by Rebecca Deel
She dropped into the nearest chair and doubled over.
He crouched at her side. “What’s wrong?”
“My stomach is in a knot.”
“Does the shop carry chamomile tea?”
She nodded.
“I’ll be right back.” He returned to the main room. “Lacey needs some chamomile tea.”
Chase inclined his head toward the tea holders. “Chamomile is on the far left. Two bags. Hot water is in the dispenser beside the tea. If she needs it fast, drop in a couple ice cubes.”
He could handle that. He’d been concerned the process of making tea for Lacey would be more complicated than that. “Will she want sweetener?”
“Nope. She says sweetener changes the taste.”
He made a mental note not to add sweetener to her drinks. Grabbing a to-go cup, Jake plucked two bags of tea from the bin with tongs, dropped them in the cup, and filled the container with hot water. Figuring Lacey needed the tea sooner rather than later, he waited a couple minutes, then added two ice cubes and placed a plastic lid on the top.
When he returned to the breakroom, Jake found Lacey still bent over at the waist. He sat in the chair next to hers and laid his hand on her back. “I brought the tea. Try to swallow a few sips.”
She straightened and took the cup he pressed into her shaking hands. “Thanks.”
Although he removed his hand from her back, he remained close and silent while she sipped the tea. When she pushed the empty cup aside, he asked, “When do you plan to leave?”
Her head whipped his direction. “Why?”
“Answer my question.”
“After work if Rowan can spare me.”
“She’ll work it out. If she needs an extra person or two, I’m sure Brenna Wolfe wouldn’t mind helping out for a few days.”
A slight smile curved her lips at the mention of the wife of a fellow operative. The woman also happened to be a bestselling author who was friends with Lacey. “Brenna would see it as a great research opportunity.”
He chuckled. “If she lends a hand, I’d guess a future protagonist will work in a coffee shop. When is your shift over?”
“Two. Don’t you have to be at work soon?”
“Trying to get rid of me already?”
“Of course not. I don’t want you to be late.”
“I’ll be fine. We returned from deployment a few days ago, and I’ve already completed my PT for the day.”
“You and the other operatives always have more going on than physical training.”
True, but he didn’t want to tell Lacey she was his latest assignment. That wasn’t the most important reason he planned to stay. Besides, he did have tasks he could do while keeping an eye on her. “I have my laptop in the SUV. If you don’t mind, I’ll hang out in the coffee shop and work. I’d like to be close at hand.”
Her brows furrowed. “Why?”
“In case you need me.”
Lacey stared at him a moment, then rose. “I need to get back.” She tossed her cup into the trash and walked out.
Jake blew out a slow breath, hoping he hadn’t screwed up his chance with the woman who had fascinated him for months.
CHAPTER THREE
Lacey filled order after order, smiling and laughing with her customers while her heart ached. Where was her mother? Beckett had insinuated Yvonne was off for a romantic holiday with a man she’d picked up.
Her mother’s history shouldn’t weigh into whether or not the police chief insisted his detective do the job for which he’d been trained. No one’s disappearance should be ignored because she lived on the fringes of society. She mattered, despite Beckett’s past poisonous relationship with Lacey’s mother.
As she ground beans and brewed coffee, she kept a surreptitious eye on the drop-dead handsome medic who worked on his laptop. Hard to believe Jake had stayed in the coffee shop for hours in case she needed him. Lacey couldn’t remember the last time a friend had put himself at her disposal for hours.
She should have insisted he go home or to Fortress headquarters. Jake had more important things to do. Something told Lacey she would be wasting her breath. She sighed. The least she could do was refill his coffee and give him a snack.
Lacey mentally tallied the number of coffee refills the medic had consumed, and reconsidered the choice of drink. Water, she decided, and a power sandwich, both good for a man who burned as many calories as she suspected he did each day.
She prepared his snack and grabbed a bottle of water on the way to his table. Jake glanced up as she approached. “Take a break.” Lacey set the plate and bottle to the side of his computer.
He pushed the laptop aside. “Sit with me.”
She grinned, her first genuine smile in hours. “I’ve heard that line before.”
“Want half my sandwich?”
A grimace. “Pass. I don’t think I could keep it down. Be a shame to waste a good sandwich.”
“Stomach still bothering you?”
She shrugged, not admitting she wouldn’t eat much until her mother was found.
Jake asked questions about the shop. Because he stayed with a neutral topic, the tension racking her body eased and the nervousness she’d experienced before with Jake was gone.
The bell over the door rang and cold air blew into the shop as Rowan rushed inside. “Sorry, guys. I was stuck in traffic. Five-car pileup on Nolensville Pike.”
“No problem, Ro.” Chase came out from behind the counter to take her coat and purse. “I’ll take these to your office. I’m due for a break anyway.”
“You’re a lifesaver for staying, Chase.”
“I’ll remind you of that when it’s time for my raise.”
Since no customers were in the shop aside from Jake, Rowan dropped into a chair beside Lacey. “Brent told me about your mother. What can I do to help, Lace?”
