Dad is in the kitchen when I round the corner and head for the dining room, setting the bags on top of the table one by one.
He peeks out of the doorway, arms crossing over his broad chest while he watches me.
I glance at him, seeing the tight expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”
For a split second before he opens his mouth, my mind runs through a million possibilities, all of them having to do with Jared and the cops.
That they still can’t find him and are giving up the search, that theydidfind him but are closing the case because there’s not enough evidence to arrest him for anything.
That I’m shit out of luck trying to figure any of this out going forward.
The last thing I expect him to say is, “Old buddy of mine from the station called. You remember Tom Harlan?”
My brow raises instantly. “Yeah?”
“He said he was out with his wife today doing some Christmas shopping. Saw you with an older man getting cozy at a cafe? What the hell’s going on, Noelle?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks instantly.
Tom Harlan, nosy as ever.
He was probably sipping coffee a few feet away from me, spying on my breakdown with Dean and reported it back to Dad the second we walked out the door.
I can’t believe something like that got twisted into gossip, but then again why am I surprised when this town is small enough for someone to sneeze and everyone hears it?
“It wasn’t like that.” Even to my own ears, I sound defensive.
His eyes narrow on me. “You’re twenty-eight, Noelle. He’s nearly twice your age! Getting swept off your feet by a man old enough to be your father? I raised you better than to fall for that nonsense. And he knows better than to ever touch you like that.”
The words slap me.
For a moment I just stare at him, frozen in place.
I’ve imagined this conversation before, over and over again, but it still burns hearing it out loud.
The disappointment.
The judgment.
The assumption that what I feel is some kind of mistake that needs correcting.
How can he think such horrible things about his own friends? Men who he’s trusted for decades?
That’s what finally does it.
The slow, simmering frustration that’s been living in me for months—no,years—flares hot and bright.
It’s been building since the break-in, since Jared showed up at the hotel, since I realized that every time I tried to rebuild my life, someone is always standing in the way, telling me I wasn’t allowed to choose for myself.
And underneath it all, there’s that secret I’ve been carrying for six years.
The one that’s been eating through me from the inside out, leaving me hollow and raw.
My jaw tightens.
“Why is that such a bad thing?” I snap, taking a step forward before I can stop myself.
My hands curl into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms. “Dean’s your best friend. You trust him with your life. Grant and Callum too. Why wouldn’t you approve of me dating someone you know is a good man?”
