“Thank you,” she replied softly. “It was really nice of you to come over and do that for me.”
“Ellie, this is Josh Parker. He’s in charge of building that house I told you about.”
“Of course,” Ellie said. “What a sweet thing to do!”
Josh shrugged. “I don’t know about sweet. It’s a job.”
Maggie grinned at him. “Don’t be modest. You know you did it to rack up points.”
“Really? And just who do you think I was angling to rack up points with?”
“Cord,” she suggested. “Maybe Amanda.”
Josh laughed. “Miss Maggie, you have me all wrong. I don’t need points with Cord and I’m not interested in Amanda.”
She studied him curiously. “Then why did you agree to do it?”
“Just in case I’m a little short on recommendations when I arrive at the pearly gates,” he claimed. He wondered if she’d buy that his admission wasn’t all that far from the truth.
“I suppose your fate there all depends on who’s checking in the newcomers,” she retorted. “If it’s a female, you won’t have any problem at all sweet-talking your way inside.”
“Well, just in case, I’m trying to accumulate a few good deeds. Speaking of which, where are these paintings you want me to move?”
“I’ll show you,” Ellie offered.
Maggie gave her a concerned look that Josh couldn’t quite interpret.
“Are you sure?” she asked Ellie worriedly. “Want me to move the others out of the way first?”
“Which others?” Josh asked.
“The ones Brian destroyed,” Maggie explained.
Josh got the message. What Ellie was facing was that first gut-wrenching sight of the destruction of something that was important to her. He’d known that feeling once when vandals had gotten into a historic house he was renovating and had themselves a field day with paint. The devastation had clawed at his gut for days.
“How about you just point me in the right direction and I’ll take care of it?” he suggested.
Ellie shook her head. “I’ll have to see them sooner or later. I’m ready now.”
As soon as he followed her into the studio area and she switched on the bright overhead lights, Josh saw why Maggie had been so concerned. Ellie took a look around and swayed. He caught her and led her to a stool in front of an empty easel. He gently turned it away from the worst of the destruction.
“Why don’t I bring over the rest of the paintings and you tell me which ones go and which ones stay?” he suggested.
She nodded, color finally coming back to her face. “Thanks.”
Maggie came over and stood beside her, a hand resting on her shoulder.
Josh didn’t know enough about art to make an educated judgment, nor did he want to waste much time examining each of the works, but something in his gut told him to treat the paintings with extra care. He supposed people tossed around the word genius a little too casually, but he had a hunch he’d just stumbled onto one.
In the end, there were a dozen paintings Maggie wanted to take to the gallery. She and Ellie stood guard at the truck, while he brought them downstairs one by one and loaded them carefully into the back of his pickup.
Then all three of them rode to the gallery, where Maggie supervised their storage in a secured vault in the back. Josh checked all the locks and nodded with approval.
“They’ll be safe enough here. How’s your security system?” he asked.
“Top-of-the-line,” Maggie assured him. “But I’m going to have the security guys go over it just the same.”
“Then let’s lock this place up and I’ll take you two out for something to eat. I’ll bet neither one of you has had dinner.”
Maggie regarded him with surprise. “To be honest, I’d forgotten all about food, and you’re right. I’m starved. Ellie, what about you?”
“I think I’d rather go back home,” she said. “I can walk.”
“Not a chance,” Josh said. “If you insist on going home, we’ll take you. I want another look around before I leave you there alone.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Ellie protested.
“Yes, I do,” he said flatly.
“Let the man get his full quota of brownie points for this,” Maggie advised. “He probably has to overcome a lot if he wants to get into heaven someday.”
He winked at her. “You have no idea.”
“Oh, I think I do,” Maggie retorted.
But Josh thought he detected a glint in her eyes that suggested she found this reply intriguing. It seemed Miss Maggie might just have a thing for dangerous men.
Only after she and Josh were seated at an all-night diner in a part of town she rarely visited, did Maggie start to tremble. It could have been hunger, but she had a hunch it was a delayed reaction to her encounter with the out-of-control Brian Garrison.
Josh’s hand immediately covered hers. “You okay? The worst is over. Don’t fall apart now.”
“It’s probably low blood sugar. I’ll be fine as soon as I’ve eaten something.”
Magically, a waitress appeared at that instant, her artificially red hair sprayed into a dated beehive style and adorned with a frilly white cap held in place with bobby pins. A pin on her pocket said her name was Linda Sue.
“Hey, sugar, you’re out late,” she said to Josh. “You want your usual?”
Maggie regarded Josh curiously. “Come here often?”
“Most nights like clockwork, right at seven. I could set the clock by him,” Linda Sue claimed. “Hasn’t changed his order once in all these weeks, either.”
Josh looked vaguely unsettled by the revelation. “Maybe I’ll do something totally unpredictable tonight.”
“Such as?” the woman asked skeptically.
“Yes, Josh,” Maggie encouraged, eager to see what he would consider a daring break with tradition. “Do something wild.”
“Okay, you two,” he chided. “Stop trying to turn this into some sort of dare. I happen to like burgers and fries.”
“But not tonight?” Linda Sue asked. “Is there something different about tonight, besides the fact that you finally have a good-looking woman with you?”
Maggie watched as Josh struggled to find a suitable comeback for the question. She grinned at his obvious dismay, then decided to give him a break.
“Well, while you’re making this life-altering decision, Josh, I’m ordering the burger and fries. If you have it every night, it must be good.”
“Best in town,” the waitress assured her. She turned to Josh. “Made up your mind?”
He shrugged finally. “What can I say? I like the burger. But I will be daring. I’ll have onion rings tonight.”
Maggie chuckled. “That is daring. I’m impressed. And just so you know, if you try to sneak even one of my fries, I will hurt you.”
Josh sighed dramatically. “Then you’d better bring me a side order of fries, too.”
“Coming right up,” Linda Sue promised.