She blinked at the sudden sting of tears. “I need a few days off. I have to go home.” Just saying the words made her feel sick to her stomach. She hated Winston with a white-hot passion.
“Of course.” Rowan squeezed Lacey’s hand, her touch gentle. “Take as much time as you need.”
“I can’t afford to take more than a few days, Ro.”
“Your job is secure, and your salary will be paid in full for as long as you’re gone.”
Stunned, she sat speechless for a moment. “I don’t expect to be paid when I’m not working. I won’t take advantage of you.”
“You’re not taking. I’m giving. You’re my friend. Friends are there for each other. Besides, you’ve more than earned the time off. I’ve lost count of times you covered for me when you weren’t scheduled to work.”
Her gaze shifted to Jake. He gave her a slight nod as though he agreed with Rowan’s statements. He viewed her as a friend, too? She couldn’t deny a slight disappointment. Stupid. Why would he look at her as something more when he’d never indicated he felt anything different?
She turned back to Rowan. “I’ll be gone long enough to nudge the police into looking for Mom.”
“You don’t think they’ll look for her?”
“Not if they can help it.”
“When do you plan to leave?”
“After my shift is over.”
Her boss blinked. “That’s three hours from now. I can handle the shop with Chase until Kristina gets here. Go pack your things, Lacey.”
She shook her head. “It’s better this way. I’d rather arrive in Winston after dark.” She wasn’t in the mood to deal with drama.
Beside her, Jake stiffened, his gaze locked on her.
Don’t ask, she begged silently. Please don’t ask me to explain in front of Rowan. “Packing won’t take me long. I’ll work out my shift, then leave.”
“All right. If you change your mind and decide to leave sooner, let me know.” Another squeeze of her hand and Rowan walked to the back of the shop.
Jake polished off his sandwich and water. “Why don’t you want to go home?”
“I want you to feel comfortable enough to tell me the truth,” he said, his voice soft. “Will you think about it? Please?”
“All right.” She prayed it wouldn’t be necessary.
When she returned to the counter, Jake pulled out his cell phone and had a quiet discussion with someone before he resumed work on his laptop. An hour later, Adam Walker walked into the shop with his wife, Veronica.
Lacey grinned. “Adam, Vonnie. Need a caffeine boost?”
“Who doesn’t?” the dark-haired woman said with a smile.
She could use a pick-me-up herself. “What would you like?”
As she poured their choice of coffee, Jake approached the counter with the laptop under his arm. “More coffee, Jake?”
“Not right now. I’m heading out to run an errand, Lacey. I won’t be long.”
“If you don’t make it back before I go, thanks for staying with me today.”
“I won’t be long,” he repeated. He and Adam exchanged wordless glances, then Jake was gone.
What was that about? Before she could ask, Veronica and Adam sat on stools at the counter and started to tell her about their neighbor’s twin boys. In minutes, she was laughing at the troublemakers’ antics. One day, she hoped to have a family of her own to love and care for.
The lunch crowd began trickling in. Wouldn’t be long before the place would be hopping again. As people streamed inside, Rowan and Chase arrived to help, and Adam and Veronica moved to the table Jake had vacated.
By the time the crowd thinned and she had a chance to check on Adam and Veronica, she noticed Jake had returned and sat with his friends. Pleased he’d made it back before she left, Lacey smiled at him and turned her attention to the next customer.
Finally, her shift ended. Like always, her legs and feet ached. “I think half of Nolensville wanted a cup of our coffee today,” she said to Rowan.
“Must be the cool temperatures.”
“I’m out of here,” Chase said as Kristina arrived. “Got a class starting in less than an hour.”
Envy bit hard. Lacey wished she was in school. Her savings account wasn’t flush enough yet to allow her to register for classes. Maybe in the spring or summer.
She turned her attention to what needed doing. She couldn’t remember how much gas was in her car, and hoped her fifteen-year-old, third-hand vehicle would make yet another trip to her hometown. With more than 200,000 miles on the odometer, that wasn’t a guaranteed outcome anymore.
“Ready to pack, Lacey?”
Jake’s baritone sent heat through her veins. She nodded.
“Come on. I’ll walk you up.”
“You’re helping me pack?”
He shook his head. “I’ll carry your luggage to the SUV.”
Lacey stared. “What SUV?” She had an ugly green sedan.
“Mine.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m going with you.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“You can’t.” Panic swelled in a tidal wave through Lacey at the prospect of her worst nightmare coming true. No, thanks. She couldn’t let Jake anywhere near Winston.
“Why not?”
Scrambling for any excuse, she blurted out, “You have a job.”
“As do you.”
“I don’t need you.” Pain shot through her heart hearing those words from her lips, the pain intensifying when hurt filled his gaze for a second before he masked his emotions. She laid her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I don’t need a companion for a trip home. I’ve driven myself many times. I can handle the drive.”
“You may not need anyone, but you shouldn’t go alone. You haven’t been home for this reason,” he murmured as he turned her toward the stairs leading to her apartment over the shop. “I want to go with you, Lacey. Let me.”
“Why do you want to go to some back woods, dead end town?”
