Downtown area was pretty small, expected for a small town, but still she'd passed a theater, diner, and coffee shop on her way. Finding the restaurant's sign she stopped and locked the bike, hearing her phone buzz. Glimpsing a message from Dean she quickly shut off her screen. He'd respected her space, so much so he hadn't really texted her. She'd reply. Just not yet.

A bulletin board littered with a flurry of flyers stood right beside the restaurant and Beth's eyes caught on a photo of a lush entrance to a park. A hiking trail not too far from them. If they had time… Her eyes scanned quickly over homemade signs advertising of guitar lessons, graphic designers, a cooking class... Her eyes paused and turned back.

Cooking class. Gnocci Parisienne. Tomorrow at 1 PM. Her gaze lingered on the page. Would it be like one of the baking sessions she'd been when she'd volunteered to bake for fundraisers and community festivals? This was different. A teacher would lead this. It was something she'd never done, having been self-taught through trial and error, sometimes learning from Ruby, or picking up tips from the group baking get togethers. But a class… She hummed, thinking of Sylvie's comment about leading a cooking show. That didn't draw her interest, it was true, but she wondered what it'd be like to see someone else in action. If she'd learn something new beyond perfecting a new dish.

Wait, what was she thinking? She'd decided already that this wasn't going to be a vacation. But what harm would a class be, it couldn't be more than an hour or so. The fee wasn't too bad, and she hadn't spent anything on herself for weeks-

A man opened the door, and Beth hurried inside, a slip of the event's address and time slid in her bag.

"What are you doing here?" Mona asked after exchanging pleasantries, standing behind the counter. The dining room was already fairly crowded and Mona appeared to be running the floor.

"Long story."

Mona smiled at a pair of customers who'd walked in. "I knew you were here," she admitted.

How did she know? Maybe Rio told her.

"I wanted to see where you worked." Beth smiled, trying to break the tension. "I thought we could go on a walk maybe, during your break?"

Mona opened her mouth, then exhaled. "It's a really, it's not a good time. Pedro didn't come in today and we're in the weeds."

"I can help," Beth said quickly.

Initially sweeping and busing tables, Beth made swift trips from the kitchen to the dining room. Traffic didn't slow down and no table appeared to stay free for a few seconds soon after she'd offered her help. When she glanced up at the clock two hours had already gone by. More than a few times she was stopped, and asked if food and drinks could be ordered, and she'd apologized and said she'd get a waiter. Mona eventually flagged her and sent her to the back where she was tasked with washing and chopping vegetables. Sweat broke on her forehead. Three other staff worked at the kitchen buzzing around her, speaking quick Spanish between them.

She'd done all kinds of work at the Dairy Queen but that mostly involved ice cream and drinks. Still the noise of the kitchen sink, grill, and conversations around her was familiar and eased her into the work's rhythm.

Maybe this would be how she'd make amends. One day wasn't going to be enough. Mona thanked her a few times and asked if she was still OK and Beth nodded quickly. It would take more than this. But it would be something. Maybe she was meant to come here, she'd thought for the first time.

Mona had thanked her coolly when she said she'd needed to get back.

"I can come back tomorrow, if you want."

"We'll be all right," Mona shook her head. "Anyway, you could be gone by then."

As Beth pedaled back to the house, she thought to herself that it wasn't likely. She just had a feeling.

"Guess I can't believe you came home to keep cooking," Sylvie shook her head.

"It wasn't really cooking. More chopping. Also, I need to eat," Beth said, pointing her knife at Annie.

"I make pizza!" Annie raised her voice.

"Order," she raised her eyes.

Annie furrowed her eyebrows before turning to Sylvie. "Sure you don't wanna stop by?"

"She'll probably stop by for dinner to say hi," She shrugged, putting her foot on the stool. "Wonder if Chris's seen her."

Beth expertly cut out the green apple's core. "Where is he?"

"Out," Sylvie said and put out her hand to Annie for pretzels.

"Where does he go all day?" Beth asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

Sylvie hugged her leg, putting the pretzels on her napkin on the counter. "He knows people," she said matter of factly. "He's not gonna tell me if I ask him. Guess you kinda get used to that."

"Maybe he's with someone," Annie made a suggestive face and pulled more pretzels from the bag.

Scooping up the sliced apples into a bowl, Beth considered her sister's suggestive tone. For all she knew, he could've.

Sylvie shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Think he'd bring her here?" Annie asked, ignoring her answer.

Sylvie shook her head again. A woman who'd be under not one but three pairs of watchful eyes, Beth expected, albeit for different reasons. If that was the reason he was out – well a small storm started in her chest at that. Instead of trying to work out the situation he was busy with that?

"He's probably working. Handling business," Sylvie added, using a tone that made it sound like it was something Rio had said to her.

