Page 14 of Justified Lies

Oddly, Tim’s gaze was on Lianna’s back and the look on his face looked very much like panic.

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Lianna heard the alarm chirp, announcing Gabe was opening the door that led from the garage to the mud room.

“Lianna?”

“Come in.”

She offered permission again, hoping he would accept this time. Gabe had insisted that he finish the clean-up job and she was thankful. Lianna had used the time to change and start the laundry. She added two extra rinse cycles, just to make sure the raccoon bits would really be washed away.

“I wanted to let you know I’ve finished cleaning up the raccoon, but I need to talk to you before I take off,” Gabe said.

Damn it.She could tell he had barely taken a step inside the house based on the volume of his voice.

“Hold on.” She pushed up from the kitchen island where she had just taken a sip of the mint tea she brewed to calm her nerves.

When she reached the mud room, he was leaning over the sink drying his calloused hands. Looking up he said, “I wore the gloves, but after a job like that it takes days to feel clean again.”

“Gabe, thank you so much, I really appreciate this.” She needed him to know how grateful she really was for this intrusion.

“No problem,” he muttered, focusing on getting the wet towel into the garbage.

“I’m so sorry I had to bug you again.”

“Will you stop with that? You aren’t bugging me.”

She nodded and they both lapsed into silence.

“He wasn’t old.”

“Who?”

“Your neighbor. I thought you said they were older?”

“Well, older than me.” She shrugged.

Gabe’s eyes watched Lianna carefully as he asked the next question. “Are you friendly with Tim?”

“No, well, I guess yes, but not because I want to be.”

She went on when Gabe looked at her questioningly. “If I’m being completely honest with you, he seems to get annoyed when I reject his help. I pick my battles, and it’s just easier to appease him. Tim might be a little weird, but he usually is helpful.”

“Don’t let him in the house.”

“He doesn’t come in the house,” she countered defensively.

“Something is off with him. If I see him on your property again, I’ll make it clear he isn’t welcome.”

“That’s a little extreme.”

“Why are you so defensive when it comes to this guy?”

She was defensive, because a few weeks ago, the same morning she had found him on her porch, startling her, Tim had also gripped her arm to steady her. When she told him she was okay, merely caught off guard, he had drawn her closer. If she hadn’t pulled away his mouth appeared to be on a collision course with hers. Instead, she had leaned down to pick up the paper then muttered an excuse and fled into the house. Gabe didn’t need to know all of that. It made Lianna uncomfortable even remembering it. Made her wonder if she had done anything unknowingly to encourage his advances.

“I’m not defensive. I am a single woman living alone with two kids. Did it ever occur to you that I may need his help?”

“Just ask me!”

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