Page 29 of Tangled Up In You

She had no hope he'd find anyone, but she would feel better knowing that someone wasn't lurking in the shadows.

As Kyle left, Adam said, "Do you have any wood?"

She blinked for a moment, surprised by the question. "Uh, I don't know. There's a shed in the back by the garage. I haven't been in it yet."

"I want to cover the window until you can replace the glass."

"Oh, right." She led the way out to the shed and was happy to see there was some plywood stacked against the wall. "Will that work?"

"Yes, and you even have tools."

"Finally, something going right," she muttered.

"We'll figure it out," he told her.

She gave him a confused look. "You're suddenly the optimist?"

"Let's just say I'm confident."

"Why? I can't imagine what there is to be confident about."

"This isn't random, Molly. It's not about opportunity. Someone wants something. We just have to figure out what that is."

"There are literally hundreds of items in the store."

"But at least ninety percent of them are not valuable. We just have to figure out what is. But first, we're going to cover the window. Grab the toolbox."

She did as he ordered and followed him across the lot. It only took him a few minutes to cover the broken glass. Then they went back inside. The door lock still worked. But she put on the extra dead bolt before leading Adam upstairs to the apartment, since he wanted to check that out.

The apartment could be reached from a stairwell in the hall next to the back room or from a separate front door outside the building. That door was still secure. So was the door to the apartment, which she had also locked just in case.

"Anything different up here?" Adam asked as he followed her into the apartment.

She took a sweeping glance of the room. "No. It looks the same." She blew out a breath. "I need some tea. Do you want some?"

He hesitated. "I'm not a tea guy."

"I didn't know there were tea guys and non-tea guys. But suit yourself."

"I'm going to check out the bedroom."

"Okay." She walked into the small kitchen while he did that. The ritual of filling the kettle with water, turning on the stove, and selecting just the right tea helped calm her nerves. Phoebe had told her there was peace in rituals and her breathing was starting to slow down. She just wished Phoebe were here, that she could tell her what she might have that someone would want.

But she would have to figure that out herself. And she would. The store was hers now. She needed to protect Phoebe's legacy, and that included everything that belonged to her.

As the kettle sang, she turned off the heat and poured the water into a mug. On impulse, she pulled out another tea bag and a second mug and did the same.

When Adam stepped into the kitchen, she handed him the mug. "Just in case you want to see what being a tea guy is actually about. Unless you really don't want it."

"I think I can handle it," he said dryly.

She sat down at the kitchen table and sipped her tea, savoring the calming flavors.

"It's good," Adam said, a note of surprise in his voice.

"I knew you would like it," she said, as he took the seat across from her. "It's one of my favorite blends. I actually told Phoebe about it a few years ago. She became a huge fan."

"What's in it?"

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