here on out, not even him. Zach was seriously thinking about moving, although that wasn’t ideal for business. He couldn’t risk one of his employees getting hurt, either. Up until the other day, nobody had ever been around during the break-ins, but this . . . yeah. He needed to reconsider.
It was just after six when he pulled into his spot behind Steel Ink. Javi’s bike was there and so was Keelie’s Jeep. He let himself in the back and checked out the front of the shop. A quick look in Javi’s work space told him that he was finishing up. Keelie was in the process of explaining the aftercare . . . perfect timing.
They had time for their little chat and then he could get back home and be there when Abby got in, whenever the hell that was. He continued to stare at the back of Keelie’s head until she realized he was there. When she turned her head to look at him, he lifted a brow and jerked his head toward his office. She nodded and he turned around, satisfied she’d gotten the message.
He did a detour by the break room, eyeing the quick fix somebody had done on the door. Probably Javi. It was enough to let the door close, keep it locked so they could keep the system armed, but that was it.
Sighing, he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He half expected to see it was running low since he hadn’t been able to make the supply run he usually did on Saturdays, but everything was in there, freshly stocked. He twisted the top off the bottle and turned around to find Keelie standing in the doorway.
“I picked up what we needed before I came in today,” she said, rocking back on her heels and tucking her hands into her pockets. “I didn’t figure we’d see you until tomorrow. You don’t need to be here, you know.”
“Yeah, I do.” He edged around her and moved down the hall. “Let’s go to my office.”
He didn’t bother to look back and see if she was there. He knew she was.
He listened as the door shut behind them and made his way over to his desk, pausing at the site of the manila folder sitting there. “What’s this?”
“The insurance forms.” She jerked a shoulder in a shrug as she flopped in the leather chair tucked up close to his desk. “I called our agent, asked her to come by and do whatever she had to do so we could get things rolling.”
He quirked a brow at her. “Damn, Keelie. I didn’t know you even had any clue about what we’d have to do.”
“I’m not an idiot, Zach,” she snapped. “Just because I prefer not to handle the business end of things doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“You never showed much interest in it, that’s all I meant.” He flipped through the forms and grimaced. “What am I doing, just signing?”
“Yes. She’s coming back out tomorrow.”
He nodded shortly and then settled in his chair, raking his hair back as he tried to figure the best way to approach this. Subtle and Keelie didn’t have a passing acquaintance, but he knew if he just jumped on her, she’d get pissed and wouldn’t hear a damn thing he had to say.
And Keelie needed to hear this . . . needed to hear it very, very clearly.
* * *
It had been a wonderful wedding, a small affair that had pulled her out of bed before the crack of dawn, but now it was done. As her crew went about cleaning up, she sought out her assistant Paul and asked, “Can you handle the rest?”
“Sure.” His brows arched over his eyes and he leaned a hip against the counter, studying her curiously. “Everything okay? You never cut out early.”
“Yeah.” She fidgeted with the tie on her apron for a second and then finally just shrugged. “My . . .” Say it, you twit. It’s not that hard. “My boyfriend had somebody break into his shop the other day. He was there when it happened and he’s fine, but I just . . . well, I want to be there.”
“Your boyfriend,” Paul said slowly, shaking his head. “What is this? You just broke off your engagement a few weeks ago and now there’s a boyfriend?”
“It’s been more than a month,” she said. Then she shrugged. “Yeah, there’s a boyfriend.” She licked her lips and then tugged off the apron, wadding it