“She seemed pretty sure. They are going to their lake house.”
“How will Mickey and Dave work from there?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“I’m sure it’s just temporary, honey. Kate will be back.” She seems a little more confident now, but I’m not. When I don’t agree with her, she comes over and sits next to me on the bed, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and holding me tightly. I feel the pressure of her embrace, but not the comfort that should come from it. Everything is numb. “I know this is a lot to deal with, Lethe, but we’ll get through it.”
CHAPTER10
Dad’s call to return home comes within half an hour of him leaving the hotel. I haven’t had the nerve to look up Mark yet or even open up my social media apps. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to go home either. I wish we could escape to a lake house like Kate, but then I think of the winding road to get to her cabin and the thick woods surrounding most of the property, and I suppress a shiver.
“Ready?” Mom sounds way too chipper.
“Yeah.” I take one last look around, but I didn’t bring much with me, so I know I’m not leaving anything behind.
“Dad drove your car,” she says as we enter the long, quiet hall.
I nod, not feeling the need to keep up the conversation the way she is.
When the doors of the elevator open, he’s leaning against the mirrored wall with his ankles crossed. His stance is casual, relaxed, but the moment our eyes meet, there’s warmth in his icy gaze. He shifts to the side a tiny bit, pretending to give us more room, but I still falter.
“Lethe?” Mom says my name slowly, questioning why I’m blocking the doors. It spurs me into action. I step into the car and pull the collar of my shirt up in a lame attempt to hide some of the damage he did to my neck.
His lips curl up on one side in a mockery of a smile as he continues to stare forward. “Lethe, what a beautiful name,” he tells my mother conversationally, as if he’s never heard it before.
My mom actually blushes a little when she looks at him. “Oh, well, thank you.” She drops her eyes and does this little shoulder shrug that makes me think she’s flustered.
“It’s a good thing you rival its beauty.” He sends a wink in my direction that, thankfully, I don’t think my mom catches.
The doors to the elevator open for us after the short ride down, revealing the main lobby to the left and another long hall to the right.
He steps out and pivots, so his eyes are on mine again. “It’s only fair you should know my name, since I know yours.” His tone is full of teasing humor as he backs away. My feet are rooted to the ground as my mom shuffles forward and uses her arm to make sure the doors don’t close on me. “I’m Theo.” His lips go round when he holds the “O” for just a moment longer than necessary before he spins and saunters down the long hall.
“Wow, he’s a looker,” Mom observes with wide eyes. My brain is too busy processing his name to do anything, like walk or speak.Theo, is that you?I hear Corey’s words echo in my head.
“Lethe, come on. Don’t let him see you all tongue-tied,” she mock whispers. That’s rich coming from her, considering his half smile made her blush.
“Did he say Theo?” I ask, thinking maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.
“Yes, come on.” She waves me forward with her free hand. Thankfully my body follows orders without thought, and I exit the elevator. When I look down the hall, he’s gone, and my stomach gets this sick feeling.
“Theo? Are you sure?” I ask again.
“Yes.” Her forehead wrinkles as her eyebrows furrow. “Why? Is he famous or something?”
“No,” I reply. “It’s an unusual name. I thought I heard him wrong.”
“Unusual name coming from you?” Mom jabs me playfully with her elbow.
I pretty much ignore her and keep my head on a swivel, looking for him, but I don’t catch another glimpse of him as we get into the car or after Mom pulls out of the parking lot. I sink down in my seat and rub my thighs with my fists. There’s a strange feeling of dread swirling around in my empty stomach.
It has to be a coincidence, right? He couldn’t be the same Theo they were calling to. He was real. I felt him, felt all of him. Am I losing my mind?
I touch one of the bruises on my neck. The tiny ache is proof he’s real, not a ghost, but is that worse? Maybe he was real all along, and they were just using his name to scare us, but does that mean he’s the shadow I saw upstairs? Is he the one who hurt Corey?
I don’t even realize I’m rocking in the seat until Mom lays a hand on my shoulder to still me. “It’s okay, Lethe,” she promises in a soft voice, but I hear the lie in her words, even if she doesn’t realize she told one. “Dad checked the house. We’re safe.”
I don’t think I’ll ever be safe again.