Beth handed out Annie and Sylvie two pieces of green apple that were quickly grabbed.

Annie tilted her head thoughtfully. "You should go swimming with us, you know."

"This isn't a vacation," Beth said decisively, slicing another apple.

"I know. Yesterday we took a walk and it was nice, right?" Annie put her hand in the pretzel bag. "Just take a break, is all I'm saying. When was the last time you took time off work?"

It was a question Beth had asked herself. It just didn't – didn't feel right.

"Sure we can't help?" Sylvie asked.

Beth nodded. She had a system.

"He usually doesn't let his girlfriends drive though," Sylvie said absentmindedly, apropos nothing.

Beth let that sit for a moment, waiting for Annie to jump up but she didn't, munching on the pretzels, her eyes locked on a point behind Beth, like she'd gotten lost in thought.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Beth said after a two more second pause.

Sylvia didn't respond, cradling her chin in her hand. "Yeah, he doesn't like having people do things for him. He always wanted to dress himself. He's cleaned his own room since he was eight!"

"Hmmm," Annie eyed Beth and took a dramatic bite off her pretzel. "Too familiar." A moment later she was doing a double take at Sylvie. "He really did that?"

Sylvie nodded her head emphatically.

"What a freak." Annie shook her head. "Sometimes I wish Ben would turn out like that, but I don't know what I'd do if he was the adult. Reminding me to pay rent-" Annie shuddered.

"How come I always find you in the kitchen?" Rio asked, having popped out of nowhere.

Beth took a startled step back, not having heard him come in. Was he talking to her? She wasn't sure, but Sylvie was already responding as she started mixing the salad.

It was a short time after Rio joined them that he got a call and left. Not much after that after that Sylvie and Annie disappeared after studying Annie's phone. Beth didn't mind the quiet. She could focus on what she was doing. For a moment she considered calling Dean before deciding against it. Maybe taking some time will help her clear her mind after yesterday. Give her a little more space. She'd thought she'd been in a better place until she went through those photos. She knew she shouldn't have, but if she hadn't seen them – it still wouldn't have changed what happened.

This time steps preceded Rio before he'd stepped back back in the kitchen. "Where are the kids?" He surveyed the empty room, leaning against the wall by the oven.

"I think they're upstairs," Beth put the salad to the side.

"Had enough of the outdoors?"

"I think they're doing something they shouldn't be. It's just been quiet up there," She added at Rio's raised eyebrow.

"That's what the outdoors are for," He said as he pushed from the wall and started towards her.

As long as it wasn't them getting tied up with a third gang, she was OK with it.

"Need a hand?"

She looked up, pausing in surprise. "Sure. You can slice the mushrooms," she motioned towards the kitchen island.

"OK." He stepped to wash his hands as she eyed him carefully. Maybe it wasn't fair to be taken back, she thought, as he picked up the mushrooms and washed them. His mom did say he tried to help. It was still a little unnerving. Nor had she forgotten how he coldly closed the door on her face as she'd tried to talk to him.

"How thick do you want it?" He asked with his back to her.

Stepping closer she motioned over one piece, sizing up the slice with her fingers. "This much is fine," she said absentmindedly. He laughed as she walked back to read the next step in the instructions.

"What?" She asked.

He glanced at her, and not seeing recognition on her face, shook his head.

Her eyes returned to the cookbook. One shelf housed an assortment of them and she'd leafed through a few before a French cookbook jumped at her. It had been a while before she'd tried cooking something new and she was happy to find the ingredients she needed to make coq au Riesling.

"How are things going?" She asked, chopping bacon beside him.

"Good."

Sylvie had already asked him if they'd be staying the night, to which Rio nodded curtly, not offering any kind of timeline. And maybe he didn't know. But she had to know something more than that.

"Are your guys still talking about what happened with them?" She asked, referring to Annie and Sylvie.

"Yeah."

"And those other guys?"

"We're still gonna be here for the night," he said as he sliced a new mushroom.

"You said that," Beth cut through the bacon sharply, Rio raising his face to her. "Are you any closer to figuring out how we get out of this?"

"We?"

"Yes, we," she said, annoyed.

"You in a hurry to get back?"

"I have a job. I need to tell them when I'm coming back."

"How you goin' do that if you don't know?"

He was teasing her, she knew that, trying to rile her up and get her offtrack. She put down her knife.

"I can't sit here and just wait. I want to help."

"I gave you a job."

"I'm not babysitting two adults."

"You coulda just cooked here," Rio said, getting back to the mushrooms.

"Mona's my-" Friend? Not exactly. "Am I in jail?"

Rio smiled, and for the first time in the conversation Beth felt embarrassed, like he was laughing at something she didn't know anything about.

