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The stench of ash and ruin permeated Blake’s clothes and clung to his hair as he walked with Paradise back toward the main

house. “I’d be glad to take you to Foley to buy a few things.”

The only comfort he could offer was to try to meet her physical needs. Nothing had survived the fire—not clothing, toiletries,

or personal belongings. He fully expected her to turn down the help, but her eyes held more vulnerability than he’d ever seen

and she nodded. “I’d appreciate it, but I’d rather not face the hubbub of Foley. Could you take me to Pelican Harbor? I’m

not sure I could focus enough to drive. I can’t think of what all I need.”

“I’m good at lists. I buy supplies for the park all the time. Let me tell Mom we’re heading out. She’s searching for the insurance

papers and other documents she needs for the police.” He didn’t want to think about what the fire meant for the refuge. Insurance

money could be tied up a long time with the reality of arson hanging over the settlement. He wanted to think no one in town

would believe any of them had set fire to the cottage, but he knew how fast rumors could spread in a small town.

She stopped and put her hand to her mouth. “I started to say I’d get my purse, but it’s gone. I have no ATM card, no credit cards, no cash.”

He checked the impulse to tell her he’d buy her things. Paradise had never been one to accept financial help. She was fiercely

independent. “What bank are you using?”

The stress lines around her mouth eased. “You’re right. See, I can’t think. I would have gone to town by myself and come right

back without anything.” She named her bank, a national one.

“There’s a branch in Pelican Harbor. You can get a new debit card and withdraw some cash from your account too.”

He handed her the keys. “Start my truck and get in out of the wind.” He felt sweaty and sticky from standing near the heat,

but if she couldn’t shower and change, he wouldn’t either.

He told his mother what they were doing, and she nodded. “I think we’re in trouble, Blake. We won’t have funds to rebuild

the cottage until the insurance money comes through. We promised Paradise lodging as part of her pay, and I have nowhere to

put her.”

He thought through their options. “She can have my studio over the garage. I can bunk with the boys, sleep on an air mattress

on their floor.”

“You could sleep on the full-size bed that’s the bottom bunk, and Levi can take the top bunk. Isaac can sleep with me. He

does half the time anyway.” Amusement lit her eyes. “Though be prepared for them to fight over getting to sleep with you.”

“True enough.” They already took turns getting to stay with him in his tiny apartment.

“I’ll let the boys know you’ll be staying in their room as soon as I deliver the documents to the detective.”

“Do you know how the policy reads?”

“Not yet.” She tucked her dark hair behind her ears and turned back toward the files. “I think we can prove we had nothing to do with it. You were in town with McShea, and the boys and I were with other employees.”

He hadn’t thought of alibis, and a load lifted from his shoulders. Maybe it wouldn’t take as long as he thought. “I’m going

to take her to Pelican Harbor. There are more shops there than in Nova Cambridge, and she doesn’t want to go to Foley.” He

left his mother digging through the files and went out to his truck.

Paradise was in the passenger seat with her head back and her eyes closed. His chest squeezed at the dampness on her cheeks.

No family, no close friends here. Did she have close friends in Montgomery? She’d always been closed off with shields firmly

in place. Her one friend, Abby Dillard, now a McClellan, lived in Pelican Harbor and worked at the bank. He should give her

a call and let her know Paradise was back.

She opened her eyes and caught him staring. His face heated, and he went around to the driver’s side and slung himself under

the steering wheel. “Mom mentioned we had good alibis, so I hope insurance will kick in right away. Make sure you keep your

receipts. That’s one thing Mom insisted on—replacement insurance. I thought it was silly to spend the money for that, but

she was right.”

She leaned her head against the window. “I’ve got enough in the bank to buy what I need for now. I’m not high maintenance.”

“You never have been. Any special shop you like?”

“I don’t know what’s still around. Is Island Bling still there?”

The women’s apparel shop was the largest in Pelican Harbor. “Sure is. Not that I’ve ever been inside. Nothing tall enough.”

She smiled at his pathetic attempt at a joke. “I won’t make you go inside. You can sit on a park bench or go find a sporting

goods place.”

“I think I can manage my first visit.”

She turned to stare out the window and said nothing the rest of the drive into town. The stop at the bank proved easy even with no ID. Her old school friend Abby had fixed her up with a debit card and cash in hand.

He parked in the small lot next to Island Bling and followed her inside. She went straight to the jeans stacked on tables.

He wandered to the tees and took a hunter-green one with Big Al, the University of Alabama elephant mascot, on the back to

show her. “This would go well with your coloring. A small, right? I think it would fit.”

She eyed him. “What do you know about coloring and clothing?”

“I’ve got eyes and notice things.” He laid the tee on the stack of jeans. “Give it a try.”

She shook her head, but the hint of a smile hovered on her lips and a bit of the sadness in her eyes ebbed. With several more

tops in her stack, she stepped into a dressing room while he poked through the display of purses. She wasn’t the fancy-purse

type, and he spotted a small bag with a zipper that opened with room for cards, ID, and money. Its brown pebbly finish felt

like real leather, and the price seemed to reflect that. She’d never want to spend that much for a purse, but in an impulsive

move, he took it to the cashier and paid for it. He took it out to the truck and tossed it inside. Once they were heading

home, she couldn’t take it back when he gave it to her.

