“Unless,” I said slowly, the pieces clicking into place, “someone is trying to make Gwyn think I’m stalking her.”
“Bingo,” he said. “So, let’s start at the beginning. What happened when you saw her today?”
I frowned as I thought back. “Not much. It was amicable. Mostly. She was under the impression I was selling the house and once she found out I wasn’t, she said goodbye and left.”
“Why did she think you were selling the house?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.” I half-smiled as I thought about the whole exchange. “It was kind of funny, now that I think about it. She was making conversation about how busy I must be. I thought she was referring to me starting up my aunt’s healing business again and getting back into painting, and I couldn’t figure out how she knew I was doing either of those things. I was even starting to feel a little annoyed at Mia and how fast she gossiped about things. But then, it came out that she assumed I would be selling the house and leaving, as there was nothing for me here. After I told her I had no intention of moving, she quickly left. I think she was about to cry. I stayed in the store for a few extra minutes to give her time to drive away before I left the store.”
“Did you notice anyone hanging around? Watching you? Listening to your conversation?”
I mentally thought back, but nothing stuck out. Of course, I wasn’t really paying attention, either. I had been lost in my own world, dreaming of painting as I delightedly chose my new art supplies. I doubt I would have noticed a herd of dinosaurs tromping through the store.
“Did anything happen after you left the store?”
The shadow disappearing behind the truck popped into my head. But what was there to tell Daniel? I thought I saw a shadow by a truck? The same truck I saw at the memorial service? And, for some reason, it had reminded me of a shadow I thought I saw this morning? A shadow Mia didn’t see?
Yeah, I didn’t need to mention that.
Although I could tell him about Jackie, and how I may have gotten my first client. I thought he would be excited for me, but as I told the story, his face grew more serious. “So, she heard your conversation?”
I paused, taken a little aback. “I ... I don’t know. I didn’t ask her.”
“But she started by telling you Gwyn would get over it? How would she know that if she didn’t overhear what you were talking about?”
The waitress reappeared with our food, depositing our meals in front of us. I glanced down at my chicken parmigiana, wondering if I had made the right choice. It looked really heavy, much too heavy for the conversation I was having. Although, I hadn’t had much to eat all day, and I really should have a meal.
I picked up my fork. “Yeah, I guess she did. But maybe she just assumed what our conversation was about. The way Gwyn shot out of there, it was probably obvious.”
“In other words, anyone in that store could have figured out what was going on and left that voicemail.” Daniel picked up his fork and started poking at his pasta. “This is sounding more and more like a prank. Either someone wanted to upset Gwyn, or they wanted to make you look bad.”
“Or both,” I said.
Daniel nodded. “Did anything else happen to you that was out of the ordinary? Or even strange?”
“Other than Louise telling me to get out of town?”
He groaned. “Oh God. Other than that.”
I played with my food so I wouldn’t have to look at him. Something was niggling at me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I also couldn’t decide if I should tell him about that nebulous shadow or the email from “friend.”
I have a secret.
The evil that was done.
“Define ‘strange,’” I finally said, feeling like I needed to say something, or he would get suspicious.
“You know.” He pointed at me with my fork. “Did you get any strange calls? Hang ups? Whatever.”
I shook my head. “No, none of that.” That at least was true.
The email was probably from CB, I told myself. It had nothing to do with Gwyn or voicemails. Sheer coincidence it happened today.
Or it was spam.
And the shadow was likely just a figment of my imagination. Nothing else.
I quashed the little voice inside me insisting I tell Daniel, because if I didn’t, he would likely be really upset with me. Especially since my choosing not to share certain things with him seemed to be turning into an ugly little habit.
On the other hand, I didn’t want to be Gwyn. I didn’t want to run to him with a wild story that would turn out to be false.
I wanted proof. I wanted to prove my innocence and not just throw more unfounded allegations into the mix.
And a part of me wanted to solve this myself. Rather than relying on someone else to save me, maybe I needed to figure out a way to save myself.
Daniel scooped up some pasta, oblivious to the thoughts racing through my head. “Hopefully this is a one-time thing. Whoever it was got her kicks and will move on.”
“Hopefully,” I agreed, but a part of me was still feeling very uneasy about what happened.
And I had a feeling I hadn’t heard the last of it.
Chapter 7
I woke to see a pair of bright-green eyes staring directly into mine.
Oscar.
As soon as he saw my eyes open, he meowed and batted my cheek impatiently with his paw. I was grateful that his claws were sheathed.
“Okay, okay,” I grumbled, pushing him aside so I could get out of bed. “I’m awake.”
He meowed again, letting me know in no uncertain terms how displeased he was that his breakfast was late before hopping off the bed and standing expectantly by the door, black tail swishing.
I yawned and stretched, wondering why I felt so unsettled. Was it a bad dream? I couldn’t remember. I did recall briefly waking up and wondering what had disturbed me, but I must have fallen back asleep, because I didn’t remember anything else.
