Page 17 of Dangerous December (Northern Pines Suspense #8)

A few minutes after Janet’s family returned to the waiting room, an intern appeared at the waiting room door.

“Good news,” he said with a wide smile. “Every last test looks great, and she can be released as soon as we get her discharge papers done. Baby looks fine.”

Beth hugged Janet’s father and sons. “Take good care of her, boys. And tell her not to worry about coming into the bookstore. I’ve got everything covered.”

Out in the parking lot, Beth debated about walking home, but Dev stood at the side of his Jeep, holding the passenger side open for her. With a sigh, she climbed in.

“What are you going to do?” he asked as he slid behind the wheel. “Since Janet won’t be back for a while?”

“Believe me, that’s the least of my worries.”

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

“I offered some part-time hours to Elana. I told her she could bring Cody along and let him read books or do homework while she works, and she’d have a chance to save more money. Perfect all the way around. But she wouldn’t give me an answer.”

“If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t give very good odds on her showing up.”

“I understand why she feels more secure working at the motel. It’s out of the way, and it’s quiet there during the day. There’s less chance of being seen. But this would be a good first step for her—a chance to get used to being out in public more.”

“Maybe so. I just hope there aren’t any deeper reasons for her being scared.”

They fell silent on the way to the bookstore. When Dev pulled to a stop at the curb, he turned to face her. “I feel like I just took a mortar shell to my chest over what happened to you and the baby. I just wish—"

“I was serious, back in the waiting room. I didn’t tell you for sympathy or to make you feel guilty. I guess I finally agreed with my mother—that you had a right to know. Now, I’d better get some work done.”

The idea had seemed perfect. Elana had tentatively agreed to help out.

But when Beth stopped at Sloane House the following afternoon to talk to her about a job at the bookstore, she backed away, twisting her fingers together.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I—I just can’t.”

“But the motel only offers minimum wage, and they don’t give you enough hours each week. Remember when we talked earlier? It means extra money for your school and a chance to save for an apartment.” Beth waved her toward a chair. “Let’s sit and talk about it. Okay?”

Elana dutifully sat on the cranberry velvet chair, her gaze flitting around the ornate Victorian decor of the front parlor.

“It would also mean less physical work. You could even keep your old job, if you wanted to. And when Janet comes back to work, I’ll still have some hours for you.”

“There are other people in this town needing a job. Maybe they would be better for you.”

Beth leaned forward, willing the woman to at least make eye contact, but now Elana dropped her attention to her lap.

“Yes, I could advertise, or I could offer the hours to a friend in my book club who has always wanted to work at my store, and I would offer them the same wage I’m offering you. But this is a chance for you to earn more per hour, and get some experience in a retail setting.”

Elana fidgeted.

“It will also help you pay for your business classes. Once you’re done with them, you’ll be ever so much more desirable to an employer. The upscale resorts and business around here would fight over the chance to hire a bright, skilled bilingual woman like you.”

“I know it would be a good change. But...”

“You have a right to a happy life, Elana, and so does your son. One where you don’t need to look over your shoulder in fear.”

Elana’s eyes glistened with sudden tears. “You don’t know what it was like. I was so scared, always. Twice I called nine-one-one, but hung up. I knew Roberto would’ve hired his fine lawyers, and then he would be free. And again, we would have to run.”

“But that’s over. He’s where he can’t hurt you anymore.”

Elana wrapped her arms around her stomach. “But what if someone else tries to do the same?”

“It’s against the law. You can get a restraining order or have that person arrested. Dev says he’ll be moving to the cottage behind Sloane House soon, and he’s been in the Marines for years. If anyone can protect you, he can. Believe me.”

She offered a bleak smile. “I would like that.”

“Whether or not you decide to work at the store, that’s up to you. Either way, I promise you that we’ll do our best to help you.”

“I...will think about it.”

But from the way Elana fled the room, Beth doubted that she’d give it a second thought.

“Wow,” Cody whispered. “This is scary. ”

Dev smothered a laugh. “Thanks. And to think it’s my new home.”

“You got spiderwebs everywhere. And,” he marveled, “I’ll bet there’s rats! ”

The boy had slipped out the back door of the house as soon as Dev pulled into a parking place off the alley.

He’d watched from a safe distance at first, then cautiously edged closer. It took him a good ten minutes to finally gather the courage to reach Dev’s side.

