He took his swim—an hour. He showered and cleaned up and it was still early. He could’ve gone for a run, but he passed. Instead, he walked next door. Mikhail appeared to be out on the deck so he went by way of the beach stairs. Might as well get it over with—he couldn’t hide out for a week while his face healed.

He clomped up the beach stairs to find Mikhail sitting at the table playing solitaire. The old Russian looked his way, did not say anything, but lifted one bushy eyebrow. Blake went to the table and sat down.

“I see you’ve taken up hockey,” Mikhail said.

“Fell off the bike,” Blake said.

Mikhail grunted. “Bah. Your jig is up. The little one told us what happened.”

“Charlie?”

“Lin Su. She said she wouldn’t want Winnie to have a fright. So, you lost your cool, is that it?”

He gave his head a tilt. “That’s pretty much it. You should’ve seen what those fools did to the trailer. I’m sure they turned it upside down looking for jewelry or money, none of which the girl had. They left her in a mess.”

“And you avenged her,” Mikhail said. “A knight.”

Oh, boy, that was the last thing he needed her to think, that he’d be hanging close to protect her, take care of her. He had a hard enough time taking care of himself. On the outside his life looked very well ordered and carefully planned, but right beneath the surface things were a mess. Always had been, always would be. It was a constant balancing act.

“Where is everyone?” Blake asked.

“Her Majesty had the physical therapy this morning so she’s having a rest. The little one is in town with Grace, looking at the apartment on top of the shop. Maybe it solves the trailer problem, eh?”

“That’s the place she’s looking at?” Blake asked. “That’s good! That’s perfect!” And Grace would be sure it was affordable for Lin Su. “Is it a nice place?” he asked.

“Small but good.”

He laughed. “She doesn’t take up much space.”

* * *

Lin Su drove to the flower shop even though she would have preferred a nice long walk. She didn’t want to leave Winnie for too long in case she needed something. She hadn’t been in the shop before—of course, having no need for floral arrangements—and the moment she stepped inside she regretted that. It was charming yet sophisticated, reflecting Grace.

Grace peeked out of the workroom, her green florist apron stretched over her growing belly. “You’re early.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” Lin Su said. “Winnie was tired after her therapy. Mikhail is sitting watch.”

“I’m up to my elbows in flowers so why don’t you just take the key and go upstairs. Look around. You’ll see I left a lot behind when I moved out—Winnie’s kitchen is much better stocked so whatever is in my little kitchen can be used or packed up and stored. There are extra linens, too. It’s tiny, Lin Su. But the sofa pulls out.” Grace handed her a key. “I’m afraid the back stairs is the only entrance but at least there’s parking. And I’d be happy to give you a flower shop key so you can go through the shop if you want to enter from the front of the building.”

“Thank you. I’ll only be a minute.”

Lin Su let herself into the loft and just stood inside the door for a moment. It was, as she expected, beautiful. Yes, it was very small, but not much smaller than the trailer, which she had hated so much. Yet this space was furnished richly. There was a dark wood wall unit of cupboards and shelves that held a large flat-screen TV. The sectional was soft leather, the two accent tables were dark wood. No cheap blinds in Grace’s loft—the only window had custom wooden shutters. The little kitchen was perfectly functional—small refrigerator, two-burner stove top, microwave, sink and a table that could seat two comfortably. There was no oven.

The loft was long, divided in two. One half was the small kitchen and living room. An arch separated it from the other half, which was a bedroom and bath. Between the sections was a closet on one side and a little stacked washer and dryer plus utility closet for the vacuum cleaner, ironing board and other supplies.

She looked around the bedroom—it was very economically designed—a queen-size bed on a wooden frame, a small foldout desk, an armoire, tiny closet, two bedside chests with drawers and more drawers in the wooden platform under the mattress. She touched the wood of the headboard—again it was rich and fine. It reminded her of the home she had grown up in—the furnishings were tasteful and expensive. She sat down on the bed. The mattress was firm. When she stood again, she smoothed the comforter.

She stayed a little bit longer than she intended. She looked in the bathroom—it was large and comfortable. She sat in the living room facing the TV. She opened and closed the shutters behind the sofa. Well, there was no question about it—she would love to live in such a place. She’d lived in larger homes and apartments, but they were invariably in poor repair in bad neighborhoods. Often, she shared them with roommates to cut the rent. Her first few years on her own with Charlie had been very difficult—there was school and a job and a baby who had frequent bouts of upper respiratory illnesses. Then things calmed down a bit but the past five years with the recession, scarce jobs and rising costs had been difficult. She and Charlie had lived in some real dumps, that little trailer taking the cake.

But this—this beautifully decorated, compact little loft—was not only lovely and comfortable, it was right in the center of town, two doors down from the deputy sheriff’s office where Seth Sileski worked. It was not really a place to raise a family but it would be so ideal for a single woman and her son.

Too bad it was impossible. Even if it was priced reasonably it would be hard for her to afford. The furnishings alone made it even more valuable. And Lin Su had already made a decision—she wouldn’t negotiate with Grace. Over the years, she’d become a fierce haggler. Even used-car salesmen quaked when they saw her coming. But Grace was her employer. She might take care of Winnie but she knew she worked for Grace.

She went back downstairs. Grace was still busy at her worktable, constructing an arrangement. Lin Su handed her the key. “Grace, it’s very beautiful. It’s small but so expertly arranged.”

“You should have seen what I started with—a completely unfinished attic, full of junk left behind by Iris’s mother. She was the last owner of the flower shop, and when she had something she didn’t know what to do with, she shoved it upstairs and it never came down again. Iris and I had a field day poking through her stuff. Not much was worth keeping.”