“Why don’t you take Liza upstairs? Show her where she can stay?” Jake suggested. “That all right with you, Thomas?” he added as an afterthought, turning towards the old man.
Liza saw him nod slightly before leaning back into the shadows.
Jake winked at Liza, saying, “See, it’s all worked out!”
Liza nodded. Mary sat quietly watching.
“So you go with ‘er an’ I’ll be back later, to see ‘ow you’re settlin’ in.”
He playfully rubbed her back. “That all right, princess?”
Liza nodded and hoped nobody noticed the flush of her cheeks.
Jake gave Mary a lingering kiss on the lips, turned and was gone.
The sound of the bell above the door echoed through the store. Liza blinked and swallowed hard. The moment he was gone, her confidence evaporated. Oh Jeesus, she thought. What on earth have I le
