“Sometimes,” she whispered, all too aware of the times she’d been careless or helpless. She hadn’t beensmart enough as a child to leave well enough alone, and she’d often found herself in her father’s crosshairs. She hadn’t been on her guard when Zach and his brother pinned her arms down and threw her into the back of a truck.
Zach extended his hand, palm up. “Keys, please. I promise to bring it back in one piece.”
Good grief, why was she even considering this? “And you won’t break any laws other than driving without a license?”
“Cross my heart.”
What was his word even worth? Her trust for him had been growing in millimeters, and now he was asking for a yard.
“What if I drive you?” she countered.
“I’d rather go alone. I’m a big boy.”
Lauren pictured her to-do list and stifled a groan. She really didn’t have time to run back to town tonight. “I’ll tell you what. You drop me off at the rental house so I can wash some laundry, and you can go get whatever you need.”
“Deal.” Zach fisted and flexed his hand, waiting for her to symbolically sign the contract.
“The keys are by the front door. I kind of threw everything when I realized you were trying to torch my house.”
Oddly enough, Zach was a cautious driver, at least for the eighth of a mile between her house and the rental.
She tossed her laundry into the wash and retrieveda note pad and pen from a drawer in the kitchen. She’d spent most of the last few years working on her own house, and she hadn’t given the rental enough attention. Looking around, she made a list of the things Zach should be able to do.
With the list complete, she needed something to distract her thoughts from Zach driving away in her car. She dove into a deep clean of the kitchen cabinets before installing a shower head in the bathroom.
Lauren checked the time on the microwave screen. Zach had been gone for thirty minutes, and she didn’t even have a way to get in touch with him. She addedGet Zach a phoneto her list.
Her stomach twisted in a growling knot. So much for dinner. She’d picked up a few cans of food for Zach yesterday, but she didn’t want to eat what little he had.
After a long and torturous hour, Lauren could barely focus on the window frames she was measuring. She’d just given him a key to her house, handed over her car, and allowed him to take everything from her…again.
Smart girl. No, she was a dumb girl. She was the gullible, foolish girl who lost it all because she gave credit where none was due. She was the one who gave third and fourth chances only to be proven wrong every single time.
After shoving her clothes into the dryer, she let a fraction of the rage run free when she slammed the metal door closed.
“What did that dryer ever do to you?”
She turned, huffing and gasping for breath to find Zach leaning against the door frame. His shoulders were relaxed, and his legs were crossed at the ankles like he hadn’t just walked in on her spiraling.
“Where have you been?”
He rolled his eyes and tossed her keys into the air, not giving her a warning before they sailed toward her. “Relax, angel. I got you something.”
She caught the keys and followed him to the kitchen with her skin still humming with pent-up tension. On the table sat a small white paper bag, a larger brown bag, and two plastic bags from the grocery.
Zach grabbed the top of the small white bag, crumpling it in his large fist before handing it to her. “Eat this first.”
“First?” She ripped open the bag to find a single glazed donut. It was her favorite from Sticky Sweets.
For long seconds she just stared at the donut. Her mouth watered, and her nose tingled with the sweet, warm smell.
Zach opened the brown bag and pulled out something in a white wrapper. “Then eat this. I got you a ham sandwich because I didn’t know what you’d want. Ham seemed like the safest bet.”
He continued pulling things out of the bag—french fries, ketchup packets, and another sandwich. All the while, she could barely catch her breath.
“How did you even get this? Sticky Sweets is closed.”
“There was a woman still there, and when I told her it was for you, she said it was on the house.” He shook his head, letting out a huff through his nose. “You’ve charmed the entire town.”
