Page 86 of Love on the Run

“Hello.”

“Hey. We’re finished with dinner. Did you eat anything?”

“Yeah. I had a sandwich at Stories and Scones. Jan can make more than cakes and cookies.”

Anna chuckled, imagining Jan doting on Beau like a mother. “She’s so sweet.”

“Don’t tell her, but I’ve missed Olivia this week. Ihaven’t had to think about what I would eat for lunch and dinner for years.”

Even though Beau was the elder sibling, Olivia had taken it upon herself to care for him after their mom died. It was Liv’s way of keeping her mother’s memory alive. Beau occasionally complained about his sister taking care of him like a mom, so it was good to know Liv’s efforts were appreciated.

“I won’t tell a soul. Where are you?”

Before he could answer, her car pulled up to the sidewalk where she was walking away from the restaurant. Beau ended the call and reached over the console to open her door.

“Curbside service. I like it,” Anna said as she slipped into the passenger seat.

Beau pinned her with a wicked grin. “Ready for some fun?”

Adrenaline tingled just beneath her skin. Beau’s idea of fun was sometimes different from hers, but she was coming to trust him. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Fifteen minutes later, Beau parked in front of an old warehouse with a dilapidated sign on the front of the building. The place wasn’t run down, and the wear on the sign was clearly intentional.

“Rage Room?” Anna asked.

Beau shifted into park and his smile grew. “Have you ever wanted to smash something before?”

“Um. No.” It was the truth. Most of her emotionsweren’t allowed to see the light of day. Anger was the number one no-no.

“You’re telling me you didn’t want to punch Dean in the face last week?”

Maybe she’d wished some kind of physical pain on him when Misty had gone on and on about their affair or when he’d gotten mad at Anna for leaving despite his infidelity.

“Okay. I’ll admit it. I had some very unkind thoughts about him.”

Beau jerked his head toward the building. “Let’s go let it out.”

Before she could really wrap her head around what Beau was suggesting, he was out of the car and opening her door. She followed Beau through the registration process, then an intimidating woman with an eyebrow piercing and arms covered in ink led them to a room filled with junk.

“You have thirty minutes,” the woman said before closing the door on her way out.

“What do we do?” Anna asked. Vases, plates, old tires, and lamps were spread out around the room, while hammers, axes, and bats hung from the walls. A punching bag dangled from the ceiling, and a few logs were turned up on their ends.

Beau handed her a helmet, gloves, and goggles. “Whatever you want.” He put on his equipment before picking up a wooden baseball bat andpointing it at an ugly, oversized table lamp. “This one is Dean’s head.”

Beau lifted the bat over his shoulder and swung, sending shards of the lamp flying toward the wall in a loud crash.

The sound alone stole Anna’s breath. He really smashed it. The lamp was reduced to dozens of jagged pieces.

Beau stretched his neck to one side, then the other. “That was fun.” He handed her the bat, and she took the heavy weapon in her gloved hands.

“I can’t just hit something like that,” she said, gesturing to the non-existent lamp.

“Why not?” Beau asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because it feels wrong.”

“It’s wrong to trash our hotel room.” Beau held his arms out to his sides. “It’s perfectly okay to let it out here.”

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