Page 20 of Delicate Escape

“I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Pullingto a stop in front of the brick building at the north end of town, I swung a leg over my bike and climbed off. It was one of the placesin town with a quaint storefront below and a couple of offices above. The shop on the ground level was one I’d ogled countless times as it housed shabby-chic furniture with a rustic edge.

But I wasn’t there to browse. Today, I needed my lunch hour to see what Castle Rock Construction would charge to look at my leak. I’d spent the entire ride over, convincing myself it would be okay. I could watch whoever they sent like a hawk. If I employed a company instead of accepting a favor from a friend’s brother, things would go faster.

And, most importantly, I wouldn’t have to be so close to Shep. I wouldn’t have to see the gentle pity on his face. Feel the pull of attraction. I wouldn’t have to worry that he saw far too much.

For all those reasons, I could do this. My heart hammered as I looked down at myself and winced. I quickly tried to brush off the dirt streaked across myBloom & Berrytee. I also had some on my khaki shorts, but at least that blended.

When I got most of it off, I looked up at the glass-fronted doors. A list of companies was painted in a delicate serif font on the front. My gaze zeroed in on the construction company, and I swallowed hard.

I could do this.

I repeated that to myself over and over as I opened the door and headed inside. Logically, I knew the chances of some other douchebag trying to plant cameras in my house were slim to none, but my brain just couldn’t convince my body of that.

Whenever I thought about having someone over—even someone I trusted like Sutton or Rhodes—my hands got clammy, and my heart raced. Then everything came flooding back. The intimate images of me strewn across the internet. How a photo of me had been listed on an escort site with my phone number alongside it forbooking. And I just couldn’t do it.

But now, I didn’t have a choice. I reminded myself of that as I climbed the stairs to a landing. There were four different doors and a few couches set up in case people needed to wait. I walked pastan accountant’s office, then a law firm, before reaching Castle Rock Construction.

My hand hovered just over the door handle. In one swift move, I pushed down before I could talk myself out of it.

As I stepped inside, a woman behind the desk looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes—an emotion I was sure was echoed in mine.

“Raina.”

She gave me a tentative smile. “Hi, Thea.”

“I didn’t know you worked here.”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s my?—”

“Hey, sweetcheeks, can you get me—?” The man’s voice cut off as he stepped out of an office, gaze roaming over me. “You didn’t say we had a client.”

I didn’t miss the reproach in his tone. It wasn’t loud—most people would’ve missed it—but I was used to watching for the warnings of what was to come. I was familiar with walking on eggshells and constantly looking for any signs of unhappiness from my partner. So, I heard it loud and clear.

Raina did, too. Her face paled. “I’m sorry, Russ. She just walked through the door.”

I forced a smile, even though my skin felt too tight, and the urge to bolt was strong. “I was just saying hi to Raina since I know her from the bakery.”

Russ seemed to mull that over. “Never understood why my wife needs to go there when we got hot water here.”

His wife. I struggled not to look at Raina, especially the bruise I knew hid beneath her concealer. Instead, I pushed my smile wider. “Guess you’ve never had one of our pastries, then.”

His gaze lowered from my face to my chest. “Might just have to remedy that.”

Gross.

“So,” he continued, “what can we do for you today?”

The idea of having this man in my house turned my stomach, but if he was in the office, chances were, he wasn’t one of thelaborers. Sucking in a breath, I forced myself to push on. “I discovered a leak at my house. I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but the floor in the guest bathroom is affected. And the main pipe leading to the house. I wanted to see what you guys would charge to take a look.”

Russ let out a low whistle. “Leaks do a lot of damage. Won’t know what we’re dealing with till we get out there. Typically, a consult is two fifty, but…” His gaze roamed over me. “Might be willing to give you a discount, seeing as you’re a friend of Raina’s.”

The man didn’t hide the way his eyes lingered on my bare legs. The urge to cross them or find a piece of furniture to stand behind was strong. This time, I couldn’t help but glance at Raina. It was only for a split second, but I saw that her eyes were downcast, her cheeks burning.

“And since you’re a friend, I’ll come out and do the consult myself.” His barrel chest puffed up. “Not many get one of the owners coming out.”

My gaze snapped back to him. That would be a hell-freaking-no for me. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth, suddenly thick as if I were having an allergic reaction. I swallowed, trying to get my words out while keeping my voice steady. “Thank you so much. I have a couple of other people to talk to, but I’ll let you know.”

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