Page 41 of Bennett (HC Heroes #15)

L aurel stepped over a coil of extension cord and followed Brandi toward the back corner of the shop, where two sawhorses and a slab of wood stood in place of the future coffee bar.

“This is where I’d center the espresso machine,” Brandi said, flipping open her planner and angling it toward Laurel. “You’ll have counter space here, storage underneath, and a clean sightline to the register and reading area.”

Laurel nodded, already picturing it. A fun assortment of mugs lined up on hooks, the smell of freshly ground beans drifting through shelves of books. The quiet hum of conversation. A bell over the door. People settling into corners with paperbacks and lattes.

Her space. Her dream.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “This is it. My little caffeine-fueled book kingdom.”

Brandi snorted. “Then we better build you a throne and crown you Queen of Coffee and Chapters.”

She flipped a page in her planner. “You want your loyal subjects to have good lighting while they get lost in a good book, right? Pendant fixtures here and here?”

Laurel grinned. “Perfect, and as long as my throne comes with lumbar support and a secret snack drawer, I’m in.”

Brandi laughed. “I’ll add it to the blueprints.”

Laurel ran her fingers along the rough edge of the unfinished counter. “It’s really happening.”

“Sure is,” Brandi said, closing her planner.

“You’re doing the damn thing, Laurel. I’ll stop by later this week with samples for the signboard and those pendant lights.

” Brandi smiled. “You’ve got good instincts.

We’ll finalize placement for plumbing this week, then I’ll walk the crew through the last electrical runs.

But right now, Queen Laurel, I have two crews and a moody electrician waiting on me three blocks over. ”

Laurel’s heart thumped with a strange mix of pride and disbelief. She wasn’t just daydreaming about a bookstore anymore. She was making it happen, on her terms. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Brandi gave her a wink and adjusted the planner under her arm. “But first, I need to check on the progress upstairs.”

Laurel followed her through the rear hallway and opened the door, the sound of hammering and low voices spilling in from the shared back corridor. “Thanks again, Brandi. For everything.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Brandi grinned. “Let’s make sure the espresso machine doesn’t flood your prep area on day one.”

The designer stepped into the organized chaos, dodging extension cords, sidestepping a rolling cart stacked with tile, and calling out a greeting as she made her way toward the stairwell.

Laurel watched the amazing woman climb the steps, the last of her voice blending into the thudding of boots and tools above. Then she let the door ease shut behind her, and the shop fell quiet again.

Turning around, she walked back into the front of her shop, her heart full and buzzing.

She was still smiling as she stood in the front corner by the windows when a figure moved past outside.

Tall. Dark-haired. Broad-shouldered. Familiar in a way that made her stomach tighten before her brain caught up.

Theo.

Her breath caught. Laurel blinked, stepping closer to the glass. He was already half a storefront down, head slightly lowered, hands in his jacket pockets like he didn’t want to be seen.

But she saw him.

And this time, she wasn’t letting him walk away.

She didn’t hesitate.

Her heart was in her throat when she rushed to the door, then stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Theo!”

He slowed instantly, but didn’t turn.

“Theo Vaughn!” she called again, louder this time.

That did it.

He stopped and slowly turned around, his eyes meeting hers with something between caution and resignation. He didn’t run. Didn’t speak.

“You’ve been watching,” she said as she walked toward him, voice firm. “But now you’re going to talk.”

A pause. Then he glanced past her toward the storefront window.

“Bennett isn’t here,” she told him on a hunch that it was the straw holding him back.

Finally, he gave a single nod. “All right,” he said quietly. “Let’s talk.”

She moved to her door and opened it. “Come in.”

Theo hesitated at the threshold, his gaze scanning the street one more time before he crossed into the shop. Laurel closed the door behind him. The silence stretched as he looked around, taking in the unfinished walls, the sawdust in the corners, the faint scent of fresh wood and paint.

“This yours?” he asked, his voice low.

She nodded. “It will be. Bookstore and coffee bar. First store I’ve ever owned.”

