She picks up the hairbrush and laughs, and the sound still rearranges something in my chest.
But, before I can say anything else, Paige skips into the kitchen, her head down as she locates random brightly colored paraphernalia and shoves it into a sparkly tote.
“You heading out?” I ask.
“Uh huh,” she replies, with the dialogue range of a typical teenager. Or so I’m told.
Erin narrows her eyes. “Where to?”
“Just… I don’t know. A coffee shop?”
Erin glances at me. We’re both thinking the same thing.
“Who with?” Erin asks, trying but failing to sound casual.
“No one,” Paige replies. “Okay, I’ll see you later!”
We both stalk her to the door.
“Wait—no you don’t.” Erin adopts her stern mother voice which always makes me smile, much to her irritation.
Paige spins around, slightly panicked, her gaze flitting between us both.
“What’s going on, sweetheart? Why are you being cagey?”
Paige opens her mouth, then closes it, then swallows.
“I’m… Um, I’m seeing someone.”
Something dark, sharp and unwanted unfurls across my shoulder blades.
“That’s okay,” Erin says. “Who is it?”
Paige glances at me.
“Name?” I ask.
She sighs dramatically. “Ethan.”
Iknewit. Unbeknown to Paige—and her mother, who would kill me if she found out—I have eyes on Paige everywhere she goes. She’s been hanging out with some kid after school lately. I got his name—and his social security number.
“Ethan who?” Erin asks.
Paige doesn’t take her eyes off me.
“If I tell you… please don’t track him.”
Too late for that, pickle.“I’ll think about it.”
She tips her head slightly and adopts a very serious tone. “Don’t hack his accounts.”
I pause as if I’m genuinely considering her request. “I already did.”
Erin chokes on air while Paige glares at me. “You what?!”
I sigh like it should have been obvious I’d be two steps ahead. “I performed a preliminary digital background review, that’s all,” I shrug.
She purses her lips. “And?”
