The breath whooshed out of my lungs as our gazes locked and his double entendre had the equivalent effect of him sliding his hand between my legs. My mouth grew dry, and I could only stare. He did not just say that in front of his little cousin.

Roane was the one to break the moment. He turned to Caro and kissed her forehead. “You were amazing today. I hope you sleep well. Call me if you need me, but I’ll be in tomorrow to check on you.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

“Even so.” He squeezed her shoulder and then looked at me. “Night, Evie.”

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice through the choking emotions building inside me. “Good night, Roane.”

Caro and I were silent as we made our way upstairs. Exhausted, we said good night, and I was just about to disappear into my room when the sound of my name on Caro’s lips stopped me.

“Yeah?”

She seemed to straighten her shoulders, as if readying for battle. “I . . . I want you to know that I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me but . . .” She exhaled heavily and tilted her chin up stubbornly. “I-If you hurt Roane, I’ll come for you.”

It might have been funny, this young, shy woman half my size threatening me, but it wasn’t. There was sincerity in her voice. These two cousins, they were more than that. They were like brother and sister. “I believe you,” I whispered.

“He—” Caro took a tentative step toward me. “He would never hurt you, Evie. You must believe that.”

The thing was that I did believe that. I trusted Roane Robson.

And it scared the shit out of me.

Fourteen

Viola seemed to be on a mission to keep Caro occupied. She’d shown up at the store, insisting on driving Caro to Berwick-upon-Tweed for a shopping day. Berwick-upon-Tweed was about an hour north of Alnster, and only a few miles south of the Scottish border.

As I had a shop to run and it was now open Tuesday to Saturday, I couldn’t tag along, and Caro, remembering our discussion about Newcastle, didn’t want to shop without me. Which was sweet. However, I remembered how little she’d brought in the way of clothes and encouraged her to go.

Life in the store was restful. After discussing some changes I wanted to make with Penny, I had the go-ahead to implement them. For others, scrolling through sales and stock history might not sound fun, but for me it was invigorating. I discovered stock that hadn’t moved in years, and with Penny’s permission I decided to donate them—children’s books to children’s hospitals, fiction to literary programs, and our local nonfiction to a charity store on the main street in Alnwick.