Page 61 of Fall Into Me

“Oh, I’m fine.” The older man’s cheeks were a bright red.

“You’re not fine.” Mags frowned at him. “Someone broke into his shop.”

“What?” Cali’s face fell, and she walked around the counter. “I’m so sorry, Gus.” She wrapped herself around the older man, his round belly between them stopping her from getting any closer.

“Gus owns the mechanics shop a couple streets back,” Mags explained, a grim look on her face.

“I promise I’m not hitting on you.” Cali gave him a wink, and Gus rolled his eyes.

“Lorna hasn’t let me hear the end of that one,” he huffed.

Cali’s laugh was light and happy, and it made me realize that it was the second time since I’d been here that I heard a genuine laugh from her, and the only time that it hadn’t ended in tears.

I fucking hated it. The idea that this woman didn’t laugh the way she used to.

“You take a seat, and I’ll bring you your coffee.”

“And cookies,” he mumbled.

“Yes, Gus, and your cookies.” Her smile dropped when she turned back and found me standing closer to her than I’d been before.

“You okay?” I asked quietly.

She nodded, a small crease between her brows. Her eyes darted around my face like even though I’d been right in front of her, she hadn’t really seen me until right then. “Yeah.”

I searched her face for a second longer before I nodded my head and stepped to the side, letting her by. I didn’t believe her, and everything in me wanted to demand she tell me what Declan had done to make her look at me, of all people, with relief.

“Any idea who might have done something like that?” Mags was rubbing Gus’s back in gentle circles.

“Nope.” He shook his head, face jiggling at the jerkiness of his actions. “Side door lock was snapped clean off, and the place was a mess.”

“Do you know what they took?” I asked before I thought better of it.

“No, sir.” Gus frowned. “Won’t be able to tell ‘till I clean it up. Don’t move like I used to, so might take me a while.”

“I’ll have some of the guys come and help you,” I offered, already reaching into my pocket to flick Ash a message.

“Oh, I can’t ask you to do that.” The red that had slowly been dissipating flooded back into his face.

“You didn’t. I’ll come by with some guys now to help.” My phone dinged with a reply from Ash as soon as the offer was out of my mouth.

“I’ve got four guys free, plus me makes five.” I stood up, and Gus followed suit, gruff and holding tight to the shoulder straps of his overalls.

“Cali, could—” Cali handed Gus a to-go cup, cutting him off mid-sentence.

“Got you covered,” she said, handing him a bag full to bursting with cookies. “But don’t tell Lorna about the extra cookies. She already gives me grief for the second one I let you have.”

Gus didn’t say anything more to her, just delivered another gruff nod, his face so red I feared for the man’s health.

“After you.” I indicated to the door, nodding at Mags as I passed by her.

“Fane,” Cali called after me, stopping me with my hand on the door. By the time I’d turned around, she was standing there, a to-go cup in one hand and a paper bag in the other. She held them both out to me, her face completely blank.

I took them, an eyebrow raised in silent question. She rolled her eyes, and my chest fucking squeezed at the faint twitch of her lips. Not a laugh or a smile, but it was something. A crack in her armor.

“It’s coffee,” she said. “I promise.”

“No cinnamon?”

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