Page 38 of Tough Justice
He squeezed her hand. “You won’t be.”
“The lighting is tomorrow night. Do you really think we can go?”
“I don’t see why not. I’ll be with you, and maybe by then all this craziness will be behind us.” He had to believe that Chrissy wasn’t stupid enough to stick around town, but after everything that had happened, it was hard to tell.
Either way, he’d figure out how to get Suzy to that tree lighting. Even if he had to surround her with guards to do it.
Decision made, he continued down the sidewalk toward her apartment.
She pointed toward the candy store. “Looks like the Gurlys got their window fixed.”
Mrs. Gurly stood outside her store with boxes on the ground beside her. She balanced on her tiptoes and struggled to hang a strand of garland.
Letting go of Suzy’s hand, he rushed forward and took the end of the strand. “Here, let me help you with that.”
“Oh goodness, thank you. I swear, I must shrink a little every year. I used to hang this with no trouble at all. Now I can barely reach.”
“The window looks great,” Suzy said. “You got that installed in record time.”
“They were here first thing this morning. Thank the Lord. Missing our annual Christmas display would have been heartbreaking. I think we might win this year. We’ve got a secret weapon.” She winked, causing the wrinkles on her face to amplify.
Duke secured the garland then took a step back to inspect his work. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I can’t tell you or it wouldn’t be a secret,” she said, wagging her finger in his direction. “For all I know you’re a spy for Vintage Finds. You’ll tell them what we have planned, and all my hard work would be for nothing.”
Slapping a hand to his chest, he fought against a grin. “I’m shocked you think so little of me.”
Mrs. Gurly cackled. “Nah, you’re a sweetheart. But it’s cutthroat around here this time of year. Can’t take any chances.”
“Well, we’ll be here for the tree lighting,” Suzy said. “We’ll make sure to stop by and see the surprise.”
“Good! You won’t be disappointed.”
Reclaiming her hand, Duke tugged Suzy along. “You were right about people taking this seriously. I can’t believe I was accused of being a spy. I’m not sure if I should be honored or offended.”
“Honored. Definitely. If Mrs. Gurly thinks Sue from Vintage Finds would confide in you, then you’re officially a part of the town.”
Her words constricted his throat as his argument with Lane came back to him. “Not everyone thinks so.”
Stopping, she faced him. “What do you mean?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he debated how much to say. He didn’t want to cause issues between Suzy and her brother but also wanted to be honest with her about everything. “Lane said I never should have come to Hillmore.”
Suzy’s expression fell along with her shoulders. “He didn’t mean it.”
“It’s fine,” he said with a small shrug. “He can think what he wants.”
“Lane’s always felt the need to protect me. I know that’s part of the whole big brother deal, but it goes deeper than that. He was all I had after our grandpa passed away. When he left town, it was hard for him to walk away from me, but I understand he had to finally look out for himself. As much as I forgive him for making that decision and leaving me alone to deal with our dad, I’m not sure he’s forgiven himself. So now that he’s back, he’s taken the protective thing a little too seriously. As though he needs to make up for lost time, even if I don’t need it anymore.”
Tucking in his lips, he dipped his chin. What she said made sense, and hell, he didn’t blame Lane for looking after his sister. But it still hurt.
“I’m sorry you were alone,” he said. “That you didn’t have anyone looking after you.”
“I learned to look after myself, and I had the people in this town.” She extended her arm and swept it in front of her. “I have dozens of surrogate aunties and uncles. Someone always around to step in and step up if needed.”
He swept her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That’s why I like it so much here. It’s a community. Now hurry up and gather your things and let’s get back to my place. I’m hungry. We’ll grab lunch to take back with us, if that works for you.”
“Sounds perfect.” Stepping away, she kept an arm hooked around his waist as they walked side by side to her apartment. She led the way up the stairwell to her front door.