Oscar meowed again. “Yes, yes, yes,” I said. “I hear you. Just give me a second.” My head was thick and clogged, like I had slept really deeply, and I was having trouble focusing. I went to the window and opened the curtains, hoping the natural light would cut through the fog.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon, still full of reds and oranges. The grass sparkled with dew, like tiny diamonds. A robin hopped along the ground looking for worms, and a rabbit was crouched at the edge of my garden, nibbling the tops of my carrots. Ugh. Now that Oscar was spending more time with me, the rabbits were getting bolder. Not that I necessarily wanted dead rabbits all over the yard, but there had to be a way for all of us, including my garden, to co-exist peacefully.
I pondered that as I headed down to the kitchen to make coffee and feed Oscar. Maybe I should try fencing off the area. Or, maybe there was something I could plant that would keep the rabbits away. Maybe today I could do some research and ...
I stopped dead in my tracks in the kitchen, in the middle of pouring the water in the coffee pot. Oh. Right.
Now I remembered.
Daniel was coming over.
Deep breaths. My stomach was flipping and turning, and my chest felt tight and hot.
The night before had definitely ended on a high note. Once we had moved on from talking about Gwyn, the conversation became light and fun. Daniel asked me a lot of questions about restarting Aunt Charlie’s healing business and getting back into art. He had listened intently to my answers and was really encouraging and supportive.
I couldn’t remember the last time a man had taken me seriously about my work. Well, that wasn’t exactly fair since, before moving back to Redemption, no man OR woman had taken me seriously about what I wanted to do professionally. My friends and family back in New York had all assumed my goal was to marry well.
To be honest,
I hadn’t given them much of a reason to assume otherwise.
But looking back, I realized that had never made me happy. Oh, I covered it up well, because I thought it ought to make me happy, but it never did. I always felt like something was missing. A hole inside me, empty, dark, and pulsing, growing a little bigger and a little darker every day.
Was this it? Was this all I had to look forward to?
Or was there something more I should be doing?
Back in New York, if the questions got too loud in my head, I would open a bottle of wine.
But now, everything felt different. I was surrounded by people who not only took me seriously, but who actually believed in me. Even better, I was feeling all sorts of excitement and passion about my new ventures. Maybe I could make a real difference helping people.
Me! Was it even possible?
When I offhandedly mentioned to Daniel that the desk that I wanted in the studio was in the family room, and I thought was too heavy for Mia and I to drag upstairs, he immediately offered to come by and move it for me.
“It’s awfully heavy,” I protested. “I’m not sure if even you and I can get it up the stairs.”
He waved me off. “I’ll bring a couple of buddies. Don’t worry, we’ll get it done for you.”
I was touched. So touched I started fussing with my meal to give myself a moment to compose myself.
He believed in me enough to bring friends and come drag that super-heavy desk up two flights of stairs.
“I’ll have some beer waiting for you,” I said, a little shyly. “And pizza, too. If you want.”
He put his hand on his heart. “Beer and pizza? Are you kidding me? I’ve spent an entire day moving entire houses for beer and pizza. This is a steal.”
I laughed, feeling more relaxed and content than I could remember feeling in a long while.
After dinner, he walked me to my car in the parking lot. “Sure you don’t want a police escort home?” he asked, standing so close, I could feel the heat of his breath on my cheek. His eyes were dark in the moonlight, but that didn’t hide the intensity in his gaze.
I shivered, even though the night was warm and humid. “I have roommates,” I reminded him. “I should be safe.”
He took a step closer. “It’s not the same as having a police escort.”
“I suppose not,” I said, trying hard to keep my breathing steady. He leaned closer, his movements slow, giving me time to turn away.
I didn’t.
His lips gently touched mine. He tasted of beer and pasta, and I found myself clinging to him, my arms wrapped around his neck as the heat in my body threatened to explode.
“You know,” he murmured against my lips. “I don’t have roommates.”
I almost said yes. I wanted to say yes.
But if I did, there was no going back.
Only a few short months ago, I had been trying to save my second marriage. I still wasn’t officially divorced. Was I really ready to jump into a new relationship?
What if I wasn’t?
What if I rushed into a relationship with Daniel, and it turned into a rebound?
Was that what I wanted?
Or did I want to do whatever I could to give this relationship its best chance at success?
I eased myself away. “Tempting,” I said. “You have no idea how tempting.”
“But too soon,” he said, taking a step back.
With the heat of his body gone, the air that rushed in felt cold and clammy. I shivered again. “It’s not that I don’t want to ...”
He reached out a finger and gently shushed me. “I know. I get it. We don’t have to rush. We can do this right. You’re worth waiting for.”
I could feel my cheeks growing warm. I didn’t know how to answer. I agree? Thank you?
“Besides,” he continued. “The divorce isn’t final yet, right?”
I nodded.
He gave me a slanted smile and took another step back. “We should probably wait anyway then. It would be nice if that was done and over first.”
