The longest day of the year. Mallory shoved her keys in the ignition, ready to be home and thanking God her house was only a few minutes’ drive. She’d go ahead and kick her shoes off if she wasn’t afraid her feet would swell up on the trip. If she couldn’t get her shoes back on, she’d have to walk through the sawdust in the garage, probably jamming splinters in the soles of her feet. Ben had begun working on the dining room, adding wainscoting and crown molding. He’d set up some terrifying circular saw that looked right out of a horror movie, and the sound it made as he cut the fresh wood reminded her of a dentist’s drill on steroids. The place was starting to shape up nicely. Her only worry was that once the work was finished, Ben Carpenter might walk right out of her life. Luckily there was still plenty to do. The garage door was up when she got home, but Ben wasn’t in the garage. His truck was parked a couple of houses away, so she hauled her exhausted body out of the car and walked through the door into the laundry room.
