“Good. And don’t forget I’m not rich anymore. In fact I’ve got a meeting to get to.” But she didn’t want to just leave him alone in the parking lot. “Are you going to be okay?”
His finely sculpted lips tightened. “No. And yes.” Then he grudgingly added, “Thank you.”
He seemed so lost standing next to his flashy Porsche with his hands in his pockets that she almost offered up her number if he ever needed to talk. But that might give him the wrong idea, and Lord knew she didn’t need the complication right now.
“You’re welcome. And again, I’m so sorry,” she said with a sad little smile before turning and heading to her car. She hoped putting a few miles between them would shake her melancholy mood, but Brandon’s simmering grief was still on her mind as she pulled into the alley behind BUILD to discovered a man standing on a ladder next to the building’s rear entrance. The back of his gray coveralls readRiver Town Security.
“Can I help you?” she called up after she’d parked.
“Just finishing my installation.” He lifted the brim of his hat with his screwdriver, then used it to tap the small white floodlight unit above the door.
Faith stepped closer and squinted up at it. “I didn’t order this.”
He shrugged and turned back to his work. “Somebody did. This was the address for the job.”
She frowned up at him, wondering which of her staff might’ve authorized a purchase like this without running it past her. Elaine, maybe? As she was considering who to talk to about it, the man in the overalls flew down the ladder and landed lightly on the ground next to her.
“This baby’s start of the art,” he said. “Motion sensors linked to a terminal inside the office and an app on your phone so you can always see who’s coming and going. And it’ll light up the whole alley after dark.”
Her heart gave a little flip as realization dawned, and after the security guy headed inside to make sure the monitor was hooked up properly, she grabbed her phone and tapped a number.
“Hey.”
Was it her imagination, or did Leo’s voice sound a tiny bit warmer than normal?
“Hey yourself. Did you send someone to install a security camera at BUILD?”
“Of course,” he said promptly. “I told you, it’s too dark when you come and go at night.”
Her heart flipped again. So many chest calisthenics over this man. “You didn’t need to do that.” She tried to sound disapproving and missed by a mile.
“I absolutely did.”
“Th-thank you.” She wasn’t sure why she stumbled over the simple words. All he’d done was notice her surroundings, get concerned for her safety, and proactively do something about it. No big deal.
“You’re welcome, Dutch.” And then he hung up, leaving her grinning in the alley.
SIXTEEN
“Headed out?”
Savannah’s cheerful voice stopped Leo in his tracks as he was walking through the main office toward the exit.
“Uh, yeah.” He was suddenly grateful that he hadn’t pulled off his tie and rolled up his sleeves yet. “Jobs Inc. and then maybe BUILD too.”
Definitely BUILD too, but he didn’t need to sound too eager. His whole approach to the job had changed after that transformative day at the Knit Nook. If his overseas colleagues spent their time working directly with the people involved in their grants, then so would he. For every three hours he spent in a meeting, he was trying to spend three hours with the people those meetings were intended to help. He’d visited Char again on Monday to box up another big shipment, and the Hamouds always needed volunteers to help with laundry, cleaning, cooking, and serving meals at their facility, so he tried to swing by at least twice a week.
He’d actually been at Jobs Inc. the day before, helping rearrange the computer lab to get it ready for a training workshop on spreadsheet software, and he’d promised to swing by today to move all the equipment back into place. As for BUILD, he hadn’t been by since William had started working there, but he had an actual idea he wanted to float past his friend. It was a decent excuse for him to pay a visit, as opposed to his usual low-grade longing to just stop in.
“Can I say that I love how much time you’re spending with your projects?” Savannah glanced over her shoulder, confirming that their boss’s office door was shut and Darla was busy on a call. Still, she lowered her voice. “It’s so great to have the foundation be a little more visible in all parts of Beaucoeur instead of just the…”
“The country-club set?” he suggested.
“Yep. We’re good for more than just the open bar at the foundation gala.” She snapped her fingers as a thought struck her. “Speaking of, don’t forget to invite your grant recipients. The gala’s for all Digham employees who’ve supported our programs throughout the year, and it’s a great opportunity for them to see how they could get involved next year.”
Leo had received and promptly ignored the informational email about the November black-tie event. A fancy hotel ballroom party was about as far away from his POR experience as he could imagine, so he hadn’t wasted any time trying to imagine it. But he’d apparently have to navigate it with Faith in attendance, probably in some kind of dress that would drive him to distraction all night.
But of course his response to Savannah was a quick, “Sure thing.”
