He shot her another look of regret and shook his head. “If you’re not here when I get back, I’ll see you tomorrow at the gym after work?” He didn’t let her answer as he let out a loud sigh. “Dammit, I didn’t even get a chance to hear how your first day went.”
Another growl rumbled out of his throat and Rin walked over to him and laid a calming hand on his arm. “I had a great day at work, and yes, I’ll see you tomorrow at the gym. Go save whoever is stranded and be careful.”
Mike gave her a grateful glance, leaned in to drop a quick kiss goodbye on the top of her head and then he was out the door.
Rin stood in the middle of the apartment for several minutes staring at the spot where Mike had disappeared. The male made her incredibly happy. In fact, she smiled more with Mike than she had in a very long time. He was sweet, hard-working, and smart. The fact that he was a pleasure to look at was just a bonus. In the short time she’d known him he had opened up his gym to her, taught her how to drive, and now, opened up his home. And he asked nothing in return. The thought had her wanting to do something nice for him.
Looking around the space, she grinned. Wouldn’t it be nice for him to come home to a clean apartment, and crawl into a freshly made bed? Absolutely.
Rin’s stomach growling reminded her that it had been a long time since lunch, so she set about pulling the frozen pizza out of the freezer and set the oven to preheat. While she waited, she started picking up the bottles that Mike had left on the coffee table and then went to refold the clothes hanging out of his dresser drawers.
One of those partially open drawers didn’t have any clothing hanging out but when Rin tried to push it in, she discovered it was stuck. With a frown of annoyance Rin gave it a hard heave to dislodge it. The thing popped loose so fast that she lost her balance and pulled the drawer clean off its runner to land loudly at her feet. Money. Lots of money. Rolled up and rubber banded into several bundles.
Rin just stood there and gawked at all that cash as suspicion washed over her like icy water. Okay, so maybe Mike didn’t like banks. That wasn’t exactly a far-fetched idea, so why did her brain immediately assume that he was involved in some sort of illicit dealings? This was Mike after all. Kind, sweet, generous Mike; he was as far from how she would picture a drug dealer or thief, or any criminal for that matter, as one could get.
Feeling guilty for thinking badly about him, even for just a moment, Rin quickly put the drawer back into its slot and slid it home with a bang. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Except she couldn’t stop wondering the entire time she ate her pizza, or washed up the dishes, or straightened up Mike’s bed. The thoughts continued to roll through her head like an out of control roller coaster. The worst thought, by far, occurred to her as she laid down in her own bed at The Cedars: What if Mike was on the fur trader’s payroll?
Chapter Twelve
Rin clicked the end of her pen against her lips as she stared at the computer screen in front of her without actually seeing the data. She had had a horrible night, tossing and turning, and then when she finally did fall asleep, she was plagued with another one of her nightmares of being chased by hunters through the woods. She was tired, cranky, and preoccupied; not a good showing for her second day on the job. Luckily, Ginny was busy with a client so hadn’t noticed.
Was she just being silly? After all, lots of people chose to avoid banks… right? And what did she know about the daily management of a garage, or the wrecker service that Mike ran? It was winter, he was probably pulling cars out of ditches daily for all she knew with grateful motorists tossing cash his way left and right.
Pushing away from her desk, Rin stood up with every intention of getting herself a cup of coffee, but found herself in front of the file cabinets in the storage room instead. Mike’s garage wasn’t one of the files that Ginny had given her, but a quick peek at his previous years might shed some light on the subject and put her fears to rest.
It was a perfectly good plan except, Mike didn’t seem to have a file. Nothing last year, or the year before, or the year before that. She was just about to dig deeper, almost desperate to find at least one record, when she heard Ginny. “Do you need help finding something, Rin?”
What was she doing? This was the busiest time of year for accountants and here she was wasting time trying to disprove fears that her paranoid brain had cooked up based on the flimsiest of evidence. Rin shook her head and let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I think I need coffee.”
