Page 62 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

“I get it, but we’ve talked about this. You can’t compare us to your patients. Sometimes a sleepless night is nothing more than a sleepless night.”

“Message received.” James gave her a kiss and left.

Where were the girls? Annabelle walked to the hallway and called up the stairs. “Come on. We’ve got to leave in fifteen. The pancakes are getting cold.”

“Coming!” Scarlett yelled, then ran down the stairs and blew past her. Olivia walked down, looking at Annabelle with a frustrated expression. “She wouldn’t open her door until finally, I banged so loud, she had to. You should take her phone!”

“Okay, okay. She doesn’t need another parent.” Annabelle shooed her toward the kitchen.

“Thanks for making these, Mom,” Scarlett said as she poured some syrup on her pancakes. “I’m glad you’re home. I missed you.”

Annabelle smiled. “I missed you, too, honey. How about we watch that new Halloween movie Friday night?”

Scarlett nodded. “Great!”

The girls gobbled their pancakes. Annabelle picked at hers but couldn’t summon an appetite.

“Who are you texting this early?” she asked Scarlett.

Scarlett didn’t look up to meet her eyes. “Just Avery.”

“Not a boy?” Annabelle pressed.

Scarlett’s head shot up. “Nope.” She had the look of someone caught doing something wrong.

“How are things on Instagram? Better?”

“Yeah, it’s all good.”

Still, Annabelle couldn’t shake the feeling that Scarlett was hiding something.

—

She was about to go to her office after grabbing a coffee, when Riggs stopped her in the hallway. “Can you come by my office?”

“Okay, everything all right?”

“Yes,” he said, walking away. She followed him, annoyed.

She took a seat and he shut the door. “I know you just got back yesterday, but I need you to go to L.A. again.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Ellen has set up a series of meetings with some producers who are interested in adapting Chase’s podcast on female serial killers.”

Annabelle couldn’t believe this. “When are the meetings?”

“Thursday and Friday.”

That meant she wouldn’t get home until Saturday for all intents and purposes, even if she took a red-eye. So much for her Friday movie night with Scarlett and their sailing trip on Saturday.

“Is it really necessary for me to be there?”

“Chase requested that you go with him. We want to keep the client happy, right? Look, I know he’s been taking up a lot more time than expected. I’ve already talked to Michael. He’s agreed to pay you a bonus for all your hard work.”

“I appreciate that, but it’s not just about the money, Riggs. The reason I didn’t take the promotion was so that I wouldn’t be away from my family so much, and now I’m away more than you.”

“I can’t force you to go, but—”