He was much taller close up than he’d appeared through the shop window. And broader in the shoulders. And more tanned. What was most surprising, though, was that he seemed just a little unsure of himself.
“Lauren Stevenson?” he asked cautiously.
She’d come to a stop several feet away and rested her hand on the butcher-block table. “Yes?”
As he studied her more closely, his puzzlement grew. “It’s really strange. You’re not at all as I expected you to be.”
Lauren held her breath for a minute, then asked with a caution of her own, “What had you expected?”
“Someone … well, someone different.”
If he had some connection to her past, she realized, not only was his puzzlement understandable but his tact was commendable. Still, she couldn’t deny her wariness. The man had been staking her out for two days. “Do you know me? Should I know you?”
For the first time, he smiled. It was a self-conscious smile, endearing in its way. “My name’s Matthew Kruger. Matt.” He hestitated for a split second. “I was a friend of your brother’s.”
Lauren wasn’t sure whatshehad expected, but it hadn’t been this. “Brad’s friend?” She was unable to hide either her surprise or her skepticism.
“That’s right. I was with him just after the accident. I’m … sorry about his death.”
“I am, too,” she returned honestly, her brow lightly furrowed as she studied Matthew Kruger. He didn’t quite fit into the mold she’d constructed of Brad and his friends. Strange that she’d never heard of him. Then again, perhaps not so strange. She hadn’t been any closer to Brad before his death than her parents had been. “But … it’s been a year since he died.” Silently she asked herself why this so-called friend of Brad’s had waited this long to contact her.
“I know you weren’t close, but Brad did mention you to me several times, and since I had to come east on business, I thought I’d look you up.”
“What kind of business are you in?”
Another split second’s hesitation. “I’m a builder. The development firm I work for has just contracted to do some work in western Massachusetts. I’m here to set things up—to get the ball rolling, so to speak.”
She nodded. A builder. Given the pale crow’s feet at the comers of his eyes, he was not a builder who directed things from his desk. He was a builder who got his hands dirty. And whose body was well-toned through hard physical labor.Thatshe could associate with the image she’d formed of her brother’s new life and friends, though if her parents’ opinion had been valid, she would have expected someone far coarser. On the surface, at least, Matthew Kruger didn’t appear to be coarse. “Clean and all-American” was a more apt description. Could the surface appearance be deceptive?
“I see,” she said. Then, feeling uncomfortable, she averted her gaze. In truth, she’d known little about her brother and his way of life … and then there was the matter of this man’s physical presence. He intimidated her. “Have you, uh, have you been in Boston very long?”
“A week.”
She nodded.
“I’m staying at the Long Wharf Marriott.”
“If your work is in the western part of the state, wouldn’t it be easier to stay out there?”
“I have been, but our investors are here and there’s some paperwork to do, so I decided to take a few days to sight-see.” When he suddenly looked beyond her, Lauren swung her head around.
“I’m going to lock up,” Beth whispered, darting a curious glance at Matt as she started to pass.
Lauren reached out and caught her arm. “Uh, Beth, this is Matthew Kruger. He is—was—a friend of Brad’s.” Lauren still had her doubts about that, but saying it simplified the introduction. “Matt, Beth Lavin.”
Beth had known Brad Stevenson before he’d struck out on his own, and since she wasn’t a member of his immediate family, she’d been more objective about his departure. Hands clasped tightly before her, she smiled shyly at Matt. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s mine,” Matt said, returning her smile. His gaze quickly grew apologetic when it sought Lauren’s again. “I don’t want to hold you up if there’s something you should be doing now.”
Lauren opened her mouth to say that she really did have work to finish, but Beth spoke first. “Oh, you’re not holding her up. We were pretty much done for the day when you came in. I finished the inventory cards, Lauren. Why don’t you and Matt take off? I’ll close up.”
The last thing Lauren wanted to do was to take off with Matt. She wasn’t convinced he was who he said he was, and even if it was so, they were on opposite sides of a rift. Besides, he hadn’t asked her to “take off” with him.
As though on cue, he did. “How about it, Lauren?” He paused, then took a quick breath. “I heard there was a sunset cruise around the harbor. If we hurry, we can make it.”
“Uh, I really shouldn’t….”
“Go on, Lauren,” Beth coaxed. Subtlety had never been her forte. “You haven’t been out much. It’s a beautiful night. The fresh air will do you good.”