But once there, like most kids, he’d been in awe over the potential for the scary creatures that might slither, crawl, or fly out of the cottage when the contents were disturbed.

“Sounds like a great selling point to me. Spiders, rats—maybe even bats.”

At the sound of Beth’s voice, Dev turned in surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

“Why not?” She strolled across the lawn to join them, with no trace of her recent emotional revelations in her expression. “I was driving past and saw you two out here. Thought I’d offer to pitch in.”

She peered through one of the dusty windows and whistled. “You refused my offer of help once before. But I think you’re going to need it.”

She turned back to face them. “Cody, you and Dev can be the spider wranglers, okay?”

Cody looked at Beth uncertainly.

She smiled. “I ran into Frank and Carl out front, and they’re on their way, too. They said they can start taking off the screens so we can wash the windows.”

Beth’s smile was for Cody, but it still warmed places in Dev’s heart that had been empty for a long, long time.

Though dwelling on those kinds of feelings would be dangerous.

After what she’d been through, there was no way she’d ever have any interest in him again. He would do well to remember it.

He shook off his wayward thoughts. “Those two old guys don’t have to do anything. We’re supposed to be helping them, not the other way around.”

She touched his arm lightly, her eyes taking on a wicked gleam. “They are gathering supplies right now, and they look pretty determined. Go ahead and tell them that they’re too old to be doing something like this. I’d like to see a big, tough marine take on Carl and live to tell about it.”

Carl and Frank emerged from the back door of the house with steaming buckets of sudsy water and strode across the lawn to the cottage.

With a nod at Dev, Frank disappeared inside the cottage while Carl waited outside a window for his friend to release the latch.

A faint wash of pink infused Beth’s cheeks as she pulled her hand from Dev’s arm. “I guess I’d better get busy. Where should I start?”

“Anywhere, I guess.”

She walked inside the front door with Cody and Dev at her heels. “Just look at that lovely stone fireplace and these nice hardwood floors. With a good scrubbing and fresh paint, it’s going to be charming.”

She turned slowly, surveying the room. “But that can’t start until everything is cleared out. Can you believe all this stuff in here?”

A collection of old lawn mowers, garden equipment, and musty furniture filled every inch of floor space. All of it was covered with thick dust and grime.

Through the archway leading into the small kitchen, he could see buckets of old motor oil and dented gas cans that emitted a pungent odor.

Dev hauled a rusted garden tiller through the living room and lugged it outside to the curb, then returned for an old-fashioned mower and coils of brittle garden hose.

Beth’s arm brushed his as she moved past with an armload of rakes and shovels. “Oops, sorry.”

She stumbled, caught herself and continued on. Did she feel it too? These flashes from their shared past, when they’d been so aware of each other?

Probably not. She’d made her feelings about him more than clear when she’d told him about losing their baby.

On their third trip to the kitchen, a breeze fluttered through the shredded gauze curtains hanging in the windows. Beth braced a hand on the blistered kitchen countertop and sneezed.

Reva appeared at the doorway. “Bless you.”

“Thanks.” Beth looked up at her and smiled. “Did you need something?”

“Not at all. Elana is working at the motel this morning, but the rest of us decided to pitch in.” She glanced around the kitchen. “I think I’ll go change my clothes and bring out a bucket of soap and hot water. I can start cleaning the cabinets as soon as these counters are clear.”

“That’s a nice surprise,” Beth said after Reva disappeared. “The way things are going, we might be able to start painting tomorrow afternoon and get the place furnished by Monday.”

Dev looked at the pile of damaged chairs leaning against a three-legged table at the far end of the kitchen. “Believe me. There isn’t anything usable left.”

“I’ll bet there’s extra furniture in the main house, though. In the attic, if nothing else.”

“Probably a pink flowered couch, or orange and avocado curtains from the seventies.”

She flashed a brief smile. “Just your style.”

“I think I’d rather pitch a tent.”

“I’m sure you would. By the way, Elana and I sat down and figured out her finances and her schedule, so she’ll be able to start classes in January. She’ll surely qualify for financial aid—probably even grants and scholarships that she doesn’t have to repay.”

“She needs a good break. And her son, too.”

“I think this will be a good start for her future. As soon as she can manage it, she wants to find an apartment of her own so she can walk to school.”