Chapter 26 Lauren
Lauren
Zach propped his elbows on the table and clasped his hands over his empty plate. “I was thinking I should wrap the pipes this evening. We’re supposed to get some cold weather soon.”
So far, the winter weather had been mild, but Zach was right. The meteorologists were predicting a harsh week, and she’d forgotten to prepare. That was so unlike her, but these days, she was doing more things differently. It was hard to tell if the changes were for the better or worse yet.
She stood and picked up their plates. “Good idea. I have some stuff to do this evening too.”
He picked up their glasses and followed her to the sink. “I need to run to my house and get the wrappings.”
His house. He was calling it his house now. Should she be happy or concerned that Zach was thinking of her rental house as his home? They could both see the end of her extensive to-do list, but neither of them had been brave enough to bring it up. Would he stay when the repairs were finished?
She didn’t want him to leave, but he wouldn’t continue to accept her charity for long.
Zach reached around her to put their glasses in the sink, and she turned, bringing them chest-to-chest. After having his arms around her while she cried, the magnetic pull toward him was even stronger. Her heart beat against the walls of her chest, and her breaths came in deeper waves.
“Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.”
She expected him to move away, but he retained the closeness between them, propping his hand on the counter beside her. “It was nothing.”
She shook her head slowly and whispered, “I needed a break. Thanks for making me take it.”
“Even if there was a chance I’d screw up dinner again?” he asked.
“I knew you could do it.”
Zach’s gaze didn’t deviate, and the seconds that ticked by had her skin heating as if she were standing too close to a flame.
“Why do you look at me like that?” he asked.
“Like what?”
His gaze traveled down her face and back up, studying every inch of her burning skin. “Like you believe in me.”
She’d gotten too close to him—cared too much and invested too much of her heart in him. She did believe in him, and it had changed the way she saw him. He wasn’t a criminal. He was a person—one who saw her and believed in her as much as she believed in him.
“Because I do,” she whispered.
Zach took a deep breath and turned away from her, pushing off the counter and heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a few.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, she bent at the waist and clutched her chest. She might have feelings for Zach, but nothing could come of it. Her resolve was strong, and her faith wasn’t something she could compromise. She cared about him, but she had to protect her heart.
While Zach was gone and her head wasn’t muddled with thoughts about him, she brought in all the supplies she needed to put together food packs. With the cold weather coming in, the church sent weekend meals home with school kids.
By the time Zach returned, she had the food scattered around her kitchen. She’d just tied up the first bag when he walked into the kitchen, arms full of spray foam and rags, and stopped.
“The grocery store threw up in here,” he said, looking around at the mess.
“I’m packing food bags for kids at the school. I’ll jump in and help you as soon as I’m finished with these.”
“I’ll start in the bathroom,” he said before disappearing down the hallway. Next, he covered the outdoor pipes, returning to the kitchen with a red nose and cheeks.
She’d made some progress on the bags, but there were still a dozen or more to pack.
Zach picked up an empty bag and gestured to the food spread out on every surface. “What do I do?”
Lauren looked around, then turned her attention to him. His sweatshirt was flecked with orange foam, and there was a chunk of it smeared on his cheek. Should she tell him? “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be finished soon.”
“Angel, tell me what to do,” he repeated in a tone that didn’t leave room for arguing.
“Wash your hands.” She picked up an empty grocery bag and pointed around the room. “Each bag gets three breakfast items, five lunch and dinner items, five snacks, and five drinks. Mix them up as much as you can, but make sure to give plenty.”
He moved to the counter where instant oatmeal packets and pop tarts were stacked and grabbed a handful. “So, you send food home with kids on the weekends?”
“The churches in the area do it, but everyone had other commitments this week. I volunteered to pack them and get them to the school.”
“You really are trying to save the world,” Zach said.
“Not the world. I’m just doing what I wished someone had done for me when I was a kid.”
Zach scoffed. “You’re not the only one, angel. I bet half the kids don’t have anything to eat when they get home. I know I didn’t.”
Lauren tied another bag and moved to grab a new one. “You never talk about your family.”
“Nothing to talk about.”
“What about your brother?” she asked.
