Free The Mighty Quinns: Thom by Kate Hoffmann Page A

together. She came to me when she wanted to start the bakery, and I bought the building for her. As long as she’s paying me back, I get free doughnuts.”
    “That was nice of you,” Malin said. “And it’s a wonderful story. People should hear it.”
    “No, it’s just something I did for Nora. There wasn’t a bank in the city who’d lend her money. She had a criminal record and they said she was too much of a risk. But she proved them wrong, and the bakery is doing really well. Nora is happy.”
    “If you want to vanquish The Beast, people are going to need to see the softer side of you.”
    “I don’t like to expose that side,” he said. “It’s usually easier to be The Beast.”
    Malin felt a surge of frustration. There were moments when Thom was ready to shed the old image, to toss it off like an armor he no longer needed. But then he’d draw it back on again, ready for the next battle. Would she ever be able to get him to shed it completely? Maybe not, but Malin was determined she’d at least shine it up a bit.
    They nibbled at the rest of the doughnuts and gave Nora a list of their personal favorites. Malin took a few more pictures with the owner, then warned her that there might be a sudden influx of customers over the next week.
    As they walked out of the shop into the early morning light, she showed Thom how to post the tweet and then pulled up the picture. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
    “Your stitches look good,” he said.
    “I need to take a shower and wash my hair,” she murmured. “And then we have that appointment at the salon.”
    “You’re not going to do something weird with my hair, are you?”
    “Like what?”
    “I don’t know. Dye it or give it some of those bleached highlights.”
    “No. Just a cut. And while we’re at it, I’d recommend some decent shaving products and a good razor. And a skin care regimen. And a manicure and pedicure might be nice.”
    “Oh, no,” he warned. “I’m not getting my nails painted.”
    “They don’t do that for men. And don’t write it off so quickly. I think you’d enjoy it.”
    When they got home, Malin checked her tablet again. To Thom’s surprise, he had comments on his photo from the bakery. “Here’s one,” she said. “This is from Twin City Tribes. They’re kind of a sports gossip site. They have about a million followers. Look, they’ve commented on your picture. ‘Bad boy Tommy Quinn has breakfast with—’” Malin stopped short, then shook her head. “Oh, hell.”
    “What?” Thom asked, sitting down beside her on the sofa.
    ‘“Bad boy Tommy Quinn has breakfast with mystery blonde,’” she said.
    “How did they know you were there? You’re not in the picture.”
    Malin tapped the screen a few times, then pointed to a stainless steel napkin holder on the table. “And there I am. My reflection, clear as day.”
    “I wouldn’t say that was clear as day. You can’t really tell who it is.”
    “You can tell it’s a woman,” Malin said. She stood up and began pacing. “I know better than this. Always check the photo. Enlarge it. Examine every square inch.”
    “Can’t we just delete it?” Thom asked.
    “No, that would only call more attention to it,” Malin said. “We just have to let it play out.”
    “I can just post another message saying you’re just a friend.”
    “No, you don’t engage in conversations or arguments with your followers. Rule number one.”
    “I thought rule number one was check the photos carefully.”
    “What if my father sees this?” Malin said. She shook her head. “What am I talking about? I’m the one who usually shows him this stuff. He’d never look at it on his own.” She sighed. “We should be safe. We’ll just need to be more careful.”
    “Give me that thing,” Thom said, grabbing her tablet from her hands. “Delete it right now. The whole thing. This is just too much