Chapter thirty-four
Kate
Complete andutter mortification. That was the only way I could describe Izzy’s expression. To be fair, mine probably was the same. It wasn’t every day the words “someone tried to poison me” came out of my mouth.
“Shit, Katie.” Izzy grabbed her drink but paused before the straw touched her lips. She eyed the glass with suspicion then set it down without taking a sip.
I’d done the same to my water.
“Yeah,” I sighed and leaned over the table to take her hand. “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad, yet.”
“Katie—”
“Please, Izzy,” I begged. “I don’t want to worry them.”
She gave me an incredulous look. “They deserve to know. What if…” She stopped talking and shook her head. “We don’t keep secrets.”
It was my turn to gape at her with disbelief. “And yet you haven’t told them about my little trip to the courthouse.”
“That’s different. If they knew you tied the knot without them, they’d be hurt. This though…” She leveled me with a stare. “Wouldn’t you want to know if Millie was in danger?”
I didn’t have to say a word, she already knew the answer to that. Of course, I’d want to know so I could protect her. The thing Izzy didn’t understand, our parents couldn’t do anything.
No one could.
Unless that detective found something.
“I’m not trying to meddle,” Izzy added. “I’m just worried.”
“I know you are, and I love you for it, Iz.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You freaking bet—”
“Hi.”
Both Izzy and I looked up. When my gaze landed on the person who’d interrupted us, a sour taste filled my mouth. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. With how things were going this week, it was inevitable I’d run intoherat some point.
“Taelyn.” Jaw clenched; I pinned her with my fiercest glare. “What do you want?”
Dressed in a white-and-pink pantsuit, hair pulled back at her nape, and a string of pearls around her neck, she was as flawless as ever. Weird how she reminded me of Eleanor.
“Do you have a minute?” Taelyn said, stealing my attention. She jerked her chin at one of the empty seats and gave me a hopeful look. “May I sit?”
“Are you nuts?”
“No.”
Izzy and I spoke in unison.
Taelyn flinched. “I…uh…I guess I deserve that.”
“Taelyn.” An exasperated sigh blew over my lips as I asked for a second time, “What do you want?”
Hergaze bounced from me to Izzy then back to me. She seemed restless, shifting from one foot to the other, fidgeting with her hands. Even her mouth had a slight tremble to it.
Curious, I sat up straighter.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I’m sorry I tried to take Millie from you. I was so tired of trying, you know?” More fidgeting. “Duke and I have been through every treatment you can think of. And we’re still no closer to having a baby than we were when we first started.”
