She smiles. “Reeeeeeeally?”
A scene plays out in my head. Me being just an ordinary woman in an ordinary town working an ordinary job, then coming home to the anything-but-ordinary guy who seems to set my world on fire every time he looks at me.
God, the thought of staying here is more than a little appealing. But all I have to do is read the texts on my phone or go through the police reports to know it’s not possible.
“Yes, really. Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need a job.”
She cocks her head. “Is there another guy?”
A small puff of air rushes out of my nose.Yes, there’s another guy.But not in the way she’s thinking there might be. I shake my head. “No.”
“But you have to leave?”
I nod. “Yes.”
When we pull into her driveway, she shuts off the car and turns to me. “And you’re not going to tell me why?”
I glance back at Amelia, wanting so much to be able to confide in a friend. Butisshe a friend? This is literally only the second time we’ve hung out. Still, I’m drawn to her kindness. Her spunk. Her normalcy.
Even if I wanted to tell her, this wouldn’t be the time. When Amelia is sitting just a few feet away. Amelia—who knows nothing of any of this. The threats. The police. The men.
“It’s… nothing.”
The garage door opens, only I’m fairly sure Allie hasn’t opened it. Asher appears as it fully lifts. He runs a hand through his hair and strides toward the car. “Thank God,” he says when Allie opens her door.
“What is it?” she asks, clearly looking worried.
“I was on a Zoom call and wasn’t paying attention to the monitor. Jesus, Al, after their nap, they somehow figured out how to climb out of their cribs. And then…” He shakes his head. “Well, let’s just say the hallway walls are going to have to be repainted. And thank heaven for non-toxic crayons. They might be shitting rainbows for a week.”
Allie’s hand flies to her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Oh my God, seriously?”
I chuckle to myself. Sounds like something Amelia would do.
While Asher continues the play-by-play, I get Amelia from the back. She wakes when I pick her up. “Come on, baby. Time to go home.”
Home.
There’s that word again.
I stare over at Carter’s house. It’s a modest, three-bedroom, ranch-style home with a walkout basement. It’s nothing special. It even needs a bit of work. A paint job. New shutters perhaps. But it’s nice. It’s cozy. And it’s so damn inviting.
But is it the house, or is it who lives inside it?
Arms wrap around me as I ponder the thought. “I’m going to hold you to that girls’ night,” Allie says.
I don’t remind her again that I’m leaving in a matter of days. “Thank you so much for today. It was so nice to get out of the house and do something fun.”
She laughs. “Despite the tiny town, therearesome fun and interesting things to do here.”
I look over at Carter’s house, and more specifically, to his bedroom window, knowing that yes, there are certainly some fun and interesting things to do in this tiny town.
Chapter Twenty-one
Carter
She’s been on my mind all day.
All. Fucking. Day.
