“Really?” The woman clapped her hands. “Would you consider working in my shop?”
“But you don’t know me.” Lani had plenty of documents that she could hand the woman. References and papers, and she hated doing so as none of them were hers…. Well, technically they had her name on them, but when you lived a lie you had to do things you didn’t want to, to support that.
“Noah knows you, and that’s enough for me. You come on into my shop soon and we’ll talk.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Now, I must dash. I have a cake to decorate for little Sally Hyde’s birthday. I ran out of purple food coloring and my order doesn’t arrive for two days. I hope the grocery store has red and blue in stock.”
“They make purple,” Noah said, winking at Lani.
“Well done, boy, you learned something at school.” Mrs. C waved a hand and hurried away.
“You’ll like working for her. She’s a really nice lady, even if you need sunglasses to look at her sometimes. The woman always dresses in bright colors.”
“I didn’t need you to do that.” Lani looked at Noah again.
“Things are easier when you have friends helping.”
“We’re not friends.”
He clutched his chest. “Ouch, that hurt.”
“I need to go. Bye.” She wasn’t sure why she was panicking, but suddenly it was there, choking her. Coming to Lake Howling had been an impulse. She’d found it on the map and something had urged her to come. Lani was seriously regretting that impulse.
Bending over her boot again, she decided to ignore Noah and used more force to pull if free. It didn’t budge.
He lifted her to the side again.
“I told you I had this!”
“Sure you did, and I could see how well you were doing, but it’s the gentleman in me. I have to help. Standing behind you, while the view was nice, wasn’t something I could do when clearly you need my superior strength.
“I’m wearing baggy jeans, there is no view.” Lani refused to admire his really nice butt in jeans. Worn and molded, they fit to perfection. Nice long legs and big feet in worn sneakers. Two large, tanned hands gave her boot a tug, and it came free with ease. Hands that had sent her to places she’d never been before.
“I know what your butt looks like under those fashion disasters.”
“I loosened it for you,” Lani muttered, refusing to blush at his words. “And there is nothing wrong with my jeans.”
“Shame the heel didn’t snap off.” He was inspecting the wide, squat heel of her sensible boots.
“What? Why?” She reached for it, but he lifted it above his head.
“It’s ugly, and a fashion crime.”
“I like them. Now give it back.”
He dropped to one knee and held out her boot.
“Stop that!” Lani snapped. “What are you doing?”
“I was being polite.”
“Whatever. I’m not the Cinderella type.”
He climbed to his feet with ease, movements graceful. She’d watched him deal with those men that night. He’d used moves that said he knew martial arts. Lani knew how to defend herself and had learned a few moves of her own, but she had a feeling this guy was a great deal more experienced than her… in many aspects of life.
“So are you going to see Mrs. C?”
