Chapter 4
Cade pulled out a chairand slid into it, gripping his coffee like a lifeline. This was the good stuff. He’d missed it. Meg sat opposite him, staring at her croissant. “You okay?”
She raised her gaze. “That woman behind the counter asked me if I needed help getting away from you.”
“What?” Fear raced through Cade’s chest. “Did she recognize me?”
Meg shook her head. “She just saw my bruise...and well, we look like...this.”
Yeah. They looked like they were running from the police. Cade shifted. “What did you say to her?”
“I told her no and tried to laugh it off, but she’s watching us.” Meg picked up her breakfast roll and bit into the end.
He reached across the table and put his hand on hers. “Then maybe we should look like we’re a happy couple.”
A smile formed on her lips. “Good idea.” Then she threw her head back and laughed.
Cade chuckled. Who was this girl? She cracked him up. “You’re a good actress.”
She sat up straighter in her chair. “Well, I was the lead horse in my third-grade play.”
“Lead horse, huh? I bet you put that on your resume.”
“Of course.”
Cade liked the way the light was coming in the window, making her eyes sparkle. Meg was a beautiful woman. He hadn’t noticed before. Hers was a small town, girl-next-door kind of pretty. Not movie star hot. Maybe that’s why he didn’t see it yesterday. Or maybe because he was bleeding and trying to get away from the cops.
He reached out and cupped her cheek, sobering. “Does it hurt?”
She glanced at the woman taking orders. “Only a little.”
Anger surged in him for what her ex did to her. Cade ran the pad of his thumb down her skin lightly. “I won’t let him hurt you again.”
A wariness entered her gaze. “Thanks.”
He lowered his hand. He hoped her lowlife ex-husband wouldn’t come after her. He didn’t think he could restrain himself if the guy showed up. Then he really would deserve to be in prison. Cade shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. “So, what do you do?”
“For a living?” She snorted. “I work...I mean, I used to work for an insurance company. Just answering phones and filing things.” She glanced at the clock. “They’ll be wondering where I am in a few minutes.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
She made a face, her nose crinkling up. “Not really.”
“Well, this can be a new start for you. What would you like to do, if you could do anything?”
Meg’s cheeks colored, and she shrugged. “Nothing. I’ll probably go find a temp agency somewhere.” She brought her cup to her lips.
A tall man entered the coffee shop, making the bell on the door ring. He nodded as he passed by their table. Cade pulled his hat down lower and turned back to Meg. “No, really. What would you want to do? I’m talking dream job here.”
Meg shifted in her seat. “It’s silly.”
“I’m sure it’s not.”