notion sickened him.
There was no other choice but to confront her.
Quinn stalked around the corner, scowling when she jolted in surprise and trepidation rippled across her features. He clasped his hands tightly behind his back. âMay I ask what you are doing?â
âIââ Thick lashes sweeping down, she pointed to the book. âIâIâm entering my purchases. Emmett detracted the cost from my wages.â
âI would like to see that.â He held out his hand.
Her dark brows collided. âYou donât trust me.â
âYou are my employee, Nicole. I need to be able to trust you. Thatâs why I need to see it.â
Her reluctance was plain as she handed him the book. Antagonism radiated from her stiff form. Quinn flipped through the pages, saw what appeared to be lists of ordinary supplies and entries by both Nicole and Emmett.
âNew policy. When you make a purchase, I will enter it into this ledger, not you.â
Nicole snatched it from his fingers, holding it to her chest like a shield. Deep purple sparks shimmered in her eyes. âEmmett didnât feel the need to supervise me in this.â
âI am not Emmett,â he snapped, angry at her for inspiring this distrust in the first place. âIf you do not feel you can meet my standards, you can cease your employment here.â
Again, he sensed fear in her.
âFine.â Hauling the basket up to the counter, she opened the ledger and held it up to his face. âYouâre the boss. Go ahead. Inspect it.â
Despising the position sheâd put him in, he checked that the items sheâd gathered matched her entries. âYou may leave,â he murmured, not looking at her. âI will see to the cleanup.â
He noticed her hands shaking when they folded over the handle. She didnât speak, just whirled away from him and marched down the hallway, slamming the door behind her.
âWhat exactly are you hiding, Nicole? And what has you so afraid?â
* * *
âWe have a problem.â
Humiliation humming through her veins, Nicole plunked the supplies one by one on the tabletop. Candles. Soap. Tea.
âWhat is it?â Features pinched, Patrick leaned heavily on his cane.
âNot it. Who. Quinn Darling is the problem.â Insufferable man. âHe practically accused me of stealing.â
Lillian, whose neat blue-and-brown paisley blouse and nut-brown skirt Nicole had fashioned herself, clapped a hand over her mouth. âHow horrible.â
Studying the growing collection of things sheâd brought, Patrickâs shoulders sagged. âItâs because of your frequent purchases, isnât it?â He nodded to the table. âIâm not surprised heâs suspicious.â
Noting his growing displeasure, Nicole worked to calm herself. âI havenât done anything wrong. He knows that. However, I may have to stagger my visits for a while.â
âOf course,â Lillian placed a hand on Nicoleâs arm. âWe appreciate everything you do for us. We would never want you to put your job in jeopardy. Because of Patrickâs traps, we have sufficient meat. And thereâs all the fish and crawfish, too.â
The pair waited until dusk to do their fishing and bathing. While not ideal, it was the best way to avoid detection.
Patrick retreated to his corner chair, resting the cane across his knees. âMaybe we should move on to a different town. Somewhere farther away from Carl. Weâve taken advantage of Nicoleâs generosity long enough.â
Both females gasped. Lillian rushed to crouch in front of him. âPatrick, no! I donât want to leave Nicole. Sheâs our family now. Besides, thereâd be no one to help us. No place to stay.â
The younger girlâs impassioned plea squeezed Nicoleâs heart. The fact that Lillian valued their friendship as much as she did filled her with an unfamiliar sense of
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley