Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,72
time drying my hair and putting on makeup. I put on a robe and went into my room, pulling out one of the few dresses I owned, a pale blue sundress that brought out the blue in my eyes. I put on a pair of white sandals, then emptied my overnight bag and repacked it with work clothes and shorts and a shirt to wear back to Hank’s in the morning.
When I went outside, Hank was in his chair with Smoky on his lap while Letty leapt at any bird that dared to land on the bird feeder.
“Your hellcat’s at it again,” he grumped.
“I’ll grab her.” I glanced over and realized Wyatt’s truck was still to the side of the house. “Wyatt’s still here?”
He pointed up. “He’s on the roof. You look nice. You dressin’ up for a certain man?”
I smiled. “If you’re insinuating it’s for the man on the roof, you’ve got another think coming.”
“Marco?” he pressed. My face flushed and he beamed. “Wise choice, girlie. Wise choice.”
“I know,” I said with a smile. It felt good, knowing I’d be seeing Marco later. Knowing I no longer had to hide from him or myself.
I walked out into the yard and found Wyatt up on the roof, removing shingles. “What are you doing?”
“I’m fixing this the right way, then hunting down Corey Summers and makin’ him reimburse Hank.”
I pinched my mouth shut, because if Corey had done a crappy job, Wyatt was doing us a favor.
He shifted his weight as he lined up an asphalt shingle. “I need to get a few supplies.”
“Okay,” I said. “Can you make sure it won’t leak if it rains tonight?”
“Yeah. I’ll do a quick patch job and fix it tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
I headed inside, because being outside felt like I was leading Wyatt on. I’d hoped he’d be gone by the time I finished, but I was grateful he was helping Hank. That was what I wanted, right? For Wyatt to be there for Hank when I couldn’t be. The ultimate goal was to be free of my father, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think that would come quickly. I had to assume I’d spend more time running.
The library didn’t open until ten, so I decided to do some of the neglected housework. Since we hadn’t cleaned up the breakfast mess, I put on an apron to keep my dress clean and filled the sink with soapy water. I’d finished washing and drying all the dishes and had started cooking a pot of black beans and rice for Hank’s dinner when Wyatt walked into the kitchen, his hands covered in dirt. “I got it patched up, so it will be good to go for now.”
“Thanks.”
He started to head toward the bathroom before abruptly turning back. “You look really pretty. The dress makes your eyes bluer.”
Oh crap. I was giving him the wrong impression, and I needed to nip this in the bud. “I didn’t wear this for you, Wyatt,” I said as kindly as I could.
Something flickered in his eyes. “I never presumed you did. I’m just makin’ an observation.”
“Well, thank you.”
He disappeared down the hall and I got out a bag of carrots to roast while the beans and rice were cooking.
He came back a few minutes later, staying in the opening of the kitchen. “I didn’t mean for you to have to clean up on your own. I intended to help.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I chopped up carrots at the counter. “I didn’t mind one bit. I’m just grateful you’re spending time with Hank again.” I took a breath. “I never intended to get between you two.”
“I know. That’s not who you are.” He gestured toward the stove. “Can I help?”
I started to tell him no, but I wanted to ask him a few things. Maybe I could work it into a conversation. “You can get out a cookie sheet and cover it with foil.”
“I think I can handle that,” he said as he opened the cabinet over the oven. “Hank said you were at Marco’s.”
Crap. “Yeah.”
“Does he make you happy?” he asked quietly.
I looked up at him. “Yeah, Wyatt. He does, but more importantly, he’s honest. We have no secrets.”
He glanced down, then darted his gaze back up to meet my eyes, still holding the box of aluminum foil. “Marco’s a good man, and you deserve to be happy.”
His response caught me by surprise. “Thank you.”
He nodded, but then he said, “But Marco’s never going to leave Drum.”