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“It wouldn’t have been fair to the others.” She blew out a breath. “Noah and the others who help with the bar depend on me. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”

“I can understand that, but you need to take care of yourself as well.” She probably wasn’t aware of how much he watched her. She had a generous heart, and that made her vulnerable.

“I know.” Another sigh escaped her lips. “I’ll do better.”

He squeezed her hand and didn’t comment. Their budding relationship was too new for him to go overboard. When he parked outside her apartment, a group of teenagers was out front on the sidewalk in front of her building. Pretty unusual for after three in the morning. After helping Kaley from the vehicle, he gripped her arm.

“Hey, Frankie. Aren’t you out late?” Kaley said as they walked to the front door.

“I’m fine, Miss Kaley. Just talking,” the young man replied.

“All right, but don’t worry your families.”

“Yes, Miss Kaley,” the group answered.

Anthony held his questions until he’d checked her apartment out. “Those boys out there?”

“They live in the neighborhood. They’re not bad kids, just a little lost.” She yawned.

“Lock up and get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Anthony kissed her, keeping it light. He pulled the door closed behind him and waited until he heard the locks click. Then he walked back outside. There were still three teenagers out there, including the one Kaley called Frankie.

“Are you Miss Kaley’s boyfriend?” Frankie asked.

“Working on it.” His gaze took in the boys. They were clean, and their clothes were typical of teenagers.

“Good. She needs to get out of this neighborhood,” Frankie said. “It isn’t the best place.”

Anthony didn’t like the sound of that. “Problems?”

“Not yet, but you never know, and Miss Kaley is a good person. I try to keep an eye on her. She doesn’t have much, but she’s always feeding us.”

Another piece of the Kaley puzzle. Anthony pulled out his cell phone. “You got a cell?”

“Yeah.”

Anthony gave Frankie his number. “If you ever need anything or you notice Kaley needing help, call me. I don’t care what time of the day or night.”

“Thanks, man.” The three teens wandered off down the street.

Anthony climbed into his SUV. He wanted Kaley to be safe. He couldn’t make her move, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do some upgrades for her. Maybe he and a couple of the guys from the club could have a chat with her landlord about the front door.

Plan forming, Anthony drove home. Tomorrow, or should he say today, was Sunday, and he was looking forward to it.

Chapter Eight

Kaley woke by nine on Sunday. She wasn’t surprised. She’d slept in the club for well over five hours, and once home, she fell into bed and slept another five hours. After eating some cereal, she went to work on her finances. The paperwork for her business was never-ending.

Things were looking good. She sent out confirmations for all her appointments and checked all her equipment. It was just noon. She was at loose ends for the first time in a while. Without thought, she called Anthony. Maybe they could get coffee and talk.

“Well, hello, Kaley. To what do I owe the honor?”

His husky voice sent shivers of awareness through her.

“If you aren’t busy, how about we get a cup of coffee and chat.”

“I’d love that, but I have a standing appointment at one.”

“Oh.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

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