"Watching over my Annie and your sister is not a job," she insisted, motioning the parsley to Rio. "Needs to be chopped."

Rio nodded. Turning on the warm water, she washed her hands, changing the temperature to cold after finishing.

"You don't need so much," she said after turning the heat under the pan. "About half as much."

When he set the parsley on the cutting board he spoke again. "This thing doesn't go away in a day," he allowed.

Beth sighed quietly and added the bacon. It crackled and hissed in the pan while they stood in silence. She did have a job to get back to, she thought as she turned the bacon over, its sharp smell filling the room. Not to mention a life. Dean. How could she relax here without knowing what was happening, let alone having a hand in figuring things out. None of them knew what was going on except for Rio who clearly relished holding all the cards. How did Sylvie seem so fine with that?

The added onions sizzled, turning gold, when Rio spoke again.

"Let me ask you something. Why'd you ask me to come over?" He asked, stepping closer again. The same question he'd asked at his mom's place. Sharp warmth crept up her chest. She'd avoided the question when they'd been at his house. It wasn't a secret, so why was it hard to answer his question?

"Hm?" She stalled, carefully adding the chicken thighs.

"That night you came over my mom's." he tilted his head slightly. "You expected me."

His eyes weren't on her neck but her fingers wanted to reach it, just like when he'd taken the head off the stuffed giraffe. Her necklace. He'd made the connection.

Mona's words rang in her ears. Don't come between him and his money.

"I wanted a job," she met his eyes, mustering confidence in her words.

Rio pursed his lips and nodded, his lips inching upwards. "Is that right?"

"We did a good job that night."

He stepped even closer. "And?"

Beth closed her mouth and looked away before fixing her eyes on his. "I had a proposal."

"Oh yeah?" He smiled. "I thought you were done," he shook his head.

"It was a business proposal," she barreled on. "Something that would help me and you." She put her hand on the counter. "It's still on the table," she met his eyes.

"Yeah?"

Beth nodded. Even if it was desperate, Annie still needed money, as did Ruby. To go by what she'd gathered from Dean, maybe her baby sister wasn't the only one who needed a little help. She didn't want to struggle anymore. That's why she'd left that necklace.

Not only that, he'd shown he needed her and Ruby and Annie.

He watched her, as if waiting to see if she'd back down. He should've known better by now.

"It's too soon," he said finally, glancing away from her.

"What?" She fisted her hand on the counter.

"Don't you think you need to finish this before you do any more work for me?"

"Finish what? Sitting around while you go out for hours doing who knows what," she turned over the thighs. "Watching over my sister and yours is not a job. What's so funny?" She put the spatula down and a hand on her hip as Rio shook his head and laughed, glancing downwards.

"You think you can do what I do?"

Maybe she could, a stubborn whisper told her. Or maybe for all she knew he was out with other women, just like Sylvie'd suggested, not been up to business.

"I know I have as much as stake as you to get past this. And we can be an asset."

"We?" Rio asked, hit voice hitting a higher incredulous pitch.

Beth cut into the meat, finding it still pink. "If you are handling it, then I'm sure it'll soon be over," she tried a different strategy. "If you didn't think we could do that job, you wouldn't have asked us.

"Your sister messed up bad."

"She wasn't alone," Beth made her lips into a thin line.

"Yeah, but you ain't pitching for her. Right? Good thing you're not pitching for your husband."

"He's not my husband," Beth snapped while moving the thighs onto a plate.

"No? What is he then?"

She motioned to the kitchen island. "Could you get me the parsley?"

Like it was this guy's business what anything personal she had going on. She didn't owe him that honesty. She had a business proposition. It was all this was. Despite what Mona had said, her common sense was pleading at her. Despite the not yet faded memory of him holding a gun to her chin.

If someone would've told her she'd be standing in a cabin in northern Michigan, hiding away from two gangs with the the help of the guy who'd threatened her, Annie, and Ruby's life such a short time after it happened – she'd pinch herself awake from the nightmare. Even if he was helping her sister, it wasn't out of selfless kindness. She couldn't trust him.

So that was all she wanted. Business. Annie needed the business as did Ruby. And if even through their exchange she pushed the instinct to step away when he'd come up a little too close, when he crowded her.. If she felt her body respond with not enough fear, but too much curiosity, which was any curiosity at all, she had to remind herself it was just this place. It was just this circumstance. Otherwise nothing would get blurred.

"Let's see how this plays out," he said finally and she knew she wouldn't be able to get anything more than that. But at least it was something.

She had forced herself not to open Facebook since the day before, her fingers itching to check. The thought alone tensed up all her senses, shooting them to overdrive. She distracted herself each time, letting the urge undulate past.

"Bethie?"

