I opened my mouth to answer, but she held up her hand.
“No. I’m not an idiot. I know bad things happen and I’m no exception, but what I’m saying is that my shop is only a few blocks away from a police and fire station. This is a very safe neighborhood surrounded by businesses and lots of people around.”
“What about those early mornings you have to come to open up?” Mia planned to keep her café open until six p.m. most days, so I didn’t have to worry about her closing late. But she planned to be open by seven, which meant she would have to show up by six at the latest to get everything brewed and ready for the morning rush.
It was still dark at that time.
She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t criminals still asleep at six in the morning?” She grinned from the joke, but I continued to scowl.
She slumped her shoulders. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
My frown deepened. “Hell no,” I said. “This is your safety we’re talking about.” The hot anger that rose to just beneath the surface of my skin at the mere idea of someone hurting her had me unbuttoning the collar of my shirt.
“Well.” She shrugged and looked around. “I don’t know what you want me to do. Between the costs to renovate the space and get the business off the ground, I don’t think I have enough of the business loan left over to work with whatever high-end security company you think is good enough.”
“I’ll do it,” I answered quickly.
“I can’t use Townsend Security. First of all, I know the price tag is way out of my budget, and second, they—”
“Not Townsend Security, me,” I emphasized the last word by pressing my hand to my chest.
“Aren’t you Townsend Security, though?”
“Yeah, but I can also do this for you.” I glanced around the space that would become her café. “I have some contacts who can get me the equipment that I need to do the installation. I’ll have my father come in during the day to work with Barry. He knows all the ins and outs of the security systems I use.”
“I can’t ask Rick to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I am. Besides, I’m sure by this point he likes you more than he likes me. He’ll do it no questions asked.”
She let out a guffaw, and the sound caused my heart to expand. Mia peered around as she ran a hand across her forehead.
“Are you sure about this? It won’t put you out?”
“No,” I lied easily. It would require me calling in a couple of favors from some associates of mine. Nothing too cumbersome, but I liked to keep any favors I needed on bountiful supply. Mia was worth using them up, though.
Truthfully, I was serious about my father. He often talked about liking Mia. Whenever she wasn’t around—which was rare since she’d been staying with me for the better part of the week since she returned home—he made sure to tell me not to fuck this thing up.
Not that I needed advice from him. He was the last person to take any sort of relationship advice from. But it was evident how much he liked her.
“And don’t ask again if you’re putting Rick out. His ass would knock me over to get here if it meant he was helping you.”
Mia burst out laughing, which had been my intention. I loved the melodic sound of it. My phone buzzed, and I cursed.
“You have to go?”
My heart constricted from the question. “Work,” I grunted. “I have something for you,” I said, pulling up the confirmation tickets on my phone.
“Tickets to the Malcolm Gladwell talk at Williamsport U in two weeks.”
Mia gasped. “Those have been sold out for weeks.” Her eyes shimmered with delight. “When I found out he was going to be in Williamsport, I looked up ticket prices. There weren’t any seats left.” She looked from my phone to me. “I was going to try to get two tickets for the both of us.”
My smile widened.
“How did you do this?”
“I’ve got a few connections.” I brushed my lips across hers. “And don’t forget you need to find a dress for the Townsend gala next month.”
Her eyes shone with her grin. “I didn’t forget. I found one. I will go in tomorrow to get measured for the alterations.”