“We’re friends and it’s where you’re going to be. You don’t know what you’ll face.”
On the contrary, she knew all too well what was ahead and didn’t want Jake to witness any of it. The people, the house, her past life. Remembering all of the drama and shame she’d felt growing up made her nauseated.
He followed Lacey up the stairs. “You shouldn’t face this alone.”
Lacey jammed her key in the door lock and twisted. Inside her haven, things were as she’d left them hours earlier. Orderly, neat, peaceful, unlike the chaos she still saw in her dreams. Just seeing the place that now bore the stamp of her personality eased some of the knotted muscles in her back.
“Let me know when you finish packing your bags.”
She flicked a glance at Jake over her shoulder and nodded. Lacey hurried to her bedroom and hauled a scarred suitcase from the closet. Fifteen minutes later, her bag was packed.
Her gaze swept over the room to make sure she hadn’t left anything important. Knowing Jake would be aggravated if she hauled the suitcase to the front room, she left it on the bed and went in search of the medic.
She found him in the living room, studying her pitiful array of pictures displayed on a table. One of her mother, none of her father, several of the neighbor’s dog. A sad commentary on her life in Winston. “My suitcase is ready.”
He turned, frowning. “One suitcase?”
She only had one, but that was beside the point. “I don’t plan to be gone more than a few days,” she reminded him. “I don’t need much.”
“My mother can’t travel with any less than four suitcases, no matter how short the stay.”
Four? All the clothes she owned would fit in half that many suitcases. “Wow.”
Jake snorted. “If you had to haul them around, you wouldn’t be impressed. Not only are there four, those suitcases are stuffed to the brim. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she packed rocks in them. They weigh a ton.”
Incredible. Her gaze dropped to his shoulders, chest, and arms. With his build and obvious muscle tone, Lacey doubted he broke a sweat hauling his mother’s clothes and shoes from one place to the other.
A moment later, he carried her battered hard-sided luggage into the living room. “Do you need to water the plants or pitch leftovers that will spoil before we return?”
Lacey got the sense that continuing to argue with the hot medic would be pointless. She knew when to give in gracefully and save her battles for something that mattered. “I have a few things that might be skating toward the science-experiment stage.”
“I’ll store your bag in the SUV, then take out the trash.” He held up his hand, holding off her protest. “My father drilled manners into me as I grew up. I’m an expert at taking out the trash.” His eyes darkened, seemed haunted almost.
He couldn’t be talking about her kitchen trash, not with that reaction. Hmm. Maybe he’d be willing to share what caused such pain in his eyes if she wasn’t so reticent about her past. Something to think about. Later.
While Jake carried her suitcase to his SUV, Lacey hurried to the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator door. She scanned nearly bare shelves and tossed three takeout cartons into a garbage bag, then swept through the other rooms, dumping the contents from waste baskets. By the time Jake returned, the bag was full.
“Is that all?” he asked as he took the bag from her hand.
She nodded, glancing toward her kitchen. “Should I pack drinks and snacks for the road?” She might have enough snack food in the cabinets to keep them from starving. Maybe. Her paycheck wouldn’t go in the bank for another four days which meant her food supply was low.
“Not necessary. I’ll stop every two hours. We’ll purchase whatever we need.”
She forced a smile while mentally calculating how much cash she had in her purse. Not enough for food and a hotel room. She couldn�
�t stay at her childhood home, and no one in town would offer her a place to stay. Hopefully, she had enough in her account to cover a room for a few days. If the money ran out, she would tell Jake she needed to return to work.
After she locked her door, Jake escorted her to his SUV and helped her into the front passenger seat. When they merged onto Interstate 65, Lacey twisted to face Jake. “Stopping that often will cause over an hour delay in reaching Winston. I usually stop once.”
He regarded her, concern in his gaze. “Prevents DVT.”
She blinked. “DVT?”
“Deep vein thrombosis. Blood clots, Lacey. You need to stretch your legs and get your blood moving every two hours.”
Leave it to a medic to make her wonder how she’d made it home all those trips without having a serious medical issue. Lacey plopped her sunglasses on her nose. “Brent doesn’t mind you taking off a few days?”
“My team is not due for another deployment for at least a month. Brent and Adam gave me permission to go with you.”
“If your team is activated again, we’ll come back.”
He clasped her hand a moment before clutching the steering wheel again. “Don’t worry. Tell me about Winston.”
Instead of specifics, she told him about the funny side of small town life, everything from dealing with nosy neighbors to traffic jams caused by escaped cows.
When she kept breaking off in mid-sentence to yawn, he chuckled and said, “Looks like you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“I’m a night owl. The mornings I draw the short straw for opening the store are tough.”
“Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll wake you in two hours.”
“I’d love to, but it seems rude to sleep while you drive when I’m the reason you’re going in the first place.”
“In the military, we learned to sleep whenever and wherever we could. Even a twenty-minute combat nap did wonders for us.” He slid a pointed glance her direction. “Take advantage of the downtime to rest, Lacey. You may not have much chance when we reach Winston.”
CHAPTER FIVE
