Soft Target by Mia Kay

panel vans and utility trucks, and people in yellow and black uniforms zipped out the door, down the stairs then back the way they came. It was like watching bees in a hive.
    Max circled the block and drove up the alley to park in the back lot. Emerging from the car, Maggie was greeted by a chorus of squealing drills and pounding hammers. Weaving through the swarm of techs, and dodging ladders and cords, she made her way up the hall and to the coffeepot. Last night, in her childhood room, she’d felt more like Nate’s guest than his sister, and she’d awakened disoriented this morning. Now, despite the noise and bustle, her jangling nerves quieted.
    Gray was in the middle of the great room with a supervisor. Both men were studying the schematic, but the other man’s bossy demeanor was ruined every time he looked over his shoulder at Gray, who towered over him like a blue-eyed raven in work boots.
    He looked up and winked without breaking his conversation. Despite herself, her insides warmed. He’d had the same effect on her yesterday when he’d stayed close. He’d been worried and insistent, but he’d put her concerns first. He’d let her be afraid without making a big deal of it. Having the system was a good idea but, somehow, she felt safer just seeing Gray here.
    Listening to them talk, she stacked the donuts on the counter and started the coffee.
    “That smells great. Can I get two sugars and one cream?”
    Maggie blinked over her shoulder, staring first at the supervisor and then at Gray, who looked pissed beyond words.
    He strode to the bar and pushed the cream and sugar at the other man. “Jim, this is Maggie Mathis,” he said in an icy tone.
    The man paled, probably more at her last name than his dismissive behavior. “Miss Mathis. I wasn’t expecting you. I mean, I guess I should have, but I thought it would be later in the day. I just assumed—”
    She let him flounder a bit more before she offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jim.”
    He fixed his coffee and scurried outside. Gray stayed behind, shaking his head. “I can’t believe he said that.”
    “It’s normal. People outside Fiddler always think Nate and I spend all our time playing.”
    “You could have slept late this morning.”
    “I couldn’t. Nate snores.” She looked around at the walls painted a golden color it had taken months to find, at chairs she’d stripped and stained and at curtains she’d special-ordered. The squeaky floors were a symphony that played in time to the drip of the coffeepot. “And I missed this creaky old place.”
    “The system should be installed by first call tonight, and you should be safe from here on out.” As he talked, Gray put a hand on her shoulder, much as he’d done yesterday. And, like yesterday, the warm weight of it soaked into her skin. It was nice having him in her home, sharing simple things she’d been doing alone for years.
    Not a good thing to think, Maggie. He’s Gray, Nate’s friend, your new business manager. Don’t get worked up by the new kid in school.
    He wouldn’t be new forever. The shine would fade, and then he’d be just another employee. Someone she couldn’t date...as if she wanted to date him anyway. He’d been here less than a week, and he was too thin. She stepped away and went in search of disposable cups, calling over her shoulder. “We have a meeting today. Fitz should be here any minute.”
    * * *
    Gray craned his neck to watch her go into the storeroom, only to spin back when the front door opened. A man stopped on the threshold, his eyes wide behind wire-rimmed glasses. With silver-white hair and a bushy mustache he reminded Gray of a Westie in a suit.
    “Finally,” the man breathed as he surveyed the chaos. “She’s needed one of these for years.”
    “And it only took Gray two days to convince her,” Nate said as he walked in. “Gray Harper, Stanley Fitzsimmons. Fitz, Gray. I told you he’d be a good fit for this job.”
    “It’s