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“I’ll make it up to you next time,” Rosie said.

“There’s no need, honestly.” Lori hugged her gently. She knew where Rosie’s concerns were coming from; childhood experiences could be incredibly difficult to shake as an adult. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said, hoping that would be enough for Rosie to really hear her.

“Promise?” Rosie whispered.

“I promise.” She continued to run her fingers through Rosie’s hair, and she heard the change in her breathing as Rosie drifted to sleep. The exchange reminded Lori that she hadn’t called her own family this week and that she needed to check in. She’d been lucky, a lot luckier than Rosie, with her upbringing. It had been far from normal, but there had never been any shortage of love. And since that was her only source of love right now, she couldn’t afford to neglect it.

CHAPTER SIX

Max walked beside Gabe just as perfectly as he had when they’d been on the job together. When he was out like this, it was hard to reconcile him with the anxious dog who’d emerged from his kennel slowly again an hour ago. He’d come out a little quicker than he had last week, unless she was just imagining that because she wanted it to be true.

She glanced at Lori, who’d taken some convincing to accompany her. She was a beautiful woman, and Gabe wanted to get to know her better. Spending time with Solo and her family over the past week was beginning to show her that settling down after a lifetime of Army service really was possible, and really, what was the harm in trying now that she’d decided to put down roots in Chicago? Even if it didn’t work out, a broken heart couldn’t be as painful as the injuries and scars she’d gotten from the insider attack. Although RB, Woodchuck, and Lightning were doing their best to prove freedom was the perfect way of living with their constant drinking, gaming, and dogging around.

“This really is a beautiful place, Lori, but it’s so big. How do you manage it all?”

Lori smiled brightly. “With a lot of help and a lot of passion.”

“I’ve only seen Beth around. You’ve got more people, right?”

“Of course. But the weekends are quieter, especially Sundays, because we don’t have the field trips,” she glanced up at Gabe, “or any visitors…usually.”

So she’d made an exception for Gabe. That had to be a good sign. “So I’m special?”

Lori laughed lightly. “Max is special, and you said you were going to be busy with your repair shop every other day. You didn’t give me much choice, did you?”

Gabe smiled inwardly; she’d always been a big fan of feisty femmes.

“And since then, there’s the not so small matter of you raising nearly $30,000 for this place.”

“What?” Gabe stopped in her tracks, and Max immediately sat beside her, sinking to his haunches. “What do you mean?”

“You commented on one of Max’s videos on our TikTok.” Lori pulled out her phone and flicked around the screen for a moment before holding it up to Gabe. “Look at the likes and views; it’s our most popular video ever, and we’ve gone viral a few times.”

Gabe peered at the screen. “Is that over three million views? And two hundred thousand comments?”

Lori pocketed her phone and nodded. “That’s not the best thing about it though. After you told everyone what Max had done for his country, a ton of people said they’d donate to the Sanctuary. After that, nearly $20,000 came in within a few hours with notes that referenced that video. It’s closer to $30,000 today.” She touched Gabe’s arm briefly then began to walk again. “So I suppose you are special now.”

A warm glow of pride bubbled up at the knowledge of how much she’d been able to help, and so easily. Being able to help Max felt pretty damn good too, and it must have scored some points—if Lori was keeping count. “That’s great. Do I get a gold star?”

Lori wrinkled her brow. “No, but you do get a not fully decorated cake. I was going to finish icing it while you and Max were on this walk, but you kind of insisted that I come along.”

“Homemade cake?” Gabe pressed her hand to her stomach. “If you make something every time I visit, I’m going to get soft real quick.” She bit back a smile when Lori looked her up and down then blushed. Gabe could get on board with impure thoughts if that’s what had just flashed through Lori’s mind.

“Don’t all beefcakes get cheat days? And I use a mix of sugar and sweetener, so they’re not quite as bad for you.”

Gabe laughed and flexed her bicep. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called a beefcake before.”

Lori prodded Gabe’s upper arm. “With baseballs for biceps, I find that hard to believe.”

“As long as you understand I’ve got some brains to go with the brawn, I won’t be offended.” Although Toni had told Gabe that Lori was gay, she hadn’t gone into detail about the kind of women Lori liked. And while Lori seemed to be impressed with Gabe’s appearance, Gabe had no idea whether that translated into a passing fling or something more substantial. She wanted to make it clear she was more than just a muscle head.

“I’m sure you do.” Lori opened a gate between a long line of trees. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to run a successful business.”

Gabe led Max through the gate and closed it behind them. “It’s not successful yet.”

“But I’m sure it will be. An all-women auto repair garage will be a big draw for a lot of people, I think. Especially women.”

“That’s what we’re hoping for.” Gabe paused as they got to the end of the small walkway, and it opened up into another huge field with a large driveway joining the main road up to Lori’s house. “What do you use that building for?”