Deciding to die another day, Nick bumped Zach’s shoulder as he stormed out.
When the outside door slammed shut, Justin crossed his arms over his chest. “What was that?”
Moving to the crates, Zach pulled the straw lining out by the handful. “Change the locks. I don’t want him here anymore. Search every one of these crates and watch every second of surveillance video from tonight.”
Justin’s eyes widened. “Now?”
“Now. I’ll break down the barrels myself.”
Justin dug into another crate without complaint. If Nick had put something in the crates, it couldn’t leave this warehouse. Getting tracked was every runner’s nightmare.
The phone in Zach’s pocket dinged, and he jerked it out of his pocket. The text wasn’t about the drop, but from Lauren.
Lauren: Do you like chicken alfredo? I was thinking about making it tomorrow night.
Zach shoved the phone back into his pocket and focused on pulling straw from the crate. He had a long night ahead of him, and the guilt couldn’t eat at him if he kept his mind off her.
15
Zach
Zach popped the lid off of a gallon of paint and grabbed a stir stick. He could paint walls. He’d never done it before, but the video he’d watched online promised that taping the edges was the hardest part. He’d gotten that out of the way last night, and all that was left to do was the actual painting.
How hard could it be? Dip the paint roller in the pan, roll it around, put it on the wall. It would be a piece of cake.
He stuck the stir stick into the goopy paint just as his phone rang where it sat on the floor beside him. Why was Lauren calling him? She’d told him last night that she had to work at the shelter today.
He answered the call and pressed the speakerphone button. “Hello.”
“Hey, are you busy?” Her tone held a hint of urgency—an edge of nervousness she rarely showed.
“You know exactly what I’m doing today. I just started on your first order of business.”
“Could I please borrow your truck for the day? My car won’t start. Gage is coming to look at it, but I need to get going.”
Zach pulled the stir stick out of the paint and replaced the lid. “I’m on my way. I’ll drive.”
She let out a bone-deep sigh. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
“No problem.”
He grabbed the keys and slid a cap onto his head as he walked out the door. When he started the truck, something made him pause. A weird buzzing energy hummed through his entire body. Lauren had called him when she needed help. She’d asked Gage for help with her car, but who else had she called for help? Was Zach the first call or last resort?
Whatever the case, the idea that Lauren needed him caused a physical reaction he couldn’t control. No one had ever needed him before. He’d neverwantedto be needed. For some reason, hearing Lauren’s desperation, then her relief when she realized he’d help, did something to him that he couldn’t explain.
He shifted into gear and headed toward Lauren’s house. Whether she’d called him first or third, he wanted to be the only one she needed. Would she ever trust him enough for that?
The tight rubber on the steering wheel heated as he gripped and twisted it in his hands. She shouldn’t trust him. He wasn’t good enough for her. Not evenclose. She was so far out of his league. She was orbiting the sun, and he was hanging out with Pluto. He was the dog who ate the scraps from her table.
Ugh. What was he doing? She needed a ride, not a kidney. He was reading way too much into this, and it was all her fault. She was making him soft.
Lauren was standing on the porch with her purse strap over her shoulder when he pulled up. She was wearing a fitted beige sweater and brown slacks with her dark hair falling over her shoulders. She was ready for a business meeting, and he was dressed for a day of messy physical labor.
She jogged to the truck and hopped into the passenger seat, tucking her purse beside her. “Thanks so much for this. I really owe you one.”
“What are you up to today?”
She tucked her hair behind her ears and rested back against the seat. “I have to go to Blackwater Restoration to pick up a bunch of stuff. A new family came in yesterday, and they need winter clothes. A mom and five kids. Whew.” She turned around in her seat to look out the back window. “I hope the bed is cleaned out because I don’t know where I’m going to put a complete wardrobe for six people. Oh, and they need stuff for the baby. Car seat, crib, diapers. Actually, I don’t think this stuff would have fit in my car anyway.”