He nodded slowly, like he didn’t quite know what to do with that piece of information. “It suits you.”

She folded her arms, staying a few feet away, needing a few answers. “Why did you help me? Why’re you here?”

And she really needed Bennett not to kill her when he found out what she was doing.

Theo didn’t flinch. “I’m not here to hurt you or your aunt.”

“What are you here for?”

He looked away, jaw tight. “To make something right. Or try to.” His gaze returned and locked on hers. “I didn’t come to cause trouble. I came for Bennett.”

Laurel’s throat tightened. “What does that mean? What could you possibly have to make right with him?”

Theo exhaled slowly, like he’d been bracing for that question since the second he saw her. “I made a mistake. One I’ve been trying to live with for a long time.”

Her chest tightened. “What kind of mistake?”

The guy thrust a hand through his hair, and his troubled gaze looked around like the words might be hiding in the sawdust. “Bennett’s father took the fall for something I did,” he said finally.

Laurel’s heart lurched.

Theo met her gaze again. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. I didn’t ask him to. I didn’t even know my uncle had done it until it was too late. But by then, it didn’t matter. The damage was done.”

“And Bennett blames you.”

Theo gave a bitter huff. “He should.”

Laurel’s heart was thudding now, but she didn’t let it show.

“You came for Bennett,” she repeated. “Why now?”

Theo looked away, jaw tense. “Because I owe him more than silence.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one I can give you right now.” His gaze met hers again, steady this time. “This isn’t your mess, Laurel. But I swear to you, I’m not here to hurt anyone. Especially not him.”

She crossed her arms, unconvinced. “Is that why you’ve been staking out the diner?”

He nodded.

“Then why haven’t you approached him yet?”

“Because I’ve seen him look at you like he might want to stop running. And he appears to be busy trying to keep you safe. Last thing he needs is family drama distracting him right now. Your safety, and whatever’s going on here, is the priority.”

His voice didn’t rise. It was calm, matter of fact—and that made it land even harder.

Laurel stared at him, every instinct on edge. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever his past held, this was true.

“If you want a chance to make things right with Bennett,” she said, “don’t disappear again.”

“I won’t.”

He gave a faint nod and stepped toward the door.

She watched him go, tension still coiled tightly in her chest.

She didn’t move until the door clicked shut behind him. Even then, she stood there for another long moment, staring at the empty space he’d just occupied, heart still pounding.

What the hell had that been?

She’d expected confrontation. Evasion. Maybe even anger. But not…that.

Not remorse.

Not protectiveness.

Not that haunted look in his eyes when he’d talked about Bennett.

Laurel turned back toward the center of the shop, her hands wrapped tightly around her body as if it would stop the ache in her chest. She stared at the space where the coffee bar would go, where people would one day gather and laugh and talk about things far lighter than this.

The buzzing sense of progress and hope from earlier was still there, but it had dulled, edged now with questions and unease.

This was Bennett’s past. His wound. And she’d just stepped straight into the middle of it.

Uninvited.

Uncertain.

But she was not walking away.

The man meant too much to her. So much. The ache in her chest squeezed tighter, sharp and deep.

She hadn’t planned on falling for Bennett. And certainly not this fast.

But it was already too late.

The soft chime of the front door opening pulled her head up. She turned instinctively, expecting Theo to circle back or maybe Bennett returning like he said he would. Her pulse hiccupped with a hopeful little jump.

But it wasn’t Theo who met her gaze.

And it wasn’t Bennett.

The man stepping inside wore jeans and a faded work shirt, sleeves rolled up like he belonged there. But the second her gaze dropped to his hands, every muscle in her body stiffened, and her heart seized.

He had a gun.

Then a sharp, chemical smell hit her a second before her mind registered what he gripped in his other hand.

A red gas can.

Laurel’s pulse slammed into her throat. She didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

The man stepped further inside and closed the door behind him with a quiet click, like he had all the time in the world.

“I couldn’t get to your aunt,” he said, his voice flat, his dark gaze hard and angry. “So you’ll have to do.”