Page 36 of Delicate Escape

I worried the inside of my cheek before speaking. “I’m not scared of you. Not like that.”

It was stupid of me to share the information. To even give him that piece. Because it would only lead to more questions. Things I couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. But I couldn’t stand the idea of Shep thinking I was frightened ofhim.

Shep’s eyes flashed, and then one corner of his mouth kicked up. “Maybe I’m scared of the beast.”

Moose let out a deep meow as if saying, “Damn straight.”

“That’s fair. He is slightly terrifying,” I admitted.

But Shep scooted closer—near enough that our plates almost touched. He was quiet for a moment before he finally spoke. “I’d like to get to know you. I think it would help both of us, but I don’t want to ask you anything that makes you uncomfortable. Think you can give me some guidelines?”

My throat twisted, making it hard to breathe, let alone speak. I admired his forthrightness and lack of beating around the bush. “Let’s keep the questions to the present.”

Shep’s gaze roamed over my face, silently probing for the reason why, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he did as I requested. “Favorite flower in your garden.”

The tension bled out of me. “The peonies.” I gestured to the plants that had grown with a fervor I could’ve only hoped for. Everything was shades of pink and peach. Endless beauty.

“They’re pretty damn spectacular.”

Warmth spread through me at the praise. “And they bring the hummingbirds.”

Shep’s focus moved back to me as he took in my statement. “You’ve got lots of feeders, too.”

I nodded. “There’s something about them. It’s more than their beauty. They’re tiny but fierce. And they’re deft escape artists.”

He was silent for a long moment, and I knew I’d given too much away. But it was as if Shep understood that, too. His gaze trailed away from me and over my garden. “You definitely have the touch when it comes to plants.”

Relief swept through me, and I forced my fists to loosen. “I didn’t at first. I’ve had a lot of stuff die on me. But I got the hang of it about six months into the trial and error.”

“You learn way more by doing than you ever could from books or classes.”

I studied Shep for a moment. “Is that how you learned the contractor stuff?”

He nodded, leaning back on an elbow. “Mostly. I went to college for business and took some design and architecture classes. Worked on a local crew part time for all four years of school. But I learned all the core skills from my dad.”

I couldn’t imagine a father who took the time to teach an intricate skill like building. Mine had barely been around. And when he was, it had mostly consisted of screaming fights with my mom thatthen resulted in the cops being called to our small North Hollywood apartment.

But I hadn’t heard Rhodes mention a foster father, so I wondered what had happened to him. “It has to be pretty special that you share that.”

Shep nodded, taking a sip of the lemonade. “He knew I needed to be actively doing something to work through a problem, so he gave me the skills to do that. Sometimes, we’d end up talking about the issue. Other times, just doing the work helped me puzzle through it on my own. But even now, I sometimes hear his voice when I’m working.”

My fingers closed tightly around my bottle. “Did he pass?”

Shep’s throat worked as he swallowed. “Car accident when I was seventeen. Fallon and Cope survived, but Dad and my brother, Jacob, didn’t make it.”

Everything in me constricted, weaving into intricate knots. I couldn’t imagine losing both a father and a brother in a single moment. It made what I’d been through pale in comparison.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. Those two words were so incredibly lacking, but they were all I had.

Shep’s amber eyes locked with mine. “Thank you.”

I had to break the connection. It was too intense. Shep was letting me see too much, making me want to lay all my secrets at his feet. My focus dropped to my plate, and I toyed with a chip.

Shep shifted, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him take a bite of his sandwich. The groan that left his lips had my whole body waking up and standing at attention. The sound washed over me in a wave of vibration, and my gaze had no choice but to snap to his face. His lips.

“Holy hell, Thorn. This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. And we’ve got some amazing cooks in my family.”

Heat hit my cheeks, not with embarrassment this time but pleasure. It had been so long since I’d prepared something for someone else. I used to do it weekly for Nikki, and I’d had epic dinner parties with friends crowded into my apartment—before those friends were all turned.

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