“I knew it! I told Shep you two looked way too rumpled to have only beentalkingback there.”
I worried the corner of my lip. “Tell me I’m not being the stupidest person on the planet.”
All amusement fled Thea’s face. “You’re not. I’ve seen how Cope looks at you. And the night of your attack, he was beside himself. I thought he was going to set that hospital on fire if you weren’t given the best care possible.”
“I’m scared,” I admitted.
“Of course, you are. You’re human, and you’ve been hurt before.But if we don’t risk our hearts, then we miss out on life’s true beauty. There’s no reward without risk. Trust me, I’ve been there.”
She had been. Thea knew better than most how to build walls to keep people out, and only after Shep demolished every last one did I see her truly happy and living life to its fullest.
I pulled her into another quick hug. “Love you, Thee Thee.”
She grinned as I released her. “Love you. And love seeing you with that light in your eyes and color in your cheeks.”
I knew exactly what had put it there.
“Oh,” Thea said, turning and grabbing a stack of mail. “I forgot. I grabbed this for you on the way in.”
“Thanks.” I took it from her and pawed through it. Mostly junk, though there were a few bills and catalogs I wanted to keep. Then my gaze caught on a local return label that saidMonarch Property Management.
Plenty of businesses used the Monarch Mountains or Castle Rock in their names, but I wasn’t familiar with this one. Though it was possible I’d simply ended up on a mailing list after my apartment search. I ripped open the seal and tugged the letter free. As I scanned the text, I gaped.
“What is it?” Thea asked, moving to my side.
“My building has a new owner. They’re cutting my rent and renovating the apartment upstairs. They’ll let me rent it back for less than what I was paying before. Am I being punked?”
Thea tugged the letter from my grasp. “This is legit. They do a lot of work with Shep. I wonder if he’ll be on the reno.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Rick was so determined to buy up half of Sparrow Falls. Why would he sell?”
She shrugged. “Maybe because he couldn’t rent that apartment for his ridiculous prices. He was probably losing money daily.”
That was a good point, but he didn’t seem like someone who gave up that easily.
The bell over the door jingled, and I forced thoughts of Rick and rent cuts down as I looked up. “Evelyn, hi.”
My smile was a little strained around the edges as I tried to brushsome flour off myself. She looked perfect, as usual, in a collared blouse and khaki shorts with pearls in her ears. Not a strand of auburn hair was out of place. I was pretty sure a tiny frosting knife was currently holding my hair in its bun.
Evelyn returned my smile, but hers was more than a little strained. “Hello, Sutton.”
Daniel ran around her to the bakery case. “No way! You have skateboard cupcakes? These are freaking awesome!”
That had a more authentic grin stretching across my face. “I’ve got one with your name on?—”
“That isn’t necessary,” Evelyn clipped.
I straightened from where I’d crouched to grab Daniel a cupcake. I guessed this wasn’t a friendly visit.
“Mom,” Daniel pleaded.
She sent him a look that would’ve had me cowering. “We have homemade desserts back at the house.”
“With no sugar,” he muttered under his breath.
I couldn’t help my wince, but I followed it with another forced smile. “What can I help you with today?”
Thea had slipped back into the kitchen—the traitor—but I could feel her eyes on me, likely watching the show with rapt attention.
