Page 25 of Shielding Serena

That was more like it.

“I’m all right,” Serena said. “It’s good to see you, Addie.” The words popped out, almost unbidden and she realized they were true.

“I keep meaning to come by The Menagerie and see what you’ve done,” Addie said, her voice warm again. “Otis says it’s amazing.”

Serena wasn’t quite sure how to parse all of this. She’d been back in town for six months, and granted The Menagerie had only been open for a few of those months, but still…

Also, like she’d said to Otis, Addie was the last person she would have expected to want her to succeed. She scrutinized the woman’s expression, looking for subterfuge, and found none. Addie had looked genuinely distressed when she’d hugged Serena, and now she looked warm and caring.

The emotional whiplash made Serena’s brain stall out for a second. It was all a little overwhelming.

Addie filled the silence by turning back to Walker. “She says she’s okay, but how is she really?”

Serena jolted upright. Addie didn’t have a right to ask that. She started building up a good head of steam, old resentments rushing forward from where they’d been waiting in the wings, but Walker’s easy grin cut through the tension. The tension that was apparently one-sided on Serena’s part.

He leaned back in his chair like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“From what I can tell she’s fine. We went for a ride this morning and her balance seems good. Oh, and so you’re aware, since I figure you know everyone we don’t, I’ll be crashing in the spare room until we figure out who did this.”

Addie’s gaze flicked between them, sharp and assessing, but whatever she saw must have satisfied her because she nodded once, her mouth curving into a speculative smile. “Good. I don’t like the idea that somebody bashed her over the head.” She moved on with a speed that left Serena in the dust. “I’m coming to see you soon. It’s been too long, and we left things unresolved.”

Then she cracked a sly little grin. “It was fun having you as a frenemy, but I’m thinking we might do better if we try it the other way around.” She tipped her head and added quietly, “Turns out I might have missed that the first time around.”

She winked at Serena, turned on her heel, and walked as briskly away, a woman on a mission.

Serena sat there for a long moment, her brain completely blank.

Of all the things she’d expected to happen today, Addie Nixon declaring a possible friendship had not been anywhere on the list.

Then Walker’s chuckle brought her back to the here and now.

“Your face…” he said, barely stifling his mirth.

“Oh, shut up,” she said, not even mad at him or the fact that he found this amusing. She still felt a little flat footed, and if she was being honest with herself, a little oddly hopeful, maybe a little warmer than she’d been fifteen minutes ago. There was also a tiny lick of shame over how she’d let her past experience color her life today. It felt petty, and she’d never thought of herself that way.

Then Walker’s words to Addie about his living arrangements penetrated her shock and she turned to face him. “Exactly what did you expect to accomplish by telling her you were staying with me?”

“My truck’s going to be in your lot overnight. People are going to talk,” he said calmly. “Now they’ve got a reason. And if whoever assaulted you is paying attention, they know I’m staying with you. Reputation management, along with a heaping helping of deterrence.” He dared her to defy his logic.

She couldn’t argue with that, so dove into her sandwich, her mind sifting through the improbability of what had just happened. Walker kept quiet except for an occasional hmm as he ate his lunch and the sound sent up a storm of sensation in her belly. She studiously ignored it because she had enough going on, thank you very much.

They ordered another round of barbecue to go since it was so good, and they’d need to eat dinner at some point.

“How do you usually spend your evenings?” Walker asked as they drove back to The Menagerie. “When you’re not surrounded by people.”

She shrugged. “TV, mostly. I’m usually wiped. You?”

“Audiobooks,” he said. “Comes with the job. If I’m sitting protection, I need my eyes up, not on a screen. But I only use one earbud.”

She glanced at him. “What about at the ranch? You’ve got to relax sometimes.”

“Sure,” he said. “But most nights I’m exhausted. Even with Jesse basically running things, there’s always something that needs doing. I’d forgotten how relentless it is.”

“I get that,” she said. “I finally felt like I’d carved out some breathing room, at least until I opened that storage unit.” She grimaced.

“Well,” he said, “I’m free labor while I’m staying here. If you decide to tackle it again, say the word. Otherwise, I’ll just hang out, looking inconspicuous.”

“More like totally conspicuous,” she corrected, laughing. “As if being invisible is an option for you, Walker Landry,” she added as they pulled into the lot.