her for the break-in and the loss of inventory. Illogical, but that’s the way it would have been. Luke didn’t think she was stupid.
“Thank you.”
“Let me go check on the crew, see how things are going.”
“Okay.”
She should call her parents. And Rachel and Leanne.
Not right now. She’d do that tomorrow, after she passed out and slept off this nightmare. If she called her mother right now, she’d rush right over and want to baby or pamper her, and she wouldn’t be able to handle that smothering kind of love. She felt inept enough as it was.
“We’re clear here. And I fixed your back door,” Luke said when he came back into her office.
Her brows lifted. “You did?”
“Yeah. One of the guys ran to the all-night hardware store and bought a replacement lock.” He handed her the keys.
“Here are your keys.”
“Thank you for doing that. I need to clean up in here.”
He swept his thumb over her cheekbone. “You look about ready to fall on your face.”
“Okay, you’re right about that.”
“Besides, your insurance company will want to come in and assess the damage before you clean up.”
“You’re right about that, too. I called them and they’re coming out in the morning.”
“Then you can clean up after they finish taking photos. Right now you need to go home and get some sleep.”
She squinted at him. “Did my mother call you?”
He laughed. “Definitely not. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
Everyone had cleared out, so it was just her and Luke. She grabbed her dogs, set the alarm, herded Daisy out the door, and grabbed Annie’s carrier, making sure the door was set to lock when she closed it. Part of her wanted to stay there all night and guard her dream.
“It’s going to be all right, Emma. He won’t be back.”
“The logical part of me knows this. But everything I have is tied up in this business.”
“We’ll make sure to drive by several times tonight.”
She turned to him. “I’d appreciate that a lot. Thank you.”
“Put your menagerie in the backseat of the cruiser and I’ll drive you across the street to your car.”
“Okay.”
She climbed in the front. “I’ve never been in a police car before.”
“Good to know,” he said with a wry grin.
She laughed, and it felt good to let out a little of the tension she’d held inside. He pulled across the street, bypassing the cones that had been set there by the road crews. When he stopped next to her car, she turned to him.
“Thank you, Luke. I feel like I’ve said it a hundred times already tonight. But thank you for getting here so fast.”
He smiled at her, that quirky, off-kilter grin that made her stomach do flip-flops. “It’s my job.”
“You’re very good at it.”
“I’ll follow you home.”
“Oh, no, don’t do that. I’m fine, really.”
“When I got to the clinic, you were terrified. So don’t tell me you’re fine.”
“I might have been a little freaked out to think someone had broken in. But I’m better now.”
“Okay. Have a good rest of the night, Emma.”
She got out and transferred the dogs to her car, started toward the driver’s door, then realized Luke was still there. She walked over to the police car. He rolled down the window and she leaned over.
“You’re following me home anyway, aren’t you?”
“Yup.”
She smiled and pushed off his car. For some reason, she didn’t mind that as much as she thought she would.
Chapter 5
JUST AS EMMA suspected, the topic of the break-in was a popular subject at Sunday dinner.
Her mother had been frantic when Emma had called her and told her about it, even though Emma had assured her it had been a random break-in, and the guy had likely been looking for a quick drug score. But her mother worried. A lot.
Understandable, given what Emma had been through in the past and how powerless her parents had felt.
“Emma, are you sure this isn’t related to . . . you know?” her mother asked as they sat at the
“Thank you.”
“Let me go check on the crew, see how things are going.”
“Okay.”
She should call her parents. And Rachel and Leanne.
Not right now. She’d do that tomorrow, after she passed out and slept off this nightmare. If she called her mother right now, she’d rush right over and want to baby or pamper her, and she wouldn’t be able to handle that smothering kind of love. She felt inept enough as it was.
“We’re clear here. And I fixed your back door,” Luke said when he came back into her office.
Her brows lifted. “You did?”
“Yeah. One of the guys ran to the all-night hardware store and bought a replacement lock.” He handed her the keys.
“Here are your keys.”
“Thank you for doing that. I need to clean up in here.”
He swept his thumb over her cheekbone. “You look about ready to fall on your face.”
“Okay, you’re right about that.”
“Besides, your insurance company will want to come in and assess the damage before you clean up.”
“You’re right about that, too. I called them and they’re coming out in the morning.”
“Then you can clean up after they finish taking photos. Right now you need to go home and get some sleep.”
She squinted at him. “Did my mother call you?”
He laughed. “Definitely not. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
Everyone had cleared out, so it was just her and Luke. She grabbed her dogs, set the alarm, herded Daisy out the door, and grabbed Annie’s carrier, making sure the door was set to lock when she closed it. Part of her wanted to stay there all night and guard her dream.
“It’s going to be all right, Emma. He won’t be back.”
“The logical part of me knows this. But everything I have is tied up in this business.”
“We’ll make sure to drive by several times tonight.”
She turned to him. “I’d appreciate that a lot. Thank you.”
“Put your menagerie in the backseat of the cruiser and I’ll drive you across the street to your car.”
“Okay.”
She climbed in the front. “I’ve never been in a police car before.”
“Good to know,” he said with a wry grin.
She laughed, and it felt good to let out a little of the tension she’d held inside. He pulled across the street, bypassing the cones that had been set there by the road crews. When he stopped next to her car, she turned to him.
“Thank you, Luke. I feel like I’ve said it a hundred times already tonight. But thank you for getting here so fast.”
He smiled at her, that quirky, off-kilter grin that made her stomach do flip-flops. “It’s my job.”
“You’re very good at it.”
“I’ll follow you home.”
“Oh, no, don’t do that. I’m fine, really.”
“When I got to the clinic, you were terrified. So don’t tell me you’re fine.”
“I might have been a little freaked out to think someone had broken in. But I’m better now.”
“Okay. Have a good rest of the night, Emma.”
She got out and transferred the dogs to her car, started toward the driver’s door, then realized Luke was still there. She walked over to the police car. He rolled down the window and she leaned over.
“You’re following me home anyway, aren’t you?”
“Yup.”
She smiled and pushed off his car. For some reason, she didn’t mind that as much as she thought she would.
Chapter 5
JUST AS EMMA suspected, the topic of the break-in was a popular subject at Sunday dinner.
Her mother had been frantic when Emma had called her and told her about it, even though Emma had assured her it had been a random break-in, and the guy had likely been looking for a quick drug score. But her mother worried. A lot.
Understandable, given what Emma had been through in the past and how powerless her parents had felt.
“Emma, are you sure this isn’t related to . . . you know?” her mother asked as they sat at the
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