Her dad smiled out from the largest frame—somewhere in his early thirties, squinting slightly against summer light, his arm around a younger version of her mom.
Rowan had forgotten that smile. But she shouldn’t have.
She had her father’s smile—and his eyes. Everyone always said so.
She swallowed and kept moving until she reached her old bedroom.
It sat at the end of the hall, largely unchanged. Same quilt. Same slightly uneven curtain rod.
And there on the shelf above the desk, wedged between a stack of old yearbooks and a snow globe from a family trip to Gatlinburg, sat Mister Hop.
The stuffed blue bunny was faded and lopsided. One ear was permanently bent from years of being dragged everywhere.
Her throat tightened. Her dad had given her that rabbit the Christmas she was four years old. She still remembered the wrapping paper—red foil, silver ribbon, her name written in his handwriting on the tag.
She reached up and touched the rabbit’s bent ear before stepping back.
She hadn’t really come here for this.
But she was glad she’d seen it.
Tires on gravel pulled her back to the present.
Was it Lauren? Was she here?
Rowan moved to the bedroom window and looked down.
A small gray sedan had pulled into the driveway. The driver’s door opened slowly, and a young woman stepped out. She was petite, with light-brown hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore an oversized jacket that looked like it belonged to someone else.
The woman scanned the property in every direction before she closed the car door. Even from the second floor Rowan could see the frazzled edges of someone who hadn’t slept properly in days.
She looked like Thayer around the eyes. That fact offered her a moment of reassurance.
Rowan hadn’t been tricked into coming out here. That really was Lauren, and she really did have evidence.
She headed downstairs.
She opened the front door before Lauren reached the porch steps.
Lauren stopped when she saw her and sucked in a breath as if surprised. “Rowan?”
“The one and only.”
“I recognize you. I love your movies.”
“Thanks.” Rowan forced a smile. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
“No, thankyou.” Lauren’s gaze swept the yard once more before she crossed the threshold. Her voice dropped as she stepped inside. “I kept thinking someone’s behind me. I’ve felt that way for days. But I didn’t see anyone. I would have noticed, right? Especially on this last portion of the road.”
“I’d think so. It’s pretty secluded out here.” Rowan closed the door.
It was time to get down to business.
CHAPTER 44
Wes had spentmost of his meeting only half present.
The government contractor across the table had been thorough—floor plans, timeline, budget parameters—and Wes had asked the right questions and taken the right notes.
