Page 103 of The Love Shack

“I have Hero,” she said. “I’ll call you if anything happens, but the sun will be up soon and then the day will be in full swing.”

Left with few choices, Lawson said, “I’ll call once I get things in order, just to update you.”

A smile flickered over her face, there and gone. “Promise you’ll be careful, too.”

Oh, how he’d love for the chickenshit to try something withhim. He wasn’t a helpless mannequin. That thought nearly had him rolling his eyes. Clearly, he was starting to like Kathleen. “I promise.”

“Go. I’m fine.” Taking the leash from Lawson, she stepped back.

In a rush, he jogged through the woods to his house, grabbed a clean shirt, ignored his bristled jaw and was on the road in under five minutes.

Since he always parked in back of the shop, that wouldn’t look different to anyone who might happen to see him pull up, and fortunately, it was only Oliver there, hands on his hips, head down as he paced a tight circle in running shoes, loose-legged shorts and nothing else.

He looked up when he heard Lawson’s truck and immediately approached. “I have her tucked behind the big garbage bin, just so she wouldn’t be seen.”

Two plastic feet, smeared with red, stuck out from behind the bin. Temper tightly leashed, Lawson nodded his thanks. He got the tarp from the back of his truck and handed it to Oliver. “I’ll get the door unlocked and turn off the alarm.”

He’d barely finished when Oliver crowded in behind him. “I’ve got her.”

“Damn.” With Kathleen wrapped in the tarp, only the top of her head and the tips of her toes visible, Oliver had his hands full. “It looks like we’re hiding a body.”

“We are,” Oliver said, his expression grim. “A plastic one.”

“You can set her on my worktable there.” The stainless-steel table, more like a workbench, was used when he sorted inventory, or to set aside freshly printed products. On the back wall, he had a utility sink and some heavy-duty cleaner.

When Oliver peeled back the tarp, Lawson cursed. Poor Kathleen. Someone had really done a number on her.

Oliver eyed the paint-marred mannequin. “Half the town would cry if they saw her like this.”

“I still remember how they pampered her when she got rained on.” That day at Saul’s restaurant had been a game changer for him and Berkley, and maybe for Oliver and Lark, too.

“Her wig is ruined.”

Yeah, the hair was a mess, but it might wash up. He tipped his head at Oliver. “Do you have to be somewhere?”

“No, I cut my run short, thinking you might need some help. I’m free for a few more hours.”

Mind-boggling. “You run for hours?”

Oliver shook his head. “Not usually. My routine is more of a run, then a jog, then a walk, home to shower and get ready for work. Lark, however, doesn’t have to be awake anytime soon, and if I’d stayed...”

“You’d have woken her up.” Lawson grinned. “Got it.” He went to the sink to fill a small bucket with mild cleaning solution. With any luck, the wig would survive, at least until he could replace it. “For me, it’s the opposite. Berkley is up before the birds. I had hoped to stick around and lend her a hand this morning.”

“Damn, man, I’m sorry. If I could have figured it out on my own—”

“I’m glad you called.” A glance at the clock told him they had about an hour before people would start showing up at the wishing well for souvenir photos. Handing Oliver the bucket and a cleaning rag, he said, “How about you start on her body while I get her hair off.” He’d try soaking the ends of the hair in the solution, and if that didn’t work... Well, they’d find her a hat.

Making a face, Oliver worked the ruined cheerleading skirt down Kathleen’s legs. “This is perverted.”

“Years from now, we’ll laugh.”

“Ha!” He wrestled her top off next.

Her arm came off, and Oliver looked so horrified that Lawson couldn’t help snorting. “Here.” He held open a large plastic lawn bag. “There’s no salvaging that outfit.”

With distaste, Oliver stuffed it into the bag, then manfully reattached her arm.

It took them over an hour to get the mannequin clean again. A slight tinge of pink remained in some spots, but hopefully no one else would notice. Since Oliver was the hero of the day, spotting Kathleen early, Lawson offered to re-dress her in clothes with the fitness center logo.

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