Page 40 of No Good Deed

“Is that a friend of yours?”

A genuine laugh burst out of Piper. She hadn’t had that kind of laugh in a long time. “Not up on your Disney movies, I take it?”

He shot her a look with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not sure I’ve seen one since I was a kid.”

“We’ll have to change that.”

He groaned, but his grin told her he would do it with her, which gave her all kinds of flutters.

They moved around the lodge, closer to the lake, and Piper spotted a large cabin off to the right. “That was more the size of building I was picturing.”

He grinned. “Midnight Lake is full of surprises. That’s the office for our Midnight Security business.”

“You said you’re a part of that and running Phail General?” And the fact that saying the name didn’t make her think Fail anymore said a lot. She’d have to make sure she helped others see past the town’s name.

“I am. I liked what they were building here, so I bought into the business. I teach some classes too.”

That perked her interest. “You mentioned before you taught about security systems.”

“I do. And some communication systems as well. Cell phones and walkie talkies. Secure channels and that kind of thing.”

“Impressive. That all sounds complicated.”

He shrugged. “Everyone has their own areas of specialty. I learned a lot of stuff in school and the Army. I enjoy knowing how the tech works. And sharing that with others is fun, too.”

Piper could see that. Troy was outgoing and obviously liked people. He was kind and fun. Teaching would be a natural thing for him. “Doing the presentations for my projects has never been my favorite part of the job, but I don’t throw up before them anymore.”

Troy hooted with laughter. “You did not.”

Her cheeks flushed even as she smiled. “I totally did. All through school and during the first year of my job. I’m better now, but it still makes me nervous.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t have thought that at all. I only noticed you were nervous when you shared your ideas because I know you so well. But when it’s time to present your ideas to everyone, we can do it together if that makes it easier for you.”

“That would be perfect.” Because she’d like to do a whole lot of things with Troy.

CHAPTER 15

Team Planning

A sharp whistle prevented Troy from kissing Piper’s smile. He turned and saw Sam and Tansy approaching from the woods. They were jogging, as usual, and he suspected they were coming in from Tansy’s fort, the cabin where the inventor conducted her experiments.

They were smiling as they approached and neither was breathing hard from the run. Troy squeezed Piper’s hand. “Piper, I’d like you to meet Sam Young and Tansy Cheveyo. Guys, this is Piper Keenan.”

Tansy smiled and shook her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. I love that you’re helping Phail. They refuse to change the name, but it’s a great place.”

Piper laughed. “Maybe that should be the slogan.”

Sam grinned and shook her hand as well. “Nice. That would totally work. We were just going to make some lunch for the group. Why don’t you join us?”

Troy turned to show them the backpack he wore. “I wanted to introduce Piper to everyone, so I had Manuel fix up a bunch of tacos before we came out.” Both their eyes lit up. Manuel knew exactly what everyone liked and always packed their favorites.

It wasn’t long before they were all seated around the dining room table with tacos being passed around. Nico, Josie, Graham, Aisling, Flynn, Tessa, Joe, and Lia were on the property. Mitch and Bella were in town, but he’d introduce them another time.

During lunch, Piper mostly watched and listened, but he didn’t sense any tension from her at all. They all talked about what they liked about the town and bandied about a few ideas for attracting more people. When he mentioned some of her suggestions, they were enthusiastic about her ideas.

After they finished, Graham produced some vegan brownies he’d been experimenting with. As they passed them around, Nico studied Piper. “Tell us more about the guy who’s been harassing you. Have you figured out what he wants? We know Troy has great security at his place, but if you ever need to feel more secure, you’re welcome to stay here as well.”

Tansy nodded. “You’re both welcome. Always. How can we help?”

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