"Hi," she said, leaning against the pillows in her bed. She called him at the end of the night.

"Hi. It's good to hear you."

"You too," she spoke truthfully.

His voice comforted her. But what when she blinked what shot through saw was the photos, imagining him touching her. She squashed the thoughts away.

He'd hold her and tell her they'd work it out. And they would.

"You staying out of trouble?" Dean asked softly.

"I'm trying to."

"Are you in trouble?"

"No, no, I just needed to help Annie," she said easily.

"Where are you sleeping?"

"I- I'm with her."

It wasn't the time to get into the details of where or what she was doing, or even what Annie had gotten herself into. She knew Dean wanted to know but he treaded carefully. He told her he was thinking of her and she said the same to him. She even meant it. But as she fell asleep the photos she'd clicked through kept coming up over and over in her head, stealing away rest.

She tried not to think too of the delayed irritation she had to his question. Where was she sleeping? Her heart lurched at the meaning. Where had he – no. What right did he have to ask her that question, when she'd never given him a doubt. Maybe being away for a few more days wasn't the worse option.

Backstroking in the water, racing against Annie with Sylvie charged as the referee, laughter echoing against the bank, Beth had to admit it was a good idea. It was OK to relax for a minute, even if that's not what this trip was about. Even if it wasn't vacation. The cooking class flyer flashed in her memory. It would be this afternoon and she could go. Mona had texted her earlier, telling her she could stop by if she wanted. Beth jumped at the opportunity, replying quickly. She'd spend a little time at the restaurant and take off. It wasn't too far either from Mona's either.

Joining Annie and Sylvie did take some coaxing, what with arguing back the night before at dinner that she didn't have a swimsuit, the same argument she'd told Rio.

"Just wear a t-shirt and some shorts," Sylvie'd said and Beth considered it as she heard Rio cough sharply out of view.

Mona had joined them for dinner and she'd gotten compliments on the chicken. Her stomach warmed at the words. She'd have to tell Ruby how out of all things Rio had offered to help her with getting dinner ready after everything. But some things, well, like how she'd been bothered that at his brief words complimenting her dish last night, how she'd held them in her ears for a few seconds too long. That she'd hold to herself alone.

The water was warmer than she'd expected, a pleasant discovery too. She'd ended up grabbing a t-shirt from one of the extras for guests as well as shorts from Sylvie. They were so short that her t-shirt had actually hung a little below them.

The blue sky above appeared immense, filling her entire view as she lay on her back on the water's gentle surface. "Decide what you're making for dinner?" She asked her sister, the topic having come up at dinner as well. She'd brought it up actually, keeping her eyes on Annie and Sylvie and away from Rio.

"Yes," Annie said a little too loudly as Sylvie shook her head. "We'll figure it out," Annie said off Sylvie's head shake.

Making her way up the steps she sat at the wooden platform over the water, grabbing a towel, her teeth chattering.

"You just got here!" Annie said, splashing water with her hands.

"I've been here for an hour," Beth said, drying her face and arms before wrapping the towel around her shoulders, shivering from the cool breeze.

"You volunteering again?" Annie asked.

"Making me look bad," Sylvie said, shaking her head.

"You're gonna think about what I said right?" Annie called after her as Beth stepped away. "Taking more time off. It's a long day. We may need someone to watch us cooking!" She raised her voice as Beth started to walk away.

"You'll be fine," Beth waved her hand. "Since you're not alone," she teased.

Turning her head as Annie muttered something to Sylvie who laughed, she spotted Rio walking down the grass towards her. "Aw, done already?" His eyes met hers, and Beth wanted to tug at the wet t-shirt clinging to her body.

"Looks like it," she said dismissively, glancing away from him and then back, narrowing her eyes briefly. Something was different about him. He was wearing a black t-shirt, she realized. As he briskly passed her he took his shirt off, calling out to his sister.

Curious, nothing more, she glanced behind her shoulder, peeking. He picked up his steps as he stepped on the short wooden pier. Sylvie said something that Beth couldn't hear and in seconds he was jumping right into the water, not bothering to take off his jeans. Sylvie and Annie laughter rolled to her and water splashed loudly. Beth's mouth opened. She nearly took a step forward before taking one back, just about losing her balance.

She turned on her heels and headed back to the house taking a couple of quick steps before slowing down. Who knew he had any shirts beside his buttoned down ones? Not that it was any brighter color than his staple dark blue. In fact, it was black, wasn't it? But still. She'd never even seen his arms before, she thought, absentmindedly running her right hand over her left arm. She shook her head, replaying the image of him jumping into the water.

She couldn't believe he'd just jumped in, jeans and all. She smiled before shaking her head again, trying to put away the image of him as he'd walked away from her.