I wondered what I could do to hurry Stefan along. “Yeah, I think you’re right,” I sighed.
Behind Daniel, a car pulled out of the parking lot, the headlights sweeping over us, temporarily blinding me and leaving him in the darkness. “Sleep tight, Becca,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I nodded again and slid into the car. He stepped aside as I turned the key and started to back up. As I drove out of the parking lot, I could still see him standing there, a lone, dark figure in the moonlight, watching me drive off.
Watching the coffee brew, I shivered again thinking back to our kiss. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or annoyed that the divorce wasn’t official. Or both.
Well, I didn’t have a lot of time to mull it over before he got to the house. I had to clean up, take a shower, and run to the store for the promised beer and pizza.
“You are a lifesaver,” Mia said behind me, making me jump. “Thank God for coffee.”
“You startled me,” I said, reaching for another coffee mug. “I’m glad I wasn’t pouring yet.”
“So am I,” Mia said, opening the fridge to pull out the cream. “You may have ended up wasting some of that precious liquid.”
“Ha, ha,” I said, filling both mugs with coffee while leaving enough room for cream and sugar.
Mia doctored her cup and took a long sip. “Ahhh,” she said, leaning against the counter. “That hit the spot.”
“You’re up early,” I said, noticing the dark, puffy circles under her eyes. “Did you have trouble sleeping?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, not exactly. Not until you woke me up in the middle of the night. I’m guessing your night was pretty good,” she winked at me.
“Ah,” I was a little taken aback. “I did have a pretty good time, but it was only dinner. Sorry about waking you. I was trying to be quiet, but I didn’t expect you to be in bed before ten.” I had gotten home a quarter to and found only Chrissy still up, texting furiously in the family room. It was difficult having a conversation with her when she was buried in her phone, but I managed to get out of her that Mia had gone to bed early.
Mia took another long drink of coffee and shook her head again. “No, I looked at the clock. It was after two when you got home.”
“Um, nooooo,” I said. “I was sleeping then. What did you hear?”
Mia frowned. “But I heard you. You were walking around.”
“You didn’t hear me walking around,” I said. “Maybe it was Chrissy.”
“Well, it was someone,” she said. “If not you, then yeah, it must have been her.”
I took a sip of coffee and thought about what she said. “What did you hear, exactly?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but a cold shawl of dread was settling over my shoulders.
She shrugged. “Just someone walking around downstairs. I assumed it was you getting home from your date and went back to sleep.”
Chrissy didn’t do a lot of walking around at night ... unless she was sleepwalking. Oh God, was that happening again?
Or ... was someone in the house again? I thought about hearing the soft click of the door and Oscar’s reaction the other night.
Had someone broken into the house in the middle of the night?
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Mia and headed to the back door.
“What’s going on?” she asked, but I didn’t answer. I was too busy searching the house. Everything looked like it was in order, but was it?
The back door was locked. I could feel my shoulders relax slightly. Hopefully, that meant I could rule out an intruder, but first I needed to check the front.
Mia asked me again what was going on as I passed her in the kitchen. “I’m just checking something,” I said, heading to the front door.
&
nbsp; “Wait,” I could hear her behind me as I tried the front door. Locked.
When I came back into the kitchen, she was staring at me. The color had leeched from her face, making the dark circles under her eyes stand out even more. “Do you think someone was in here again?”
I held my hands out. “I had to check. Both doors were locked. And it doesn’t look like anything was disturbed.”
“Well, that’s good,” she said, but she didn’t look particularly comforted.
“I’m going to go check on Chrissy,” I said, putting my cup down. “Be right back.”
Hopefully, this is all nothing, I thought as I climbed the stairs. Hopefully, Mia had just heard Chrissy getting up in the middle of the night for a glass of water, or the house creaking from age.
Hopefully, it wasn’t anything more than that.
Chrissy’s door was closed, which was a good sign. If she had been sleepwalking, I would expect her door to be open. Carefully, I turned the knob and eased it open.
Chrissy was sprawled out in bed, fast asleep, covers tangled around her.
I closed the door quietly. It certainly didn’t seem like she had been up walking around.
“It was probably the house settling,” I said to Mia when I returned to the kitchen.
“Probably,” Mia agreed, but she didn’t look convinced. She took another long swallow of coffee before refilling her cup.
“Are you feeling okay?” I asked. “I mean, you went to bed pretty early last night.”
She shrugged. “I’m just tired,” she said. “It’s probably the stress of getting ready for school to start.”
“Well, you have been putting in a lot of hours,” I said. Along with starting to go through her schoolbooks, she had been working as many shifts as she could get, wanting to bank as much money as possible before dropping down to part time when the school year started.
She grimaced. “I know. At this rate, I’m going to need a vacation before I even get started. In fact,” she glanced at the clock, “speaking of work, I probably ought to get ready.”
Secrets of Redemption Box Set Page 74