Page 101 of I'll Keep Her Safe

“Poppy seems great,” he says, coming to sit beside me.

“She is.”

“She’s Bailey’s friend, right?” Kyle asks across the table, but there’s no judgment in his tone. Actually, how does he know that? I shoot him a questioning glance, and he chuckles. “Women love to talk.”

I give a low laugh, taking a swig of my beer. “Yeah, she is. I tried not to let it happen, but…” I shake my head, gazing at my two neighbors. I might not spend as much time with these guys as I’d like, but knowing how they each met their partners, I feel like I can be open. “Honestly, she’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I think… I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“Whoa.” Wes clinks his bottle to mine, grinning. “That’s awesome.”

Kyle nods, reaching across the table to shake my hand. “Congrats, man.” His mouth hooks into a sly grin. “You’re going to love married life.”

I chuckle. “Thanks. We just have to tell my daughter.”

“Ah.” Wes nods in understanding. “Well, my advice is to do it sooner rather than later. The longer you leave it, the worse it gets.”

“Agreed,” Kyle says solemnly. “It’s never fun having to tell someone who’s completely clueless as to what’s going on, but in my experience, they usually come around once they see how happy you are.”

Wes gives me a wry smile. “And you look pretty damn happy.”

I laugh, if only to disguise the anxiety needling me. It’s been a while since Poppy and I officially got together. Have we waited too long? I think about the future I want with her in that big house, and an idea sprouts in my mind.

“I might have some work for you,” I say to Kyle. His eyebrows lift in interest. “You know that big brownstone across the street at number seven?”

Kyle nods, and Wes says, “That place is beautiful.”

“It is. And the man who used to live there recently left it to me.”

“Shit,” Kyle murmurs in disbelief. “Lucky you.”

“Very lucky,” I agree. “It needs a little work on the upper floors, though. Any chance your crew might free up soon?”

“I’ll have to check with Violet. She runs our schedule.”

“Of course.” I nod. “Let me know.”

“Will do.” He rakes a hand through his dark hair. We sit in silence for a few moments, sipping our beer, listening to the sound of a siren wailing somewhere in the distance. Then Kyle says, “That’s wild about Poppy’s ex. That guy sounds like he could stand to be taken down a notch.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I grit out, unable to hold back as the mention of Kurt stirs anger inside me again. “He emotionally abused her for years, then stole thousands of dollars from her.”

“Jesus.” Wes’s brow creases. “That’s awful. What an absolute dirtbag.”

I blow out a heavy breath, trying to calm down. “Honestly, it’s taken all my energy not to track him down and do something I shouldn’t,” I mutter, as the women reappear on the patio, arms laden with salads and side dishes.

“Track who down?” Violet asks, setting a bowl of potato salad onto the table.

“Poppy’s ex.” Kyle shoots Poppy a sympathetic look.

“You should.” Violet looks at me suddenly, her eyes lighting with vengeful glee. “There must be a way we can make him pay for the trouble he’s caused her.”

“I’ve thought about that too,” Daisy says, as Wes stands to dish up the meat and my veggies. She turns to Poppy. “What does he care about more than anything?”

Poppy snorts into her glass of wine. “Himself.” She thinks for a second, then adds, “His job. He’s always bragging about how he’ll make partner at a big Manhattan advertising agency, but it never happens. It’s all to make himself look good.”

“Perfect,” Violet says fiercely. “So we figure out a way for him to losehisjob.”

“Yes.” I clink my bottle to her wineglass, finally glad to have someone on board with seeking revenge on Kurt. “I like the sound of that. Show him how it feels.”

“But how?” Daisy muses, spooning pasta salad onto Wes’s plate. “What would make him lose his job?”

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