Page 146 of Renard's Deliverance

“Think it’s something you’d want to try?” Saxon asked.

She wasn’t sure.

Or was she?

“Maybe.” One thing she knew was that she wasn’t jealous as Renard wrapped a blanket around Lex and helped him drink some water. And that was because he looked rather blank as he did it. Not in a mean way, he still cared about Lex.

But not the same way he cared about her.

She got the soft Renard. That wicked smile. The tenderness.

Lex got none of that.

So, yeah. She was okay with this.

“But even if I can’t do it, I can give him this,” she said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Yes, Sir. If he needs it, I want to give it to him. It’s what you do for people you care about.”

“Yeah, honey. It is.”

Renard turned to her and there it was. The tenderness. The care.

She took that look in, capturing it like a photograph in her mind. Because she never wanted to forget.

27

Opal stepped back and looked at the pots filled with marigolds and zinnias.

“Perfection,” she said, ripping off her gloves.

It was late Saturday afternoon. Renard was at work, but he was going to come to her house after he finished. When he slept here, she didn’t seem to have as many nightmares.

Maybe things were moving too fast and her feelings were getting too deep. But she couldn’t seem to put on the brakes.

Especially after Thursday night at the club.

She’d spent a lot of time thinking about that scene she’d watched. And wondering if it was something she wanted.

“Opal! Opal!”

She turned to see Barney waving at her frantically from across the street.

“Barney! What is it?” She stood and looked over at him.

“It’s Aunt Grace!” he cried. “Can you come and help me? She’s fallen over and I’m having trouble waking her.”

“Oh my God! Let me grab my phone to call the ambulance.” Where had she left it?

“I have already. I just . . . I need help . . . I don’t . . . I can’t . . . please!”

“Whoa. It’s okay.” Poor guy was in a complete panic.

She rushed across the road and into the dark house. Jeez. She’d never been in here and it smelled kind of musty. It was filled with dark furniture and most of the drapes were pulled.

It didn’t seem like a healthy or nice place to live.

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