“I brought you a present,” she said, taking the phone out of her pocket. After bringing up the photos she’d taken, she handed the phone to Burke.

He took time to study them before he nodded. “Good job. I think we’ve got the bastards. And I hope to hell you’re not going back there again.” He laid the phone on the coffee table and leaned back into the cushions. He’d had a long, busy day, and it showed. He looked tired but happy.

“When I was out with Hoagie this afternoon, he took me by the car lot. They’ll be delivering a 2013 Camry in the morning. Decent car. It’ll do for now.”

“So you’ll be king of the road again.”

“Not quite. But tomorrow, as soon as I’ve got wheels under me, I’ll be taking these photos to the police. Hopefully the evidence will be enough for a criminal case. If not, I’ll take them to my lawyer. Much as I’d enjoy putting a few people behind bars, what I really need is to get Edgeway off my back, get rid of Garrett, put Fran back at the front desk, and start renovating the American Heartland.”

“But what about the loan?” Allison asked. “Have you heard anything?”

“Oh—with all this excitement, I forgot to tell you. This afternoon, before Hoagie came by, I made a call to the bank. They said they’d reviewed the application and everything looks good. But they want to make sure Edgeway is out of the picture before they issue the funds. We’ll be able to do that now. Thanks to you, we’ve got a weapon to use against those bastards.”

He circled Allison with his arm and pulled her close. “You’ve done a great job. But now that I’m on my feet again, it’s time for you to step back and let me take over. Once I’ve nailed Garrett and his Mob buddies to the wall, I’m going to reorganize the office around the renovation, talk to the contractors, hire a good manager . . .” He bent and kissed her forehead. “You can take it easy.”

Allison nestled against him, but she had the vague sense that something wasn’t right. Suddenly she knew what it was.

“Maybe I don’t want to take it easy,” she said. “I’ve shown you how much help I can be. I’ve had business experience. Keep me on as your manager—even your partner. Let me work with you.”

He frowned, hesitating. “I don’t know about that. I didn’t marry a business partner. I married a wife. Kate never worked outside the home, and she was perfectly happy. I provided for her. She took care of our daughter and our house, she entertained our friends, shared the boat with me . . .” He stared at Allison’s displeased face. “What?”