“You thought he’d send someone.”
“He might have.”
“If he did, they turned back.”
She didn’t argue.
“Yesterday, when we were together, you’d already bought the truck and hidden it somewhere.”
She sipped her tea, which was too hot to drink.It burned her tongue.
“Instead of getting my help to call your sister, you chose to keep this a secret and go off on your own.”
Meredith reached for a glass of iced water.She let a piece of ice melt in her mouth.
“Why did you do that?”
“You know why.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
She tested her soup.It was the right temperature, and she hadn’t eaten all day.She felt the urge to drink it from the bowl.Instead, she brought the spoon to her mouth several times in rapid succession.She was too hungry to concentrate on their conversation.Wade dropped the questions and let her eat in peace.After they were finished, the waitress offered some options for dessert.Meredith declined.Wade grabbed a peppermint from the tray and paid the check on their way out.
“I didn’t want you to know about Tripp,” she said.“I didn’t want you to follow me and get caught up in my problems.”
“That backfired,” he said.
“Yes.I’m sorry.”
He gave a stiff shrug, which didn’t feel like an acceptance.Meredith let Chico out for a short walk before they got back in his truck.He started the engine to heat the cab.Rain pattered the roof and ran in rivulets down the front windshield.
“What’s your plan now?”Wade asked.“You’re a free woman.You don’t have to run or hide anymore.”He curled his hands around the steering wheel, though they were still parked.“You don’t have to stay, either.”
Pain seized her chest.“Are you asking me to leave?”
“No,” he said softly.“I’m saying it’s your choice.”
She felt a sense of calm wash over her, and she cleared her throat.“Can you help me call my sister?”
He consulted his phone again.Meredith gave him the information she’d used to find Amanda’s social media page.He accessed it easily.The post about Meredith had been removed, and her page had been set to private.
“I have to send a friend request,” Wade said.“If she accepts, I can message her.”
“Do you think she’ll accept?”
“She shouldn’t.I could be a creepy stalker.”
“Let me see your page.”
He handed her the phone.She clicked on his profile picture to enlarge it.He was standing at the edge of a waterfall holding a huge rainbow trout.Everything about him, from his easy grin, backward cap, and rock-hard biceps, was visually appealing.If he meant to show off the fish, rather than his physique, he’d missed the mark by a mile.
“Where was this taken?”she asked.
“Big Bend.”
Meredith glanced at the handful of other images on his page.It was all outdoorsy stuff.He didn’t have pictures of old girlfriends, or intentionally sexy photos of himself.The personal information appeared sparse.She found a section of friends he interacted with, so she scrolled through.He had a lot of female friends, all with pretty faces and bright smiles.She wondered how many of them he’d dated.
Another logo on his page indicated the college he’d attended.She recognized the Longhorn insignia.Meredith had noticed him wearing a UT T-shirt the other night, but the significance hadn’t fully registered.