Ginny’s expression was almost motherly with concern. “Not sleeping well?”
Rin shrugged and tried for a smile. “It’s nothing.”
Doubt was written all over the older female’s face but she didn’t push. “If you ever want to talk about – well, anything, my door is always open.”
Rin knew what Ginny was really saying: if you ever want to talk about your time with the fur traders. Everyone wanted her to talk about it. What they didn’t seem to understand was that talking about it, only brought the trauma to the forefront of her mind when all she wanted to do was forget. But, since Ginny offered…
“What can you tell me about Mike over at the garage?”
Ginny’s grin was positively wicked as her eyes lit with approval. “I had heard you’d been spending a lot of time over at the garage.” Her tone was rife with gleeful insinuation.
Rin felt her cheeks heat at the thought that she had been the subject of gossip. Would she ever get used to that particular aspect of small town life?
Her boss, noting Rin’s cheeks, chuckled. “Word spreads fast around here. But don’t worry, all the talk seems to be in favor or you and Mike getting together. He’s a great guy; super sweet, funny, loyal. Not to mention easy on the eyes.” Ginny finished with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
While that information confirmed what Rin had initially thought about Mike, it didn’t altogether alleviate her newest fears. Nor was she sure she liked the implication that everyone assumed they were a couple – or worse, humping like bunnies in the back of his garage. She needed to dispel that misconception. After all, she may be attracted to Mike, they may even have come close to kissing, but he was just being a nice guy and helping her out. She wasn’t even sure he was attracted to her in that way – she wasn’t a wolf – she was a flat chested Kitsune who quite possibly reminded him of a lost child. Why did he try to kiss her then?
Okay, so he probably didn’t think of her as a child, but that still didn’t mean he was interested in anything more than friendship. He could have just been swept away by the moment and grateful that they’d been interrupted now that he’d had time to think about things. The kiss didn’t even happen, so she shouldn’t make a big deal about it. No. Big. Deal.
Rin cleared her suddenly dry throat. “He’s just teaching me how to box.”
Ginny’s grin grew impossibly wide. “Nice. All that sweaty male goodness putting his hands on you… showing you how to move, sparring.” She fanned herself as she pretended to swoon against the doorframe. “Woo! I think I need a cold shower.”
Rin couldn’t help but laugh at Ginny’s antics. “Well, I still need a coffee if I’m going to be at all productive today.”
“My client killed the pot I made this morning. I’ll make a fresh one.” Ginny pushed herself off the doorframe and waved for Rin to follow.
Once they were in the little kitchen area that served as a breakroom, Rin attempted to bring the conversation back around to what she really wanted to discuss while Ginny set the coffee to brewing. She needed to be careful in how she worded things. In a town that loved to gossip, the last thing she needed was to start trouble for Mike. “I wanted to do something nice for Mike since he’s giving me these lessons and not asking for any sort of payment, so I thought I would do his taxes, you know, I’d pay the fee so that you’re not losing out on the business, but…” She let the sentence trail off, feeling further elaboration was unnecessary.
Ginny did
n’t even bat an eye as she stuck her head in the refrigerator to pull out some flavored coffee creamer. “Mike does his own taxes.” Holding up two bottles she asked “Hazelnut or French vanilla?”
Rin pointed to the hazelnut with a frown of disappointment. Of course he would do his own taxes, criminal elements did not go through proper channels after all.
Berating herself for the unkind, and truly, unwarranted thought, Rin wracked her brain for a way to appease her curiosity and dispel her doubts without coming outright and asking Mike. Seeing the money may have been an accident, but that didn’t mean he’d appreciate, what he may consider, snooping.
“Sometimes I wonder how he keeps the lights on in that garage and still manage to buy those cars he’s fond of fixing up.” Ginny was saying as she poured a healthy amount of cream into her coffee. “A small town garage, oil changes, tire rotations,” she shrugged. “Not exactly big profit margin. But I suppose if he’s getting the cars for a steal, then he’s making the difference up when he sells them.”
