Maisie
Ihesitate on the front porch outside the farmhouse. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Elias had been ready to continue leading the way to his truck before I stopped. He releases my hand to clasp my hips with both of his, drawing my body against his and pressing his lips against my temple. “No one is going to hurt you, Maisie. I swear it.”
I give him a searching look, then nod. “Okay, let’s go.” He snags my hand and turns to lead the way.
I pull back. “Wait?”
He turns, eyebrow raised.
“If there’s any trouble?—”
“If the rest of your sentence includes running away or leaving you to deal with it on your own, that’s never going to happen,” he interrupts.
I close my mouth.
He surprises me by smiling. “I know you’re worried, but no one is going to attack me—or you—in the street.”
“I guess I am a little paranoid,” I concede. And I know Derek. He won’t attack during the day. He’ll wait until night or whenI’m alone, where he can hurt me and get away with it. I glance down at my outfit. “Do I look okay?”
I would never have worn a dress and sandals if I still had the rest of my clothes. Since I left Oregon, I got used to wearing sweats, jeans, and sneakers just in case I might need to run. The jeans in the box were too tight and the sweatpants too long, making them a dangerous tripping hazard.
This floral dress with thin straps is a teeny bit snug on my boobs, and the hem could be a little longer, with cool air kissing the back of my bare thighs, but the brown sandals a woman thoughtfully donated fit me perfectly.
“Okay?” Elias looks me up and down. “No.”
One word has me hanging my head. I console myself with him not calling me fat or stupid the way Derek would have.
Things can always be worse, Maisie. Never forget that.
Hiding my hurt, I turn around. “I’ll change.”
“Hey!” With a smile, he snags my hand and tugs me back around. “You look better than okay. You look beautiful.” His eyes slide to my hair. “And you have your hair down. You always had it tied back at the diner.”
“Didn’t want it going in the food,” I explain. And also, those were the rules.
The only parts I could never tie back are the bangs I’ve grown out around my face. They’re too long to be called bangs, but too short to tie back in a ponytail.
His eyes are soft as he peers down at me. “So damn pretty I nearly fell down these porch stairs trying to avoid you catching me staring at you,” he says, voice low. Dipping his head, he kisses my cheek. “Ready to go?”
Heart warmed by his sweet compliment, I nod. “As I’ll ever be.”
On the drive into town, we have both windows open, and fresh, sweet air blows my hair around my face as Elias talksabout all the work they’ve done on the condo so far. I don’t know how much I take in, but I’m nervous about my first trip back into town after the fire, and he must know it from my silence.
As we drive past my old apartment building, someone has boarded up the broken window and the door beside the flower shop. Wyatt must have kicked the door down to get inside. Did the smoke blow the windows open, or did the firefighters do it?
I can’t help but feel sorry for the flower shop owner. The shop is closed, and it was my fault, even though I didn’t set the fire. I came to Rios. Derek followed me, and her business paid the price for Nico letting me stay in the apartment above her shop.
There’s no sign of Derek on the street, and I give every tall, blond-haired guy a penetrating look as we pass them.
Elias parks the truck near the diner, and when I move to open my door, he shakes his head. “Wait there. I’ll get your door.”
I freeze, my eyes sweeping across the street. “Because it isn’t safe?”
He grins as he gets out. “Because if there is a door that needs opening, I will always get it for you.”
I’m smiling as he rounds the hood of his truck and opens my door for me. Despite his assurance that I’m safe, I still tense before I get out.
