“I’m fine,” she insisted, backing a fraction away. Her hands trembled before she tucked them behind her. He wasn’t close enough to touch her, but she reacted as though proximity itself was danger. Evan raised his palms in surrender, stepping back. He had spooked her, and he did not want to come off as a creep.
When he gently asked whether her name was really Lena Gray, she froze completely. For a moment, the world around them seemed to still. Then she exhaled, long and shaky, and said, “I am now. I’ve started over. I want no trouble. That’s all there is. Please don’t ask me anything more.”