When he returned to the store, she was at the counter paying for the new items. He counted the outfits. Three jeans, four

shorts, a lightweight jacket, and seven tees. It was a start.

She handed him the large bag. “I’ll meet you in the truck in a few minutes. There’s a lingerie store down the street.”

He took the bag with no complaint. A man could withstand only so much temptation.

***

Look at her—she was in the truck with Blake Lawson and she was being civil to him. The back of Blake’s truck held her new

clothing, toiletries, shoes, and some snacks. He hadn’t mentioned where she would be lodged now that her cabin was toast,

but they likely had an empty one she could claim.

“Oh, wait.” She sat upright. “I forgot to buy a purse.”

He reached for something on the floor and handed her a bag. “I got you one.”

“What? I’ll bet it’s pink.”

“You lose. Here, check it out.”

She opened the bag and reached inside. Her hand touched leather, and she withdrew the cutest purse she’d ever seen. The brown

pebbly finish was just right, and it wasn’t a huge thing she’d have to tote around. “It’s perfect, but you didn’t need to

do that. It feels like real leather.”

“I didn’t ask, but I thought you’d like it.”

Her tongue felt glued to the top of her mouth. She hadn’t expected him to do something like this. “Thank you, Blake. That

was very kind.”

“We can’t have you toting your debit card and cash around in a plastic bag.” He started the truck and pulled out of the parking

lot. “Any other stops before we head home?”

What would he say if she told him the real reason she was here? “Could we go to Nova Cambridge and drive by the old neighborhood?”

“Sure. Feeling nostalgic, or is there another reason?”

She was tired of feeling she was fighting the world. Though she still wanted to hold him at arm’s length, he’d be ready to fight for her. He’d always been one to take up for the underdog in school. His listening skills should have only improved with his years in the Marines. She had to have an ally. The fire had convinced her she couldn’t do this on her own. The idea of finding the man who’d killed her parents had seemed possible until she arrived and found the enemy ensconced in her childhood home. And most friends she remembered from her teens weren’t around any longer. Running into her old friend Abby in the bank had been a stroke of luck, but she had no idea if it was possible to resurrect anything from the past.

Her gaze strayed to Blake’s strong jaw and firm lips. Except for Blake and Jenna. They’d once been the rocks that bolstered

her fragile confidence. She couldn’t truly trust them, but they were at least kindred spirits. They were facing an adversary

too.

She had sensed Blake’s deep regret over their past, but trust came hard to her. She’d been betrayed too many times by too

many people.

“Paradise?”

She blinked and found that Blake had left Pelican Harbor behind. He’d pulled into a stand of oak trees and parked the truck

under lacy strands of hanging moss that gleamed white in the moonlight. “Sorry, I was thinking.”

He ran both front windows down, then shut off the engine. “Tell me why you’re really here. I don’t believe it was because

you needed a job. Accepting help from my family would have been your last choice, not your first thought. Something else drove

you back here, and I don’t believe it was your arm injury.”

Her fingers found the ridge of ugly, painful flesh under the thin fabric of her cotton shirt. Blake had flinched at the sight of the angry red ridges marring her skin. Everyone did, and she used to keep it covered to spare the sensibilities of other people until she decided she couldn’t put on a mask. Her real handicap wasn’t the weakness in her arm—it was the fear that froze her in place when she least expected it.

Blake shifted on the seat. “You can talk to me.”

She exhaled and slumped against the seat. “It all started three months ago, right after my injury. I was on pain pills at

night so I could sleep, but they had a nasty side effect—nightmares. I thought that’s all they were, but they began to happen

during the day. Visions of waking in fear in a dark closet while someone whispered my name on the other side of the door.”

“Memories of that night? You didn’t remember much when we were dating.”

“The doctors thought I blocked them out, and we all agreed it was for the best. There was no benefit to remembering that horrible

night.” She hugged herself and shivered in spite of the heat shimmering in the air. “I cut out the pills because I’d rather

deal with the pain than with the nightmares and sudden slams of memory. But it didn’t help. It was as if once the door was

open, it couldn’t be shut, no matter how hard I tried.”

“Did you try sleeping pills?”

“No. I hate drugs, but that wasn’t the reason. The things I’ve remembered make me feel like I did something that set this

into motion. That somehow it was my fault. And I can’t endure not knowing if it’s true or not. I have to find out what happened

that night, Blake. Ever since I arrived, I feel like someone is watching me. I think it’s the murderer.”

She saw the concern settle over his face. “I’m not crazy, Blake. What if the killer is afraid I’ll remember something? What

if he knows that’s why I’m here and he feels he has to either drive me away or get rid of me? Maybe he set fire to my cottage.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy. You’re a deep thinker and the most sane person I know. What can I do to help?”

His quiet confidence calmed her heart, which had been stuttering with dread. “You and your mom know everyone. Help me find the people who lived on our street and who might remember. Maybe the more I uncover, the more I’ll remember.”

“I’m sure Mom will want to help too.” He started the engine and ran up the windows. “I have a friend in the state police department.

Maybe he can send us a copy of the murder files. You’ll have to prepare yourself for the graphic pictures.”

She shivered. “I’m ready.” Her bravado felt hollow though. She would have to face her worst nightmares.