Page 44 of In Plain Sight

“Do you want to hang out?” I asked, changing the subject. I knew her, and she needed a chance to decompress and sit with her feelings before she would be ready to go home and talk to our mother about what happened.

She nodded.

“I have to head to work in an hour, but you can stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks.” She tugged on the collar of her dress shirt and made an exaggerated face.

“You want to raid my closet, don’t you?” I arched an eyebrow at her. Jade always stole some of my clothes when she came over. She probably had more of my hoodies in her closet than I had in mine.

She grinned. “Yes, please.”

“Go ahead.”

“Thanks!” She jumped up and hurried into my room.

At least having her here would stop me from obsessing about the dozen other things that were currently occupying most of my brain power.

“Fuck it all to goddamn fucking hell,” I swore, staring down at the mess of sockets that had fallen out of the wrench set I’d knocked over.

“Are you okay?” Zander asked from his workstation.

“Fine.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair and knelt to pick up the fallen sockets. “It’s nothing. Just a klutzy moment.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, coming over to help me pick up the mess.

“Yeah.” I scooped up a few of the sockets.

“Luka.”

I stilled. Something about the way Zander said my name hit me right in the chest. Maybe it was his calm tone, or maybe it was the concern I could hear. Either way, I looked up at him, almost on impulse and not because of any conscious decision.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, his dark eyes scrutinizing me.

My cheeks flushed hot. That look was doing things to me it had no business doing.

“I know we’re not close, but I’ve gotten the impression that things aren’t great for you right now,” he said, his voice low and his gaze piercing.

I dropped my gaze, my neck heating with embarrassment. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a disaster. I know I’m making things harder around here?—"

“That’s not what I meant.” He picked up a few of the fallen sockets and handed them to me. “It’s you I’m worried about, not work.”

I held out my hand for them. His fingers brushed against my palm as he pulled his hand back, and the crackle of energy between us was so strong I nearly dropped the damn things again.

“I’m…” I started to tell him I was fine, but the words died on my lips. He looked so sincere and concerned, like he truly cared about me and not the extra work I was creating for him. “I’m notnotokay,” I hedged.

He raised one eyebrow in question.

“Nothing’s wrong, exactly. I just have some stuff going on,” I said lamely. “Friend drama, family crap. Life in general.” I huffed out a laugh. “It’s a lot sometimes.”

“It can be.” He grabbed the last of the sockets from where they’d rolled under my worktable and handed them to me. “Do you have someone you can talk to about what’s going on?”

I plunked the sockets on my worktable with a rueful shake of my head. “No, and that’s part of the problem.”

He bit his lip, like he was either stopping himself from saying something or he was trying to work up the courage to speak. I couldn’t tell.

I might spend all week with Zander, and we were alone for the majority of that time, but I didn’t know him well enough to read his expressions.

“Do you want to maybe go somewhere after we close up?” he asked, his cheeks flushing pink under his golden skin. “You don’t have to talk about anything, but maybe having some company will help.”

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