“It sounds like a man doing his job.”
“Or a man who’s terrified of losing you again.”Simone stood, smoothing her hands over her slacks.“I don’t know the whole story—I’m sure there’s plenty neither of you have shared.But I know what it looks like when two people are fighting against the very thing they want most.And right now, you both look like you’re drowning.”
Before Mia could respond, the sound of vehicles pulling up outside drew their attention.Through the window, she could see Blaze’s sheriff’s vehicle, followed by Ryder’s truck.
“That’ll be the crew,” Simone said, moving toward the door.“Now, we’ve got work to do.And while we work, you’re going to tell me about this Zeke McBride and why you look at him like he hung the moon and broke your heart all at once.”
* * *
By the third day, Pawn to Queen had begun to look like something other than a disaster zone.The broken glass had been swept up, the shelves had been repaired and restocked with donated items, and the front counter—which had taken the worst of the damage—had been reinforced.
Mia was sorting through a box of costume jewelry when the bell over the temporary door chimed.She looked up to find Raven O’Hara carrying two large shopping bags and a determined expression.
“I brought lunch from The Lampstand,” Raven said, setting the bags on the counter.“And before you argue, Simone’s orders.She said you’ve been skipping meals.”
“I’ve been busy,” Mia said, but she couldn’t deny the savory aroma wafting from the bags made her stomach growl.
Raven smiled.“That’s what I told her you’d say.She told me to sit here until you ate.So…” She pulled out containers of what looked like chicken and dumplings, fresh bread, and chocolate cake.“We’re both stuck.”
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, sitting on stools behind the counter.Raven had an easy way about her—elegant but approachable, the kind of woman who could run a boutique and still pitch in to help clean up broken glass without complaint.
“This is delicious,” Mia said.“Please tell Simone thank you.”
“Tell her yourself when you come to Sunday dinner.”Raven paused.“You are coming, aren’t you?She invited you.And when Simone invites you to Sunday dinner, it’s not really optional.”
Mia felt a flutter of panic.“I don’t want to intrude on family time.”
“Trust me, one more person won’t make a difference.Last count, there were going to be about twenty-five of us.”Raven laughed at Mia’s expression.“I know.It’s a lot.But you get used to it.Eventually.”
“How long have you been married to Wyatt?”
“Fifteen years now.I’ve been in love with him since high school.”Raven’s expression softened, a small smile playing at her lips.“Feels like yesterday and forever at the same time.”
“That must be nice,” Mia said quietly.“Having that kind of stability.”
“It is now.”Raven set down her fork, meeting Mia’s eyes directly.“But it wasn’t always.Wyatt’s DEA—works out of the same field office as Zeke.They’ve known each other for years, worked cases together.A few years ago, we almost lost everything because of the secrets that came with his work.”
Mia’s throat tightened.“What happened?”
“He was working deep undercover and couldn’t tell me.Operational security, classified information—all the things that make sense intellectually but tear you apart emotionally.”Raven picked up a piece of bread, but didn’t eat it.“I spent months thinking he was having an affair.The late nights, the distance, the way he’d come home smelling like cigarette smoke even though he doesn’t smoke.I was convinced he was with another woman.”
“But he wasn’t.”
“No.He was risking his life to take down a drug operation, and he couldn’t tell me because the more I knew, the more danger I was in.”Raven’s smile turned sad.“The irony is that keeping me in the dark almost cost him everything anyway.I gave him two weeks to explain or I was leaving.”
“How did you get through it?”
“Honestly?It got worse before it got better.The people he was investigating came after me to get to him.He saved my life, and in doing so, had to blow his cover and tell me everything.”Raven finally took a bite of bread, chewing thoughtfully.“Turns out knowing the truth—even a terrible truth—is easier than living with silence and suspicion.”
“But you stayed together.”
“We did.Because underneath all the hurt and anger and fear, we still loved each other.And more importantly, we were finally willing to fight for what we had instead of just protecting ourselves.”Raven reached across to squeeze Mia’s hand.“Blaze told me you and Zeke have history.That you were together before.”
“Three years ago,” Mia admitted.“Before I moved here.”
“And now he’s back.”Raven’s expression turned knowing.“Wyatt mentioned Zeke filed his retirement paperwork from undercover operations.Said it caused quite a stir at the field office—Zeke’s one of their best.”
Mia knew that already.It was one of the things that scared her.