“Which one? Rome is dead, and that’s a good thing. Bobby is in prison, and he won’t ever see the light of day again. He never knew when to quit.”
Lauren’s hand tightened on the bag at the mention of Bobby.
What she remembered about the night Bobby and Zach had abducted her was awful.
Zach’s brother had no remorse and would have killed her without a second thought.
During the trial, he’d stared at her with cold, emotionless eyes.
She’d caught herself freezing in public when she thought she saw him in a store.
“What about your mom and dad?”
“They’re both dead. Overdosed within a year of each other. Dad was evil, but Mom was worse.”
“How?”
Zach lowered the half-filled bag he held and turned to Lauren.
“She left me to die. We didn’t have much of a chance with our dad as a single guardian.
The only thing we were good for was sneaking around for him.
He’d send us to do the worst jobs—the ones that would get him a prison sentence or kill him. We were disposable.”
Lauren held onto the bag until her fingernails pressed into her palm. “That’s not right, Zach.”
“I spent most of my childhood trying to figure out how to kill a grown man. She left all of us with him, and I can’t forgive either of them.”
Lauren’s chest heaved. Zach always looked so unshakable. Unbreakable. But inside he was fragile. Inside, there were parts of him that hadn’t been allowed to grow and develop the way they should have.
He didn’t know how to love. He knew how to leave before he got left, and that was the worst life skill to have. It made sure he would never see a happily ever after. What would it take for him to claw himself out of survival mode so he could get a taste of the joy waiting for him?
She had to change the subject before the tears came for her. Picking up a can of chicken noodle soup, she shoved it into a bag. “Have you ever been married? Had a girlfriend?”
Zach looked over his shoulder at her with a grin. “I don’t talk about my extracurricular activities, angel.” He resumed packing his bag, then paused. “Wait. Are you dating anyone?”
Oh, boy. Here was her moment. She’d accepted an invitation to dinner from a single dad she’d met at the library a few days ago, and she’d stupidly hoped he wouldn’t call. To her surprise, he’d texted earlier to confirm dinner reservations for tomorrow at Marshall’s Steakhouse.
“Well, no one specific. I do have a date tomorrow night. I should be back by nine, but you should take the night off. There’s not much left to do around here.”
Zach was quiet for a minute, but he continued working his way around the kitchen. “Just leave me something to do. I’ll come by after work.”
“So, you’re not going to cause a scene like last time?” she asked.
“Nope. I’ll be on my best behavior. Just promise you’ll call me if you need help.”
Wow. Zach was really growing. Maybe she’d get to go on an actual date. Maybe she’d even like the guy.
“That’s very nice of you, and I promise to call if I need help,” Lauren said.
“Do I get brownie points for not threatening your date?” he asked.
She chuckled and handed him another bag. “I think that’s fair. I like to reward good behavior.”
“Do I get points for not killing the last one?”
Lauren slapped her hand flat on the counter. “Wes was a good guy! You scared him half to death.”
“If he’s too scared to fight for you, he doesn’t deserve you.”
Lauren grunted. “This isn’t a duel.”
“I’d duel for you.”
The image of Zach pacing away from one of her potential suitors conjured a ridiculous laugh. “You’d take a bullet for me?”
“That’s not what I said. I said I’d duel. It’s implied that I would win.”
“You’re out of your mind,” she said through another laugh. “So you wouldn’t take a bullet for me?”
He narrowed his eyes. “That depends. Are you the reason we’re being shot at?”
Her lungs constricted as she laughed harder. “You think that if someone’s shooting at us, that it would be my fault?”
“Hundred percent. I steer clear of life-threatening situations. You should try it sometime.”
She shoved his big shoulder, but he barely moved.
Zach held up his hands. “Easy. That is harassment. I might have to report you to HR.”
Pointing at her chest, she gasped, “I am HR!”
“Things like that could lead to an on-the-job injury. I hope you have workers’ comp insurance. This is an unsafe work environment.”
Zach rattled on while she bent over and tears streamed down her face. One of her dreams had decidedly come true. Zach was her friend, and the Lord was using them to start healing each other’s wounds.