but he wouldn’t let her go. “Daniel, you have no way of knowing whodid this, or why they did this.”

“But I will find out.”

Amy sighed and then she pressed her lipstogether. “And in the meantime?”

“In the meantime, everyone loves coming tothis café to eat, and if you go outside and look, there are a lotof people already hereto help.”

She frowned and then pulled out of hishold to make her way to the front of the café. Daniel wasn’t wrong.Several of the locals were in the shop, helping to pick up. Fred,the main builder in town, was already measuring for new windows.

“We don’t need the frames, Amy, I can getthe glass here within a few days,” Fred said, giving her awink.

Daniel pulled her in close.

“You did this,” she said.

“No, you did this. By taking care ofeveryone, no one wants to see you hurt or upset.” He kissed the topof her head. “And everyone is willing to do whatever it takes tomake you happy.”

****

The windows were replaced before the mainfair opened. With the help of August and several of the guys,getting the word out that Amy Flynn needed help had been easy.Daniel knew people would come to help, because that was what LostCreek was all about. They banded together to help their own.It was why they were stillthriving. Even when life got hard, someone was there to have yourback.

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