Page 113 of Delicate Escape

Anson and I walked toward the hardware store, heading for the back counter to place an order for the new windows before we went to grab lunch. But as we approached, a prickle of guilt slid over me.

Blond hair shifted as the woman at the counter looked up. The moment her blue eyes locked on me, hurt filled them.

Fuck.

“Hey, Mara,” I greeted, trying to keep my expression warm.

She swallowed, forcing a smile. “Shep, hey.” She glanced at the man next to me. “Anson.”

He simply lifted his chin in answer.

I tugged a piece of paper from my pocket, sliding it over the counter to her. “Could you put in an order for these?”

Mara glanced down, her eyes skimming over the dimensions, brand, and product numbers. A more genuine smile tipped her lips. “Opening up the old girl?”

A little of the tension left me. This had always been where things between Mara and me were easy. Construction, rehab, restoration. “Yeah. Way too dark in there.”

“I bet.” She began typing away on her computer. “Those old places are beautiful but stuffy.”

“Won’t be for long.”

Mara’s gaze flicked up to me, softening. “I have no doubt.” Her fingers stilled on the keyboard. “Your hand doing okay?”

I flexed my fingers on instinct. “Fine now.”

She nodded, tugging the corner of her lip between her teeth. “Heard Russ was making trouble for you.”

Hell.

I didn’t want to get into this. “Tried to. But everything’s good.”

Mara started typing again, but it was slower, as if she was drawing it out. “Watch your back around that one. He’s a snake. Always has been.”

“I will.”

After a few more minutes, she had everything ordered. “On your account?”

“Please,” I said.

“You got it. Should be here in a few weeks, but I’ll see if we can put a rush on it. No charge.”

“You don’t have to do that?—”

“Iwantto,” Mara assured me.

But that assurance made my gut churn. “All right. Appreciate it. Have a good week.”

Mara’s gaze hovered on my face for just a moment too long. “You, too.”

Anson and I headed back through the store to the front door.

“She’s not giving up,” Anson said, pitching his voice low.

My gaze flicked to him. “She wants something that never really existed.”

Because Mara and I had never had depth to our relationship. We did the normal couple things, but we never talked about therealstuff. She didn’t make me feel seen the way Thea does. Didn’t light my blood on fire.

“Maybe so, but the imagination is a powerful thing,” Anson muttered. “I’d keep your distance for a while.”

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