Page 28 of Tangled Up In You

"I'm sensing a but."

"It shouldn't happen again."

"Is that what you've been telling yourself all the way here?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"Me, too."

Surprise ran through his gaze. "Why?"

"I have a lot going on in my life. While I like to be spontaneous and impulsive and a live-in-the-moment kind of woman, I need to focus on my business. I have an opportunity to create something real for myself, something I can control, and I've wanted that for a long time. So, I'm going to put passion on the back burner."

"I can understand that. I like you, Molly. And I enjoyed tonight. But I'm not an impulsive, live-in-the-moment guy. Not usually, anyway. I like to plan ahead. I prefer to know what I'm getting into before I get into it."

"I guess we're on the same page then." She felt insanely disappointed, even though she'd been the first one to say they should call a halt to whatever was brewing between them. "Goodnight, Adam." She opened the door, eager to have the last word.

Thoughts of her mother always wanting the last word, especially when it came to men, rang through her head, bringing a frown to her face. She really hated to be like her mom. She shut the door and moved toward the building.

As she drew closer to the back door, she thought she saw a light inside the back room. She paused, her nerves jumping as she saw the glass on the ground from the window next to the door. Someone had smashed the glass and reached inside to open the door.

She turned toward Adam.

He opened his door. "What's wrong?"

He'd no sooner gotten the question out when the back door flew open, and a man came running right at her. He shoved her so hard she lost her balance and landed hard on her ass.

Adam swore, yelling at the man to stop, identifying himself as a police officer. He tried to give chase, but his walking boot was no match for the intruder, who disappeared around the corner before Adam got within ten feet of him.

"Dammit!" Adam pulled out his phone and reported the burglary.

As he got off the phone, he turned and hobbled in her direction. "Are you all right, Molly?"

"I'm fine," she said, getting to her feet. She rubbed the sting in her hip. "What's going on, Adam? Why does someone keep breaking in? Are they looking for something specific?"

"I don't know," he said grimly.

"I can't imagine there's anything of great value inside the store. Taken together, there's a lot of stuff that could all add up, but still not enough to keep coming back for. It doesn't make sense."

"No, it doesn't." Adam opened the door, then stepped inside, switching on the light.

She moved into the building behind him. Nothing looked overtly different than it had when she'd left. She stayed glued to Adam's back as they moved into the showroom.

"The boxes," she muttered. "Some of them were opened." At his questioning gaze, she pointed to three boxes that were by the cash register. "Those are from Caroline."

As she finished speaking, a strobe light lit up the front windows, and a police car pulled up out front. While Adam went to speak to the officer, she looked in the first box. There appeared to be a pile of tapestries. She pulled them out, one by one, laying them on the counter. They were beautiful, but probably not expensive.

She checked the next box and found books. Many of them were in different languages. They ranged in topics, from yoga poses to plants, and holistic healing.

The third box just held a couple of big throw pillows.

She turned around as Adam brought the other officer into the store. "This is Officer Kyle Drogin—Molly Trent."

Officer Drogin was a young guy, who appeared to be barely thirty, with a boy-next-door kind of smile. "Nice to meet you," he said. "Anything taken?"

"I don't know."

"Adam explained you're just moving in. I'll take a look around the neighborhood, but it's been quiet out there."

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