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“Unless they got something in writing, it’s not too late for them to take it back.”

“I’m sure they know that. I’m also guessing they don’t want to open that can of worms. Plus Ashley isn’t in a hurry to put up a fence, and she probably won’t unless she gets permission from whoever buys Liam and Jessica’s house so that she doesn’t have to pay so much to have it done. And I doubt that she is going to offer either side half the cost of their fence.”

“You’re probably right about that,” he agrees as I stop in front of him. “I’m glad that you got it all sorted.”

“Me too.” I look back at Mom. “Do you need me to do anything while I’m out?”

“Nope, I can’t think of anything.”

“All right.” I tell them goodbye over my shoulder and push open the door. As I’m stepping outside, Wyatt is pulling up to park, and I smile as his eyes lock on mine. I walk across the sidewalk, and he rolls down his window while his gaze sweeps over me from head to toe. I can admit that I took a little extra time this morning getting ready on the off chance I ran into him, and judging by the way his eyes seem to darken just a fraction, I can tell that he appreciates the effort in my wide-leg jeans, my heeled boots, and the simple body-hugging top I tucked into my pants.

“Hey.” I lean against the side of his truck. “What are you doing here?”

“Dropping off the signs to your mom. Are you leaving?”

“Yeah, I have to run over to my clients’ house and drop off their key box and switch out signs.” I lean in closer and whisper. “I also need to get out of here because my mom is giving me the third degree.”

“About?”

“What do you think?”

“Right.” His eyes drop to my mouth, and my toes curl.

“Anyways.” I step back from his door. “I need to leave, but if it’s okay, I’m going to stop by your house later and drop off the bone I promised Storm for doing such a good job last night.”

“He’ll appreciate that,” he says with a smile that shows off a dimple in his chin I haven’t noticed until now. “You got dinner plans tonight?”

“Nope,” I answer while walking backward toward my car, which is parked in front of his.

“Now you do.”

“Okay,” I say, trying really hard not to smile like an idiot. “I’ll see you later.” I take another step back. “Good luck dealing with my mom.”

“Thanks, babe.” He chuckles.

I spin on my heel, walk to the driver’s door of my car, and get in behind the wheel smiling.

After pulling away from the curb, I dial Anna’s number. She called me earlier this morning, but I haven’t had a chance to call her back until now. When she doesn’t answer, I hang up and go to Jessica and Liam’s house to drop off their stuff and change out their sign. Something I do at warp speed to avoid Ashley in case she is home. When I’m done and back in my car, I call Anna again, and once more she doesn’t pick up, so I decide to stop by the salon where she works and see if she wants to go get a coffee.

After parking in one of the diagonal spots in front, I get out with my purse and head across the sidewalk to Mane Girl and pull open the door. When the bell above the door dings, the girl behind the counter greets me with a chirpy “Welcome!” as I make my way to the counter.

“Hey, I’m looking for Anna,” I tell her after scanning the floor and not seeing her behind her chair.

“Oh.” Her bottom lip pops out. “Sorry, she called out today.” Her attention goes to the computer on the desk. “I thought that I called and rescheduled all the appointments she had on the books for today. I’m so sorry I missed you. If you want, I can reschedule you now.”

“Oh, no.” I shake my head, and she takes her eyes off the computer and looks at me. “I didn’t have an appointment; she and I are friends. I was just stopping by to see if she had time to go get a coffee.”

“Aww, that’s sweet of you. Yeah, she’s at home. She said she woke up feeling sick.”

“Okay, thanks, I’ll stop by her place and check on her.” I say goodbye and walk out of the salon, dialing Anna’s cell again. When she doesn’t answer, I head across the street to the drugstore and pick her up some Gatorade, some crackers, and a couple of magazines, then get back in my car and drive over to her building, where I spot her car in the parking lot. I make my way up to her door, knock, and wait for what feels like forever before I hear her on the other side.

“Anna,” I whisper when she opens the door with her eyes red rimmed and her face pale. “What happened?”

“Oh god, Genevieve.” She crumbles against my chest, and my heart sinks.

“Did Kolter do something?” I ask, backing her into the house so I can close the door.

“No.” She shakes her head with tears running down her cheeks.