The excuse was transparent, and they both knew it. Isabella didn’t want to be alone. Didn’t want to leave herself and Maddy vulnerable if Todd decided to do something stupid. And Christopher had no intention of leaving them unprotected.
“Of course,” he said easily. “I’d be happy to help. What time do we need to be up?”
“Good. I’ll prepare the guest bedroom.” The relief that flooded Isabella’s face made something in Christopher’s chest tighten. “Five thirty? Is that too early?”
“Perfect,” Christopher assured her. “I’m an early riser anyway.”
They spent the next hour in the kitchen, with Isabella showing him how to prep ingredients for the breakfast casseroles she’d be serving. Christopher followed her instructions carefully, chopping vegetables and shredding cheese while Isabella mixed batters and assembled dishes that could go straight into the oven in the morning.
Working beside her in the small kitchen felt natural. Easy. They moved around each other with an efficiency that spoke of growing familiarity. Every so often, their hands would brush or their shoulders would touch, and Christopher would feel that familiar spark of awareness.
By ten thirty, Maddy had showered and changed into her pajamas. She appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking sleepybut determined. “Can we watch a Christmas movie? Just for a little while?”
“It’s late, sweetheart,” Isabella said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “And you have to be up early tomorrow.”
“Please? Just one?” Maddy’s eyes were pleading. “Christopher can help me pick one out while you take your shower.”
Isabella looked at Christopher, a question in her eyes. He nodded slightly, understanding the unspoken request. He’d keep an eye on Maddy while Isabella took a few minutes for herself.
“Okay,” Isabella relented. “One short movie. But when it’s over, straight to bed.”
“Deal!” Maddy grabbed Christopher’s hand and tugged him toward the living room.
Christopher settled onto the comfortable couch while Maddy scrolled through the streaming options on the television. She chose “The Polar Express,” declaring it her favorite Christmas movie even though she’d seen it a hundred times.
The movie started, and Maddy curled up on the other end of the couch with a throw blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Christopher found himself actually watching it, drawn in by the animation and the story despite having seen it several times with Trinity over the years.
About twenty minutes into the movie, Maddy’s phone buzzed on the coffee table. She frowned and picked it up, the blue light from the screen illuminatingher face.
Christopher wasn’t trying to pry, but concern made him ask, “Is that Trinity?”
Maddy’s frown deepened, and something that looked like confusion crossed her young face. “No.”
She stared at the screen for a long moment, her frown intensifying. Then she turned the phone toward Christopher, and he saw the message displayed there. “It’s from my father.”
Hi Maddy. This is your dad. I’d really like to meet you for ice cream.
Ice ran through Christopher’s veins. Todd was contacting Maddy directly. Trying to go around Isabella. The manipulation made Christopher’s jaw clench with anger.
A crash came from behind them, and they both turned to see Isabella standing in the hallway doorway. She’d changed into comfortable clothes for relaxing, and she’d been carrying a tray with three mugs of hot chocolate. The tray now lay on the floor, ceramic pieces scattered across the hardwood, hot chocolate spreading in a dark puddle.
But Christopher barely noticed the mess. All he could see was Isabella’s face, drained of color, her eyes wide with shock and fear as she stared at Maddy’s phone.
“Mom?” Maddy’s voice was small and uncertain.
Isabella’s lips moved, but no sound came out. She just stood there, frozen, staring at the phone that had brought her worst fear directly into her home.
Todd had found a way to contact Maddy. And from the look on Isabella’s face, Christopher knew that everything they’d dealt with today was just the beginning of a much bigger problem.
15
ISABELLA
Isabella stood at her kitchen counter staring at the coffee maker as it dripped with agonizing slowness into the carafe. She’d barely slept at all last night, maybe two hours total if she was being generous. Every time she’d closed her eyes, she’d seen Todd’s message on Maddy’s phone, the casual manipulation of it making her stomach churn.
If Christopher hadn’t been in the spare room down the hall, she wouldn’t have slept at all.
Just knowing he was there, that solid presence between her and the rest of the world, had allowed her to drift off for those brief, restless hours. She’d lain awake listening to the unfamiliar sounds of someone else in her house. Christopher’s footsteps as he’d checked the locks one more time before going to bed. The creak of the guest room door. The knowledge that if anything happened, she wasn’t alone.
