Growing withtheTina Mills had been quite the ride. While her friends were playing hopscotch or jump rope, Paige was traveling to London and Paris and sitting backstage while her mother wowed massive crowds. Instead of school recess and Girl Scouts, she’d watched recording sessions and put together puzzles.
“Hi, Mom. Are you busy?”
“Not at the moment. I do have to run in half an hour.” Tina told someone in the background to turn the music off and leave her alone. “What’s going on?”
“Why did you tell Andrew where to find me?”
Silence.
“Mom?” Paige called.
More silence.
“Really, Mom. You’re really doing this right now?”
Tina sighed. “Fine. I told him where you were because he asked.”
Andrew had told her the same thing earlier. “But I specifically told you not to tell him.”
“Well, babe, I figured you might need a friend. I don’t like the idea of you up there all alone anyway.”
Muttering a curse, Paige said, “You come here by yourself all the time.” The house had been outfitted with a state-of-the-art security system. There were cameras everywhere. She could see every room in the house on an app that she’d downloaded to her iPad—an iPad that no one knew she had or else they would have been able to track it.
“Now, that’s not exactly true,” her mother insisted. “There’s always someone with me.”
“Fine, I’m not going to argue this point.” Paige and her mother had argued often over the years. At times it felt like they were miles apart, physically and emotionally. Then there were times when Paige didn’t know what she’d do without the woman who’d raised her to be independent, creative, and capable. “Just please don’t tell anyone else where I am.”
“Okay, I won’t. Where is he now?”
“I told him to leave.” Paige stood and paced the patio. By now, Andrew should be gone and she could go on with her life. “I don’t want him here.”
“Why, babe? He cares about you.”
He has a funny way of showing it. “Whatever you say. I’m not convinced.” A beep sounded, signaling she had another call. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Call me if you need me.”
Paige hung up from her mother and answered the second line. A young woman let her know she’d arrived with her groceries. She stepped back into the house and went to open the door.
“Thank you for coming so . . .” Paige yelped, nearly tripping on the welcome mat. Because the young woman wasn’t alone. Andrew was standing next to her with a soft smile on his full lips. He waved at her. She tried to ignore him.
“I appreciate you,” she told the young woman, handing her an additional tip.
“Thank you.” The lady tilted her head, staring at her, almost like she recognized her. “Do I know you?”
“No.” Paige grinned. “I’m new here.” And thanks to her lawyer, she’d been using an alias since she’d arrived.
The other woman studied her. “You look so familiar.” Shrugging, Paige said, “People tell me that all the time. But I’m just a regular small-town girl.”
“Okay.” The lady seemed convinced. “Well, I’m pretty much the only person who delivers from the market.” She handed Paige her card. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Will do.” Paige waved at the woman as she walked down the steps to her car. A few minutes later she was gone.
“Need help with those groceries?” Andrew asked.
Glaring at him, she grumbled, “You’re still here.”
“I told you I wasn’t leaving until you talked to me.”
