Page 19 of Delicate Escape

My lips twitched. “Don’t worry. I’m taking them with me to work.”

I had one of those little trailers for my bike designed to hold kids, but I hooked a carrier inside. Thankfully, my boss at Bloom was used to having animals of all sorts in his office or behind the counter. Duncan was a good sport and even fed the kittens for Rhodes and me if things got busy.

It didn’t take the babies long to finish their breakfast, and since they were so little, loading them into the carrier was easy. If it had been Moose, I’d be bleeding.

The ride to Bloom was longer than the trip to the bakery, but it was another beautiful day. I loved getting to the nursery before it opened. The sparrows, hummingbirds, and butterflies were out in droves in the quiet.

I heard a door slam as I pulled my bike to a stop near the mainbuilding. Rhodes grinned as she walked toward me. “You brought the babies?”

I nodded. “They’re so stinking cute.”

“Gimme!” she demanded.

I laughed as I unhooked the carrier and held it out to Rhodes.

She bent, peeking through the front door and running her finger across the bars. “Hi, babes,” she cooed.

The kittens meowed, and one tried to nip her finger. She chuckled as she pulled her hand back. “The gray one looks underweight.”

“Yeah, I think I might add an extra formula dose for her if she’ll take it.”

“Probably a good idea,” Rhodes agreed, straightening and pulling out her keys. She stilled, taking in my face. “You okay?”

I tried to fight the stiffening in my muscles. “Just didn’t get a great night’s sleep.”

She sent me an empathetic smile. “Kittens keep you up?”

I opened my mouth to agree but couldn’t do it. Lying to Rhodes’ face just feltwrong. I gave my head a little shake. “I’ve got a leak at the house. It’s a shit show.”

“Damn,” she muttered, slipping her key into the lock and then gesturing me inside. “Did you call a plumber yet? Shep could probably help. He’s great with that stuff.”

My stomach twisted as Shep’s face filled my mind. The way those amber eyes had looked at me with such careful gentleness. How the sun caught the auburn undertones in his rich brown hair. The almost pleading tone in his voice for me to let him help.

I swallowed down the guilt. “He was actually there when it exploded. He shut off the main valve for me. I’m gonna head to the library after work to do some research on how to fix it.” I just prayed it was something I could tackle on my own.

Rhodes’ footsteps faltered in the hallway to Duncan’s office. Then she stopped altogether and turned to face me. “You’re going to try to fix it…yourself?”

My spine straightened, a little defensiveness seeping in. “I’ve figured out everything else that needs fixing.”

“And that’s amazing. But, Thea, this is serious. There was a leak at the Victorian, and it took weeks of restoration to fix.” Rhodes knew all about the ups and downs of renovation since she had Shep and his crew bringing her family’s historic home back to life. But having people in her space wasn’t a trigger for Rhodes.

When I didn’t say anything, she kept pushing. “If mold starts to grow because it wasn’t properly dealt with, you could make yourself really sick. Moose, too.”

She’d gone for the kill shot. I might be willing to risk myself, but not my cat. That overwhelmed feeling settled back over me, a panicky, trapped sensation.

Rhodes’ gaze roamed over my face. “Shep’ll help. I promise.”

I shook my head quickly. “No.” The last thing I wanted was for him to do me any more favors. And being in close proximity to him wasn’t something I could risk. “He’s done enough. I’ll look up some other local companies.”

Rhodes frowned at me. “There’s really only one other construction and restoration company in town, and their work isn’t as good as Shep’s. Plus, the owners are jerks of epic proportions.”

No one’s work was as good as Shep’s. I’d seen theColson Constructionsign in front of new builds and restoration projects alike. They all had one thing in common: They were absolutely gorgeous.

The styles were endless. Everything from modern to Craftsman, but always blending the old with the new flawlessly and effortlessly in a way that made it one cohesive vision. But I’d looked up the price tags of his creations, and they’d never even be in the ballpark of possibility for me.

“I don’t need fancy, Rho. I just need functional.”

Her lips pressed together. “Thea?—”

---