Page 17 of Unpacking Secrets

It would be bad for business to lose him. No matter how much I disliked him, with Gerard also on the inn’s payroll, I knew such a move would have a ripple effect that no one would be pleased with.

Henry studied me, his expression fierce, though it looked like he was struggling to stay calm.

“No,” he said finally.

I threw up my hands. “Fine, that’s settled. Can I go now?”

When he didn’t answer, I moved to open my door.

“Juliet, wait.”

His hand caught my wrist before I could slide into the seat, those long fingers wrapping easily around the delicate bones. For an instant, my attention was caught on the sight of his tan skin against my freckles, then just as quickly, my patience evaporated.

I jerked my arm from his grasp. Part of me noted the shocked expression on his face, but I was too angry to care, so I let the words fly from my mouth.

“From what I can tell, you’re doing a good job at the inn and Nan clearly wanted you there, so I will do my best to tolerate you. But if youevertouch me again, Henry Walker, I will break every bone in your hand. Do you understand me?”

His eyes flew wide at the threat. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw a flash of admiration in them, then he flexed his fingers as though my skin had burned him.

“Message received, loud and clear.”

He backed away from the car, both hands raised. I wasn’t sure if the gesture was meant to calm me down or to protect himself in case I attacked like some kind of feral animal—which was exactly what I felt like at that moment.

I experienced a momentary twinge of guilt for losing my cool as I watched him stomp toward his truck and pull out of the parking lot. When I slid into my seat, I folded my arms on the steering wheel, laying my head down against them.

All of my anger dissipated as quickly as it had flared. Henry could have been a great source of information, but our tempers had now burned that bridge.

I swallowed my regret as I tried to focus on the task at hand. The food smelled amazing and I still had a living room full of boxes to sort through, after all. I drove home in silence, distracted from my earlier enthusiasm by the confrontation with Henry. This was a small town—there would be no chance of avoiding him completely, not even if he did leave his job at the inn.

If I was perfectly honest with myself, I didn’t even want him to quit. Now that I had a plan for the next year, I had no interest in taking over the bookkeeping, nor did I want the hassle of finding a replacement for a job I knew so little about.

Dammit.

All I wanted was to focus on the mystery surrounding my family. The last thing I needed was the hot accountant throwing drama my way.

Once I got back to the cottage, I juggled the takeout in one hand and my keys in the other, hoping dinner would soothe my temper. I reached out to unlock the front door only to realize it was unlatched, a bare half inch gap between the frame and the open door.

Had I forgotten to close it all the way? I could’ve sworn I locked it when I left, but my mind had been swirling with information even after the bath.

My fingers tightened around the key as I pushed the door open and peered into the cottage as though someone might jump out from behind the couch.

Silence greeted me, so I stepped inside and set the food on the kitchen counter. I considered calling the police, or even Gerard, but did I really want to invite even more drama into my life here? The last thing I needed was to be known as the silly little woman who forgot to pull her door fully shut and panicked.

No, I could handle this. I methodically checked every room of the cottage with the keys caught between my fingers like claws, in case I stumbled upon an intruder. Nothing looked out of place or tampered with, no one lurked in the shadows. Everything was exactly as I’d left it.

Between my mom’s warning and my irritating run-ins with Henry Walker, my nerves were getting the best of me. I’d just have to be more careful about locking the door in the future.

Reassured, I sat at the kitchen table and finished the first half of my panini with embarrassing speed. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a moment, then put the other half on my plate and moved to the living room.

I was staring at the sea of boxes, wondering where to start, when my phone rang.

“You are supposed to be enjoying your long-awaited opportunity to travel,” I scolded as I answered the call. “How many times do I need to say this?”

“Andre rolled his ankle on a cobblestone street, so we’re taking a day of rest tomorrow and I’m allowed to stay up late. How’s it going across the pond?”

“Well, the manager of the inn despises me and I might have threatened to break his hand when I picked up my dinner tonight, but other than that, things are swell. I’m surrounded by boxes,again,and I’m not sure I’m going to find any more answers here than I did from my mom’s stuff.”

Sarah was silent for a few seconds before she said, “Uh, can we backtrack to threatening to break his hand?”

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