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the situation.

      “Does everyone in town know?”

      Lori shook her head. “No, only the people who work here at the house. And Jace Yeager, my business partner. He suggested that I hire some security.” Lori raised a hand. “Only just as a precaution.”

      “That has to cost a lot of money.”

      Lori smiled. “Look at this place, Gina. Lyle Hutchinson might have been a lousy father, but he knew how to make money. And taking care of you and Zack is worth whatever it costs.”

      Tears filled her sister’s eyes. “Thank you.”

      Before Lori started crying, too, she said, “Come on, I hope you like your bedroom. It’s got a connecting bath with Zack’s room.”

      They started up the steps arm in arm. “I can’t imagine I wouldn’t love it.”

      “If you don’t like it, you can redo it. You’re the one with experience. In fact, I’d be happy if you would redo the entire place.”

      Gina turned to Lori. “Decorating a boutique window doesn’t make me a professional.” She looked around. “It’s so grand as it is.”

      Lori knew what her sister had been thinking. There had been a lot of times when their living quarters hadn’t been that great, especially when Gina was married. Being a school dropout, Eric hadn’t been able to do much, and he spent his paycheck on alcohol instead of diapers.

      “This is our fresh start, Gina. You don’t have to worry about Eric anymore. I’m not going to let anything happen to either you or Zack.”

      Lori prayed that was a promise she could keep.

      Three hours later, Jace walked up the steps to the Hutchinson home, carrying a bottle of wine and flowers. He normally didn’t take Cassie out on a school night, but this was a special occasion and he knew how it was to be the new kid in town.

      Okay, the truth was he wanted to see Lori. He’d tried to keep focused on work, but she was messing with his head. Last night he couldn’t sleep, recalling their kisses, but he knew from now on that he had to keep his hands to himself. If Shelly got wind of any of this, she would make his life miserable just for the hell of it.

      He had to focus on Cassie and getting the project completed on time. That was all. Once he had custody settled, he could think about a life for himself.

      The front door opened and a little boy stuck his head out. “Hi,” he said shyly.

      His daughter answered back. “Hi. You’re Zack. I’m Cassie Yeager. You’re going to be in my class at school.”

      The boy looked up at Jace as if asking for help. His daughter never had a problem with being shy.

      “I’m Jace. I think your aunt is expecting us.”

      Zack nodded. “You want to come in?”

      “Sounds good. It’s a little cold out here.”

      The door opened wider as another woman appeared. She smiled, showing off the resemblance to Lori.

      “Hello, you must be Gina. I’m Jace Yeager. I’m Lori’s business partner.”

      She took his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

      “This is my daughter, Cassie.”

      His daughter beamed as she came up to Gina. “Hi, Miss Gina. My dad brought you flowers and for Miss Lori, wine. And I bought Zack a school sweatshirt.” She held up the burgundy-colored shirt with Destiny Elementary School printed on it.

      “Hello, Cassie. That’s very nice.”

      Cassie turned to Zack. “My dad said you have a new bedroom.”

      “Yeah, it’s cool.”

      “Can I see it?”

      Zack looked at his mother for permission. With Gina’s nod the two seven-year-olds took off upstairs.

      “My son’s a little shy,” Gina admitted.

      “Well, that won’t last long if Cassie has anything to say about it.”

      He finally got a smile out of the pretty dark-haired woman with green eyes. There was definitely a strong resemblance between the two sisters, except for their coloring. Both women were lovely.

      “Here, these are for you. Welcome to Destiny.”

      He watched her blush as she took the bouquet. “Thank you.”

      “It’s rough having to pick up and move everything. I had to do it about six months ago, but it was worth it. Destiny is a wonderful place to raise kids. Cassie loves it here.”

      “I’m glad.” Gina hesitated. “Lori said she told you about my … situation.”

      He watched her hesitation, maybe more embarrassment. “I assure you, Gina, no one else will know about your past. It’s no one’s business. Your sister only wants you safe. I agreed to help her take some precautions.”

      “I appreciate it, really. I’m sure Eric wouldn’t think to look for us here. He knows nothing about Lori’s father.” She sighed. “But I wouldn’t put anything past him. So I thank you for the extra security.”

      Jace was about to speak when Lori came down the steps. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and gray slacks. He was caught up in her grace as she descended the winding stairs. She smiled at him, and his insides went all haywire.

      Lori felt Jace’s gaze on her and it made her nervous, also a little warm. She’d missed seeing him. The last time had only been a little over twenty-four hours ago when he’d helped her with the bed, and they almost fell into it. A warm shiver moved up her spine. How did he feel about it?

      She walked across the tiled floor, seeing her sister holding flowers. That was so nice of him. “Hi, Jace.”

      “Lori.”

      She went to him. “Sorry, I wasn’t here when you arrived. I just saw Cassie upstairs.”

      “Has she reorganized Zack’s bedroom yet?”

      Lori couldn’t help but laugh. “I think he’s safe for the moment.”

      Gina spoke up. “Excuse me. I’ll go put these in water, then go up and have the kids wash up for dinner.” She turned and walked to the kitchen.

      Jace looked at Lori. “I don’t want to barge in on your family dinner.”

      “You’re not at all. You’re always welcome here,” she told him, knowing that was probably admitting too much. “Maggie loves to have company. She hasn’t been able to cook this much in a long time.”

      “Anytime she wants company tell her I’ll be here.” He held up the bottle. “I brought wine.”

      Lori smiled. “Why don’t we open it?”

      “Lead the way,” he said and they started toward the dining room. Lori watched as he stared at the dark burgundy wallpaper, dark-stained wainscoting and long, long table with the upholstered chairs, also dark.

      “It’s pretty bad. This room is like a mausoleum. It’s going to be my first redecorating project. In fact, I’ll put Gina in charge. I hope you don’t mind eating in the kitchen.”

      “I prefer the kitchen.” He glanced down at his jeans and sweater pulled over a collared shirt. He followed Lori to the sideboard. In actuality, he preferred her over it all, but he tried to stay focused on the conversation. “As you can see, I’m not dressed for anything fancy.”

      Lori thought he was dressed perfectly. The man would look good in … nothing. Oh, no. Don’t think about that. She busied herself by opening a drawer and searching for a corkscrew. Once she found it, she handed it to him, then crossed to the glass-front hutch and took out two crystal wineglasses.