Page 32 of Mountain Hero

“I’m not working, really.” As I hastily close the laptop, I can feel my cheeks heating. “Just, you know… checking things.”

Like my emails; hoping to hear back from some of my old clients after I sent them all a brief explanation of why I never finished their projects and seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. That was a tricky email to write.

Enzo walks over to the desk and holds out his hand to help me up. Once I’m standing, he doesn’t let go right away; instead keeping his fingers wrapped around mine as he says, “I know you want to get back to work. But the doctor said looking at computer screens can delay your recovery.”

“I know.”

“It’s not that I’m trying to tell you what to do… I just worry.”

Tipping my head back to look up at him, I meet his gaze. “I know you’re not. And you’re right. I should wait. I just keep thinking about losing even more time with my business, and?—”

He brushes his fingers across the bruise on my forehead, his touch feather-light. Concern tightens his features. “Just another couple days. Does that sound reasonable? And I was thinking… Well, since you’re going to be creating all the new graphics for the store, I should probably pay you an advance or something…”

“Enzo.” I frown at him. “I’m not doing that because I want to be paid. That’s not why I offered.”

“I know that.” And now he has this disappointed look on his face that makes me feel all icky inside. “But you’re a professional, and if I had someone else do it…”

While I understand what he’s trying to do—obviously Enzo knows I’m worried about money—the last thing I want is for us to have a client-customer relationship. “Yes. But it makes me feel good to be able to do this for you. Like I’m not taking advantage of your generosity.”

Enzo stills, and his gaze goes dark and intense. “Winter.” He takes both my hands in his. “You are not taking advantage of anything. Not in the least. I want you here. Okay?”

My heart flutters again. “Okay.”

“And I get it. Why you want to do this for free. But…” His brow furrows as he thinks. “Alec might want some new graphics for his business. As you know, he’s great with computers, but he’s not the most creative guy. And Knox—you’re going to meet him shortly—has a contracting company. I bet he could use some help with a new logo, business cards… if they want to hire you, will you let them pay?”

“Well…” How can I say no when his expression is so hopeful? “As long as you don’t make them hire me. I don’t want them to feel pressured.”

“Absolutely not. And I checked out your website. They’d be crazy not to want your help.” Enzo keeps hold of one of my hands as he leads me out of the office. As we head down the hallway, he says, “So, Alec is coming over to do the final check of the security system. And Ronan and Knox should be here any minute to introduce themselves.” Casting me a concerned glance, he asks, “Are you sure you’ll be okay if I go in to the store today?”

“Of course.” Not really, but what am I going to say? Please don’t open the store that you had to keep closed for the last few days because my asshole ex tried to ruin it?

I just have to suck it up, like I did when Alec came over the other day so Enzo could go to the store to clean up. But that was only for a few hours. Today is the first day the store is officially open, which means Enzo’s friends are going to be keeping an eye on me all day instead of him.

Enzo doesn’t look entirely convinced, but thankfully, decides not to call me on it. “So, Knox is going to be here until noon. Then Ronan will take over until I get home. I have Will in every day this week; he’ll be closing so I can be done by five. Then we can have dinner, watch a movie…”

We head out onto the front porch, and the kiss of sun on my face makes some of my anxiety ease. “It sounds fine,” I assure him as I sternly tell my stomach to settle. “Alec is really nice, and I’m sure Knox and Ronan are, too.”

“They are.” Enzo still hasn’t let go of my hand. He leans against the railing and turns to face me. “Ronan was stationed at Fort Campbell with me; he was a Green Beret before he was selected for Delta. And Knox was actually on Alec’s team. Both of them have been out for a few years, but they’ve kept up their training, like I have. So you’ll be well protected.”

Enzo smiles as he adds, “They’re not intimidating. Ronan is sarcastic and funny, and Knox is a bit quiet at first, but he’s one of the nicest guys I know. You’ll like them. You liked Alec, didn’t you?”

I look out across the lawn and spot a large pickup truck working its way up the driveway. Since Alec drives an SUV, I’m assuming it’s Knox or Ronan. “Yeah. Alec is really nice. Really smart, too.”

Enzo gives my hand a little squeeze. “Just don’t like them more than me, okay?” Then his cheeks turn ruddy. “I mean?—”

I don’t hesitate. “I won’t. There’s no way I could like them more than you.”

As much as I like Enzo’s friends, my spirits lift as soon as Enzo walks through the door.

He scans the room with that constant alertness he has, but the moment he spots me sitting on the couch, his entire demeanor changes. The tension in his shoulders releases. The worried expression on his face disappears.

A smile lifts his lips. “Winter.” Quickly crossing the room, he comes over to the couch and sits down next to me. His gaze sweeps across my face, assessing. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good.” Not that he doesn’t know—he called Knox and Ronan each several times to check on me, which could seem overbearing but really just felt nice. “How was everything at the store?”

“It was fine. A little busier than usual. All the locals wanted to come in and talk about—” He stops, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Anyway. Everything was fine.”

“It’s okay,” I say softly as I touch his arm. “You can say it.”

---