“No.”
“You should have stayed with me.”
“Would that have helped?”
He chuckled at her answer, holding her closer.His head swam with erotic images from last night.He nuzzled Meredith’s ear and felt his body react in its usual manner.He calculated the minutes before he had to be on the road.It wasn’t enough time.With a sigh, he backed away from her and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Meredith scooped a mixture of eggs and bacon onto two plates.“Did you make plans with Wynona?”
“Yes.”
She brought the plates to the table.“What time are you off work?”
“Around three,” he said, studying her face.She was beautiful, even with tired eyes and sleep-mussed hair.She took his breath away.“I told my mother I’d go to the bar with her.”
Meredith didn’t comment on this choice.“I was going to bake a cake, for Billy.”
“Okay.”
“You don’t think it will upset her?”
“It might.She hasn’t come to terms with his death.”
“Have you?”
He shrugged, uncertain.He’d never been close to Billy.They’d grown up in separate households.Wade had considered his little brother a crybaby and a mama’s boy.Billy hadn’t been good at school or sports.They’d had nothing in common.After Wade left for college, they’d drifted even further apart.Perhaps because of their weak connection, Wade’s grief had felt shallow and incomplete.He’d been more disturbed by the bloody crime scene, and the shameful cover-up, than the actual loss.
“Do me a favor,” he said.“Watch over her today.”
“She’s going to a spa with Patty.”
Wade finished his plate and rose to his feet.He imagined the two women guzzling wine while young men gave them massages.Shaking his head, he poured himself a cup of coffee for the road.He was worried about his mother, and he was worried about Meredith.She hadn’t promised not to leave without saying goodbye.
Instead of starting another argument, he left the subject alone.She was like a skittish colt.If he got too aggressive, she’d bolt.
He leaned down to kiss her soft lips.“See you later.”
“Later,” she agreed, but didn’t meet his eyes.
Wade walked away with an uneasy feeling.They’d had amazing sex yesterday, but things were still up in the air between them.She wasn’t his girlfriend.They hadn’t made a commitment to each other.Maybe he hadn’t done enough to sway her or said the right words.He was frustrated by the lack of control he felt over their relationship.The problems of his life seemed to be compounding, and overlapping, instead of resolving.
He drove toward Lost Lake on a lonely highway.Weekend traffic was light, and his mind whirled with future plans.He needed to convince his mother to go to rehab and convince Meredith to stay.He needed to win over Sheriff Nava and identify the skeletal remains.These goals seemed outside his grasp at the moment, but they weren’t unattainable.Wade’s spirits lifted at the thought.He’d always been a fighter, on the sports field and everywhere else.He worked hard and played hard.He was willing to go the extra mile to get what he wanted.Meredith was worth the effort.
As he approached the station, he found himself singing along with the radio, tapping his palm against the steering wheel.
She was a Plainville rose from a Midwest town,
Lost her mama young, wore her daddy down.
Poison rose, poison rose…
Wade suddenly remembered Meredith’s reaction to this song.She’d turned the radio off abruptly, as if the words pained her.A strange feeling came over him, and he cranked up the volume to listen to the rest.
Soft petal skin, and those hazel eyes,
She drew me in, yeah, she told me lies.
Poison rose, poison rose.
