Page 21 of Love and Other Lost Things

He’d give a year of his hospital salary to know what she was thinking.

“Thank you for shoveling,” Jane finally murmured. “And for stopping by while you were in the neighborhood.” Her lips curved upward with a smile that displayed absolutely no sentiment. “It was nice to see you.” She said it with a note of finality, like they were acquaintances who’d bumped into each other on the sidewalk, and this conversation was over.

And suddenly, his anger was back.

He didn’t want her thanks, didn’t want her fake smiles and small talk. He wanted to know where the hell she’d been. And why she’d left. In ten seconds, he was in front of her again. Nik took a breath, the questions forming on his tongue, but before he could speak, Jane’s gaze darted from his toward the house and then back.

“Jane…” Nik began, but her eyes shifted away again. It reminded him of when they were teenagers, and her dad was still around. Almost like Jane was afraid they’d get caught doing something that would get her in trouble. And then a slight movement from the house caught his attention. A curtain moving, a figure framed by the window. But it was only Mrs. McCaffrey. Nik gave the older woman a wave. She lifted a hand in return and then disappeared back in the house.

Why was Jane so nervous? Her dad was gone, and she was an adult who could talk to whoever she wanted. Unless…

That bruise on her cheek. The soreness in her shoulder.

Was there someone else in there? Someone who might object to seeing her talking to a guy out on the sidewalk? Nik’s hands tightened on the shovel. If the person who’d hurt her was inside he’d…

He’d what?

Nik stopped, briefly closing his eyes.

Storm into the house? Beat this imaginary person with a shovel? He dropped the tool on the lawn. Seeing Jane again had thoroughly sent him off the deep end. And now he was inventing stories about her. For all he knew, she really had run into a cabinet. And if not… Well, she certainly hadn’t asked him to swoop in. In fact, she hadn’t asked him to come around at all.

Jane had returned to town after a decade and hadn’t let a single person know she was coming. When she was done helping her mom sort through her dad’s belongings, she’d head back to—wherever it was she lived. Her obligation would be over, and another decade would go by without a word or a trace of her.

Just yesterday, he’d told himself he wouldn’t spend another minute on Jane McCaffrey.

But somehow, he couldn’t let it go. She might be a stranger to him now, but she’d been more important to him than anyone… once. How could he turn and walk away without making sure that she was safe?

Jane glanced at the house again. “I really should be going.”

“Jane,” Nik said, shifting his body into her line of sight. “Can you meet me for coffee later today?”

In a matter of seconds, an entire encyclopedia of emotions crossed her face. A surprised blink, an uncertain bite of her lip, and that apprehension again. “I don’t know…”

“Just to catch up,” he cut in. “As old friends.”

Her eyes darted over his shoulder to whatever was worrying her inside the house. “Sure. Okay. But I really need to go now.” Before he could react, she was heading up the porch steps. “Thanks for shoveling.”

“Grassroots Café at seven?” Nik called up to her.

She nodded and then slipped into the house.

Nik stood on the sidewalk, gaping at the McCaffreys’ front door. If you’d told him twenty-four hours ago that he’d be meeting Jane for coffee tonight, he never would have believed it. But the question was: would she actually show? If Jane left him sitting at a café table alone, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d disappeared without a word. But at least now he knew where to find her.

NINE

Through a break in the curtain, Jane watched Nik climb into his car. For a moment, she was tempted to take it all back and tell him that she couldn’t meet tonight. What had she been thinking, saying yes to a date with Nik Andino?

It’s not a date. He’s just an old friend.

An old friend who’d stood so close, she could feel the heat radiating from him.

Jane closed her eyes. Despite his transformation into a Grey’s Anatomy extra, everything about Nik was achingly familiar. The way he shifted his weight to one foot and stood with his hands in his pockets. The slight tilt of his head, the vulnerability in his eyes. That was her best friend since she was three, the boy who’d once known her better than anyone. The boy who—apparently—could still make her heart rattle in her chest.

This trip to Linden Falls would be the last she’d ever see of Nik Andino. Who could blame her for wanting one more hour with him, even if it was an agonizing one? Still, she should have said no. She should have turned and left the minute he’d pulled the car up instead of standing there, staring at the blue cotton clinging to his muscular chest in sweaty patches. Jane had less than a week to figure out how to disappear, and Scarlett to worry about.

And then Jane’s attention swung from wiping her boots on the entryway mat to the movement on the living room floor. Her heart rattled for a different reason. Thank God Scarlett was still there, putting together her Legos. When Nik had invited Jane for coffee, it was right after she’d spotted Mom peeking out the window. What if Scarlett had appeared there next? Jane had panicked and agreed to go. Better to meet somewhere neutral than have Nik hanging around here.

It would only complicate things to have her daughter interacting with people from her old life in Linden Falls. Scarlett knew they had left Matteo and wouldn’t be going back—Jane could never keep something that important from her—but she was only a child. What if she slipped and told someone their plan? What if she mentioned Canada? Jane’s entire future hinged on Matteo having no idea where to look for them.

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