Rin’s brain pounced. Was Mike stealing cars, fixing them up and then selling them for cash? Gah! Too many questions and no ready answers without going straight to the source.
“As for doing something nice for him,” Ginny volunteered, “I vote you make him dinner. It may be a cliché, but it’s completely true that males are ruled by their gut.” Rin accepted the cup of coffee Ginny handed her with a strained smile.
Chapter Thirteen
“She cleaned my place last night.” Mike was saying to Tim as he turned a wrench underneath the SUV he was working on.
“Are you seriously complaining right now?” Tim asked, his disbelief written all over his face. “Do you know what I’d give to have someone clean my apartment for me?” The bigger male griped as he shoved half a donut in his mouth.
“I thought your lady love was perfect.”
Tim finished his breakfast and wiped his hands off on his jeans. “She is. That’s why I don’t invite her to my place to see how imperfect I am.”
Mike wiped impatiently at the cold water dripping down the back of his neck. Damn snow. Just one more aggravation to add to his already crappy mood. Things had been going so well with Rin the night before, only to be interrupted. The client with the rental car stuck in the guardrails would have thought Mike a complete asshole if he’d bothered to stop bitching about the lack of cell service in the area for two seconds. And of course the guy didn’t want the car brought to the closest garage – oh, hell no – it had to go to an authorized dealer. Normally Mike would have shrugged, it was the client’s dime after all, but last night he had had a reason to come home and was pissed he couldn’t get back sooner.
The surprise of a clean place had been nice. Three-quarters of a pizza wrapped in plastic and left on the table for him had been nice. But the sticky note that said thank you with a smiley face left next to the pizza had made him grin like an idiot for at least an hour. He’d immediately folded the note and tucked it into his wallet for safe keeping. Then his hyperactive brain had kicked in with a shit-ton of doubt…
“I just don’t want her thinking she needs to do stuff like that for me – like she’s paying me or something. That’s not the kind of relationship I want with her. That, and – am I that much of a slob that she couldn’t eat in my place without cleaning it first?”
“Yes, you’re a slob.” Tim readily agreed before shrugging. “But maybe she was just being nice.”
Mike opened his mouth to respond to that when Tim changed the subject. “Word has it there’s a big payout tonight in Rutland. You feeling up to it?”
Mike’s first, second, and third instinct was to say no. After all, Rin had said she planned to stop by once she got out of work, but Mike didn’t need to look at his books to know that he could use the cash. He was good for the month as far as bills, but there was a sweet ride he’d had his eye on. A 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. The beast was loaded with miles, but it was a southern car so the body was solid. The owner wanted rid of it and if Mike didn’t jump soon, someone else would be calling that baby theirs.
“You driving?”
Tim grinned, “Can I drive the Charger?”
“Sure. If you sign over a kidney as collateral.”
“Deal.” Tim tipped his head back and let out a howl.
Rin’s day had gone downhill fast. That afternoon, she’d ridden with Ginny to meet a client not far outside of town. An old farmer, human, who as Ginny put it, could take some getting used to. “I’ll remain his primary contact,” Ginny said, “but best to meet him in case there’s a problem and I’m not there.”
The man’s house was by no means small, yet the inside was packed so full of things, there was barely space to walk. National Geographic Magazines – probably every publication – in floor to ceiling stacks lined the walls of the living room, as well as stacks of books, and newspapers. Added to that, the man had a collection of clocks that seemed to occupy every surface. He also had a taste for antlers in his décor, though Ginny assured Rin that they were made of wood rather than taken from some poor animal.
The man was nice – if a little scattered. His filing system pretty much a collection of shoe boxes full of receipts. But all of that was fine. It was when he brought them out to the barn to see the new litter of puppies that things had taken a turn for the worst.
Rin was bent over admiring the little fluff balls nursing from their mother when she heard the farmer curse and sharply say, “Now, Lulu, you mind your manners.”
