“You don’t sound fine.”
“I said I’m fine.” She put the dish in the drying rack with a heavyclink, then shut off the water and dried her hands on a damp towel before throwing the towel on the counter. “I just want to forget tonight happened.”
“That makes two of us.”
She turned, eyes sharp and wet all at once. “Do you? Because you seem to know a lot about nights like this. Almost like you’ve been expecting one.”
I let out a breath. “You’re right. I’ve noticed a few things lately. Notes on the truck. Open gates. Missing feed. I didn’t want to worry you until?—”
“Until what? Until someone grabbed me in a diner in front of half the town?” She laughed, but it was tight and cracked in the middle. “You kept me in the dark, Austin. You’ve been checking locks, double-locking windows, pretending it’s nothing. How long were you going to let me feel crazy before clueing me in? How long were you going to let me think the missing feed, the open gates were just me being absent-minded?”
“I wasn’t pretending.” I took a slow breath. “I was protecting you.”
Her eyes went wide, furious. “That’s not protection, Austin. That’s control.”
She pushed past me into the living room. I followed, keeping my distance.
“Milly, please.”
“Please what? Let you explain how I’m too fragile for the truth?” She spun toward me. “I came here to find a missing partof my past. I came here to start over, to stand on my own two feet. And now I find out the man I trust most has been running a secret op around me?”
“That’s not fair,” I said, though part of me knew it was.
She stopped pacing. “Then tell me why a Denver accountant knows more about my life than I do.”
The words jammed in my throat. For once, honesty felt harder than silence.
“Because Penny asked me to.” I held my breath and waited for the worst.
The air shifted. “What?” she huffed.
“She... she left instructions. For me. Before she died.” I rubbed a hand over my jaw, searching for words that wouldn’t sound like flimsy excuses. “She wanted someone to look out for you. Quietly. She was afraid the inheritance might stir up trouble, and she thought if you knew you were being watched over, you’d never truly settle in and constantly look over your shoulder. She told me not to tell you.”
Milly blinked, and for a moment, I saw grief behind the anger. “So, this was her idea. You were just following orders.” She did air quotes around the words ‘followingorders.’This was a trap. I knew that. No matter how hard I tried, this was never going to be a solo mission. I started falling for her before we got on the plane.
“At first.” I moved closer, careful. “It was black and white in the beginning—mission, objective, completion. That’s what I’ve always known.” I took a shaky breath, and Milly’s eyes softened a little. “You keep people safe; you don’t get attached.” I gave a small, helpless laugh. “Turns out, Everwood doesn’t do black and white, and neither do you.” I swallowed hard.
She sank onto the couch, quiet now, the fight draining out of her. “And what about now?”
“Now?” I sat beside her, not too close, just enough that the air between us hummed. “I am in uncharted territory. You stopped being an assignment a long time ago.”
The silence stretched. Then a softthumpbroke it—Inspector hopped onto Milly’s lap, turned in three slow circles, and laid down, purring.
Milly’s fingers disappeared into his fur, trembling at first, then smoothing into rhythm. “You should’ve told me,” she whispered.
“I know. I thought I could separate it as I’ve always done. Duty and… everything else. I was wrong.”
Her shoulders sagged, and for the first time tonight, she didn’t look angry—just tired. “You can’t protect someone and keep them blind at the same time.”
“I know. I had Penny’s orders, then there was you, and I didn’t stand a chance. It was an impossible mission.”
She looked down at our hands resting on the couch cushion. Then a small smile played on her lips before she slid her fingers into mine. It was a small, simple act, but devastating.
My chest tightened. They say life happens when you’re busy making plans. Well, so does falling for your mission. “Penny wanted you safe, Milly, and so did I. But somewhere along the way, I stopped following her plan and started making my own. It just took tonight to realize the difference.”
Milly’s voice was soft. “And what’s your plan now?”
I met her eyes. “Honesty. Even when it’s messy. Even when it scares the crap out of me.”
