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Lucy grinned at them and wished she felt as happy as she pretended to be. “I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to a smooth ride tonight. It’s always nice to have a new guy in town who wants to take you out.”
Kensi gave her an appraising look. “Sure, but we still need to check him out.”
“Yes, we do,” Ava agreed.
Kat moved to her side and tugged at her hair. “You know they’re not letting this go.”
As irritating as it was to have them all feel so protective of her, it was also comforting. She put an arm around Kat. “I know.”
Serenity moved to her other side. “Brooks is already running a background check.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “It’s fine.”
Liberty tsked her tongue. “You know Trent’s going to be like, ‘Dawn is marrying an ex-con and now we don’t even know the guy Lucy’s dating.’”
They all burst out laughing.
Lucy shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Cheryse shook her head. “We know that, but we love you.”
Warmth filled her. She opened her arms. “Group hug with my girls.”
Chapter 4
Raine worked steadily on the walls he was framing. Even though the slow, day-to-day dealings of rehabbing a house were tedious, there was something appealing about taking something old and neglected and making it beautiful. Maybe it reflected his spiritual life and what he was trying to do.
When Raine had decided to give up his old life, he had known that he needed a break from his foster brother. Truman wasn’t ready to make a change. He wasn’t trying to do things differently. Even though Raine loved his brother something fierce, he had to put some distance between them if he wanted to change.
He picked up another nail and pounded it into the wood. The steadiness of the work meant he could keep himself occupied mentally and physically. He’d been listening to the Bible as he worked, and he loved it. Listening to Jesus’s words in the Sermon on the Mount did something to his soul. It renewed him. For the first time, he understood what it meant to be made new or made whole.
He had just spoken to Pastor Henry about getting baptized. The pastor said they could do it anytime he wanted. Raine wanted to get baptized, but he worried the pastor didn’t know everything about him. Sure, Raine wasreformed, but he’d done bad things in the past.
Maybe he’d been able to justify them because of how he’d grown up. He’d never felt like God had been there for him. But ever since that fateful night when he’d stared at St. Paul, things had been changing and he did feel God’s presence in his life.
Raine finished a wall and stepped back, pleased with himself. He moved over to the table he had set up, perusing the architecture plans spread out before him.
When he’d first moved to South Port, he’d consulted with an engineering/architectural texture team out of Wilmington. They’d told him about a few companies in town that could help put his plans into place. The trouble was, the person they’d recommended had moved only months ago. Which was a bummer. He’d seen some of the work that guy’s company had done.
Raine had tried to haggle with second best to no avail, so he’d decided to do it himself. He’d gone into overdrive, tackling this house project with vigor. He’d managed to hire out electrical and plumbing and even a day worker now and then, if he needed help with bigger things. The hardware guy always had a couple names for him, which was nice.
Of course, Lucy’s face flashed into his mind again. She had been on his mind since he’d asked her to go for a ride tonight and she’d agreed.
He didn’t know much about Lucy Longmont.
He moved to his computer and sat at his little office he’d made for himself. On impulse, he searched her name. Of course, her boutique showed up, along with its featured pieces of art. Interesting. If he were the old Raine, he might think about stealing one. He wasn’t the old Raine.
He stared at her picture. Today in the hardware store, Lucy had looked nothing like you would expect from someone who worked with her hands for a living. He’d been surprised at her intensity, a stark contrast to her flowery dress. She was wicked smart and witty. He grinned just thinking about it. Part of him, a large part, had wanted to kiss the woman even though they had just met.
He pushed that away and scanned more articles. Apparently, she owned the building next to her place as well, and she liked to put on events. He didn’t see how much she charged for her services. It all led back to reaching out to her through an email. Smart lady. Don’t tell them how much you charge; see how much they can pay. At least, that’s how he would do it.
He scrolled through some additional information. There was a bunch about the conquistador’s gold and the Stone family. He had learned a lot about that family. He’d seen a couple of them in town. Of course, he’d bought his bike from Marshall, who seemed like a decent, no-nonsense guy.
If Raine was around Marshall too long, Marshall might just see right through him. That thought was concerning. Though he didn’t have to hide anymore.
A memory surfaced: he’d been running away from one of his foster fathers when he was eight or nine, and he’d hidden in a closet for three days in the attic. Sometimes that same fear and desperation threatened to rise again when he thought about someone actually knowing him.
He pushed that away. That wasn’t him.