Rin stood and turned, only to come face to face with her first – and hopefully her last – llama. The beast eyed her for all of two seconds before promptly spitting a thick, odious smelling goo right in Rin’s face.
Amazingly, Rin made it out of the barn without gagging. Ginny rushed after her, saying “Please don’t quit, please don’t quit, please don’t quit” as she frantically dug into her bag for some wet wipes to offer for cleanup.
The little cloths were okay in a pinch, but Rin was pretty sure she needed a shower, or a decontamination booth. God, the smell. It definitely beat out Mike’s jar of goo for sheer nastiness.
With a quick assurance to her client that all was well and that Ginny would return, Rin was ushered into Ginny’s car and they sped back to Malsum Pass, both of them rolling their window’s down and breathing through their mouths.
Ginny gave her the remainder of the afternoon off, probably as a balm to ensure that Rin didn’t quit – not that the thought had even crossed her mind, but once she had showered and passed the sniff test, Rin felt silly, it wasn’t like she was sick. So donning a fresh outfit, she’d trudged back to the office, let herself in, and settled in to get some work done. That’s when the phone started ringing, and ringing, and ringing. Holy crap. Every time she tried to get something done, she was interrupted. No wonder Ginny was so ecstatic to have help.
Feeling like she’d been run ragged, Rin was looking forward to some comfort food and some good company. With that in mind, she bundled up against the cold, slung her workout bag over her shoulder and walked to the grocery store. She was going to follow Ginny’s advice and surprise Mike with dinner. A nice gesture indeed, unfortunate though, that part of her reasoning was based on ulterior motives. She fully intended to guide the conversation in such a way as to glean some insight into why Mike was keeping such a large amount of cash in his apartment.
Originally she thought to make Mike her favorite: Coney Island hotdogs. Her dorm mate, a Detroit native who couldn’t understand why a food named after a place in New York couldn’t actually be found readily in New York, had taught her how to make the things. Rin had been hesitant to try them – they’d looked truly awful – but she’d been hooked after her fist bite.
The problem was in how messy they were. They ranked up there with ribs – not a food you could eat with any decorum, and not a food you wanted a male you might possibly be interested in romantically, to see you eat. Not that she thought Mike woul
d mind, he seemed really down to earth, but she still didn’t want him witnessing her covered in mustard and meat sauce, which was bound to happen. Couple that with onion breath… yeah, not a food for early on in any relationship.
Thus, she went with her second favorite: chicken and biscuits. It had always been a source of amusement growing up, that a family of Kitsune rarely ate Japanese food. Mostly because Rin wasn’t a fan. There were a few things she liked – gyoza, kare raisu, and yakitori, which her mother would make on special occasions since the entire family approved of those few dishes – but Rin’s palette was decidedly American.
With the ingredients bought and paid for, Rin ducked her head against the sting of cold and walked as quickly as she could manage to Mike’s garage. She really needed to ask him for another driving lesson or two and actually make an appointment to get a driver’s license. Malsum Pass may not be a big town, but walking in the cold and snow, it felt like miles. Getting into a warm vehicle right now would feel like heaven.
The door to the garage opened easily, but the dim lighting and the quiet left Rin with a sharp pang of disappointment. “Mike?” Rin called out, setting the bags down by her feet. No answer. She frowned, not sure what to do. Had he just stepped out? He must have, since he had left the door unlocked.
Planning to wait for him in the gym, Rin lifted the section of counter that would give her access to the rest of the garage and spotted the envelope with her name on it. Tearing it open, she pulled the sheet of paper out and a silver key fell free to clank on the counter.
Confused, Rin glanced at the note:
Rin,
Had some business to take care of. Feel free to use the gym, just lock up when you’re done. I’ll get the key from you the next time I see you.
Mike
Disappointment hit hard and Rin blew out a frustrated breath. So much for dinner. And now she had even more questions that notched up her suspicions. Considering she could see his wrecker parked in one of the bays, he obviously wasn’t on a tow call. Was he even now doing something shady?
Small Moments: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 6