Melinda Di Lorenzo - Undercover Passion

“One unplugged toilet doesn’t make me a handyman,” he assured her.

“There was also the picture frame.”

“I caught it before it fell. That wasn’t handy. That was lucky.”

“But then you hung it back up again more securely.”

“I think you just have low standards.”

She laughed. “Even if that’s true, I’ll never admit it.”

They argued good-naturedly about it the rest of the way up, with Liz compiling a list of tasks Harley had completed for her since the flood had forced him from his rental unit in town. In their shared hallway above the shop, Harley finally lifted his hands in mock defeat.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll let you have this one. I’ve been mildly helpful since I’ve been stuck here.”

“Good. I hope you’ll continue to be mildly helpful for the duration of your stay.”

“If you need anything, you just let me know.”

“I will.”

He continued to stand there for a second, looking for a reason to continue the conversation. Thoughts of the hooded figure in the street below nagged at him and kept him from simply turning and walking through his own door. There’d been genuine fear on Liz’s face when she’d seen him. That alone was enough of an excuse to prolong their interaction.

Too bad you can’t just ask outright what it was that scared her.

A direct approach would’ve been smoother. Easier. A glance toward Teegan—who was hanging off the door handle with a bored look on her face—reminded Harley that even if he had been at liberty to ask, he wouldn’t have done it. That didn’t mean he felt right about just letting the little girl and her mother disappear into their apartment alone.

Will asking if they currently have any loose floorboards seem like a put-on?

He shifted from foot to foot, but no subtle segue came to mind. Not one that didn’t sound like a line, anyway.

“Well,” he finally said. “I guess this is good-night?”

He thought Liz looked a little disappointed, too. “I guess it is.”

“So.”

“So.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

“Good niiiiiiiight,” Teegan sang, breaking the awkwardness in the air.

Harley grinned, and Liz laughed, then tugged her kid close.

“We’ll probably see you tomorrow?” she said.

“Here’s hoping,” Harley said back.

As he turned to go, though, another worry occurred to him. What if Liz’s fear wasn’t limited to the man outside? What if it carried over into her home? Or worse. What if the hooded figure wasn’t alone, and the danger as well as the fear carried over?

After a nanosecond of consideration, he decided he didn’t care. Even though he’d only known the woman a short time—and in spite of the fact that her alliances in Whispering Woods were under his own scrutiny—he had an obligation to keep her safe.

Not just because it’s her. Because of the general protect-and-serve thing.

He rolled his eyes inwardly at his own need for reassurance, then started to turn back, a lie about hearing a knocking in the pipes springing to mind— and where was that ten seconds ago?— but Liz spoke first.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Your phone.”

He frowned for a second before remembering his claim about dropping it somewhere in the hall. “Oh. Right.”

It wasn’t an invitation in, but at least it bought him another minute or two.

“Maybe that exhaustion is affecting your short-term memory,” Liz teased.

“More than likely.”

She gestured to the kid. “Come on, Teegs. Help Mr. Maxwell look for his phone.”

The little girl executed a perfect eye roll. “Mom. It’s a tiny hallway.”

Harley stifled a laugh. “Yeah, but I’m old, so my eyesight’s bad. You know I wear glasses when I’m sculpting, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, I need your eagle eyes. Or I’ll probably never find it.”

“Fine.”

Teegan made a big production of dropping to the ground and squinting at the carpet.

“Do you want me to describe it to you?” Harley asked, amused by her antics.

“I know what a phone looks like. Duh.”

Liz sighed. “Sorry. I don’t know where she gets the attitude from.”

Harley swiped his hand over his mouth to cover his smile. “She must be a future artist. We’re all full of bad attitudes, aren’t we?”

“I wish that particular bad attitude had been passed down from me to her,” said the pretty brunette. “But sadly, this one has it in her head that she should do something science-y.”

“That’s not a word, Mom.”

“Of course it’s not.”

“It actually makes you sound really un -science-y when you say it,” Harley added.

“Ugh! You guys are—”

“The grown-ups?” Liz lifted an eyebrow at the kid, then smiled. “Or close enough, anyway.”

“Guess that’ll have to do.” He paused, then prepared to drop the lie about the knocking in the pipes, but once again, she spoke first.

“Beef stew,” she said.

He felt his brow furrow. “Uh?”

Liz laughed. “Sorry. Apparently, I’m terrible at inviting a man for dinner.”

Relief—and true pleasure—rushed in, and he grinned. “Lucky for you, I’m very good at accepting poorly executed dinner invitations.”

“I won’t even make you clean up,” she teased.

He cast a rueful look down. “Whoops.”

He’d forgotten about the fact that he was wearing “work” clothes. In addition to providing him with a good excuse to stick close to Liz, Harley’s cover story had also given him a chance to do something he hadn’t done in far too long. Create a small amount of actual art. And he was enjoying it. As was evidenced by the mess on his T-shirt and jeans.

“I can get changed,” he offered, hoping she’d say no.

Thankfully, she shook her head. “And miss the chance to have evidence of a real artist in my house? No way. Don’t worry about your shoes, either. The only place we don’t wear them is in the bedroom. Old carpet.”

“Gotcha.”

“ Now can we go inside?” Teegan pleaded.

“Now we can,” her mom agreed, then turned to Harley. “Unless you want to keep looking for the phone?”

He feigned a groan. “You know what? I just remembered that I stuck it in my back pocket.”

“In your pocket?” said Teegan. “Isn’t that where it usually goes?”

“Not for me, smarty-pants. I keep it in my coat. Which I’m not wearing, because someone insisted we hurry.”

Liz laughed, seemingly unaware that the lost phone had been a ruse. “Okay, you two. I’m going inside. You can stay out here and fight, or you can come in with me.”

“In!” said Teegan right away.

“Same,” Harley agreed with a wink.

He tensed a little as Liz moved to stick her key in the door handle, but the click of the lock reassured him enough that he kept down an urge to push his way through first in the name of safety. The dimness inside was reassuring, too, as was the evident tidiness when Teegan reached up to turn on the light. All were signs that no one had broken in or left in a hurry.

Unless he’s a very practiced stalker.

Harley gritted his teeth at his habitual detective brain. Liz didn’t seem worried about letting her daughter barrel through into the apartment, and she was the one who’d seemed so scared outside. He knew he could take his cues from her. Whatever her affiliation with Garibaldi, he couldn’t imagine—not for a second—that she’d put her daughter in harm’s way.

Okay, Detective Maxwell, he said to himself, time to stow away the mental badge and be a little more Harley-the-artist. At least until the beef stew is done.