And while keeping herself busy allowed her to put that trouble on the shelf for awhile, it didn’t help her stop thinking about Knox. It didn’t help ease the hurt that had opened up in the wake of his cool rejection.
The full day and night she’d gone without speaking to him—without so much as seeing him despite the fact that he was living under the same roof with her—had passed at an agonizing pace. It felt as though a week had stretched out between them. She missed him as if it had been even longer than that.
What kind of naive idiot did it make her that she had let her heart get so tangled up in him after only a few days in his company?
A few days and one incredible night, although she didn’t want to think about the feel of Knox’s arms around her now. She didn’t want to remember how consuming the feel of his mouth on hers had been, or how intensely pleasurable it had felt to have his big, powerful body moving over her naked skin, thrusting deep inside her.
A shiver of arousal swept through her, igniting her veins in spite of the hurt that lingered in her heart.
She had expected to feel some measure of satisfaction behind the wall she’d constructed between them. Instead, all she felt was alone. As for Knox, she couldn’t even be sure he had noticed her determination to avoid him. Or maybe he’d been relieved.
Either way, the time apart had given her a chance to think more clearly—something she’d seemed incapable of doing ever since Knox arrived in town.
For most of her life, she had taken care of herself. For the past six years, she had taken care of Riley by herself too. She was perfectly capable of doing that now, and no one—not even Travis Parrish or the rest of his family—was going to stand in her way.
She had managed well enough before Knox showed up. She would manage after he was gone. She and Riley were not his concern.
As soon as she returned home after work, Leni intended to free him of whatever obligation he felt toward protecting them. In fact, she planned to demand it.
She’d been rehearsing the words in her head all day. Now, all she had to do was convince herself she truly meant them.
Forcing a smile to her face, she carried out the packed and bagged servings of hot lunch and set them down on the counter while she wrote up the bill.
“Here you go, Claude.”
He glanced at the total and shook his head. “You’re slipping, Leni. Forgot to charge for my coffee.”
“It’s on the house for everyone today. Seems the least I can do for all of you who’ve been braving the roads to come in and eat.”
He grinned. “Well, in that case, thank you kindly.”
“My pleasure.”
She made a quick round with the carafe again, refilling his and the rest of the patrons’ cups. Then she swung by to check on Riley, who was currently chatting up the elderly couple seated in the booth in front of his.
“The red one’s the best, though. It’s got doors that open and it goes really fast. Watch.”
Leni caught the airborne muscle car in her free hand as Riley launched it off the table. “Okay, I think we all get the picture, kiddo. Cars need to keep their wheels on solid ground in here, all right?”
She glanced at her customers and offered an eyeroll and a mouthed apology. They didn’t seem bothered in the least. Riley had that effect on most people, Leni included. She’d hated reprimanding him yesterday, and her attempt to ground him had been admittedly lax. Staying mad at the little charmer was next to impossible.
Rather like the bigger, slightly less charming—but equally devastating—male she’d left back at the house.
“I’ve got macaroni and cheese waiting for you in the kitchen,” she said, placing Riley’s car on the table with the others. “Are you getting hungry for lunch?”
He bounced on the seat, his face lit up with excitement. “Yes!”
“Then please put away your cars and go use the restroom. I’ll bring your mac and cheese out to you. Make sure you wash your hands before you come out.”
“Okay!” He swept the fleet of miniature race cars into his backpack before scrambling out of the booth and hurrying to the nearby men’s room.
Leni couldn’t hold back her smile as she finished her rounds of check-ins with the smattering of patrons, then returned to the kitchen to fetch his lunch. The normalcy of the day settled around her like a warm comforter. This was how things were supposed to be for her.
Steady, familiar, comfortable.
It should be enough.
It would have to be, because starting tomorrow Knox would be gone.
