Page 44 of Falling for the Grumpiest Protector

"Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Sorry I missed you."

"You were busy?"

"Having coffee with Betty and Emma."

"Sounds dangerous."

I smile.

"You have no idea."

"Good morning?"

I look back through the coffee shop window. Betty is talking to a customer. Emma is laughing about something.

"Actually, yes."

A brief pause.

"Good."

That's Julian. No interrogation. No attempt to turn one word into a psychological evaluation.

"Did you need me?"

"Supplier issue. Already handled."

"See? You're becoming frighteningly independent."

"Let's not get carried away."

I laugh.

"I'll call tonight and we'll go through everything."

"Works for me."

"Thanks, Julian."

"Anytime."

I hang up. For a moment, I sit looking down Main Street. Tomorrow I'm going to the farm. Partly because I want to see the place Lily loved. Partly because Noah's life is tangled up in it too. But not only because of them. I want to understand what this place does. I want to be useful again. And apparently Javier Martinez helped build the whole thing.

I think about the moment Emma told him I was coming. That tiny shift in his expression before he covered it. He was glad. I'm almost sure of it.

The thought shouldn't make me smile. It does anyway.

Chapter Six

Madison

Emma turns onto the farm road at eight fifty-two. I can see the property ahead, fields stretching on either side of the gravel drive.

"Emma." I keep my voice low, though there is no one to hear us. "Is Martinez a veteran too?"

She glances at me.