Page 67 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

“Hi, Mommy!”

Annabelle squeezed Olivia and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Missed you guys too,” she said as James took her suitcase and put it in the back of the vehicle. “What’s going on?”

When they were all in the car, James handed Annabelle a bottle of water. “I figured you might be thirsty.”

She took it gratefully. “I am. Thanks.”

“Did you get any sleep on the flight?” James asked.

“A little. It’s okay, I’ll catch up later.”

“Can we go out to breakfast?” Olivia asked.

“Your mom probably wants to get home and—”

“It’s fine.” She turned to James. “It’ll be nice.”

“Okay, we’ll go to the diner before heading home,” James said.

Olivia cheered. “Sophie’s coming over later and spending the night. Daddy said she could since we had to cancel sailing.”

“Sounds good, sweetie.” She turned to James again. “How’s Scarlett?”

“Fine. She’s going over to Avery’s in a bit for that project. She’s spending the night there.”

Annabelle was disappointed. What she wanted more than anything was everyone under one roof so she could sleep soundly. But she had to accept the fact that her children were growing up and had their own lives. She pulled out her phone and sent Scarlett a text.

I’m back. Miss you and can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Have fun at Avery’s. xoxo

Scarlett didn’t text back but hearted the message. Annabelle supposed that would have to be good enough. At least she knew everyone was safe and sound. She pushed her dream to the back of her mind. There was nothing to worry about.

Scarlett

It was eight o’clock. She was leaving the house in half an hour to meet Ben. Olivia had just texted her to say they were going out to breakfast, so she probably had more time, but she didn’t want to risk it. She couldn’t believe she was finally going to see him in person! She hoped that he would like her as much after he met her. It was so much easier to try to sound cool on text than in person. She didn’t want him to think she was a dork or something. What if she said something stupid? She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Everything would be okay. He cared about her; that wasn’t going to change once they met. They had a connection, and nothing could break it.

She stood in front of her mirror and brushed her hair. Should she put it in a ponytail or leave it down? Grabbing a scrunchie, she pulled it back, but then decided it made her look too young. She turned around and peered over her shoulder to see how the jeans looked. They were okay, but the shirt was too baggy. She went to her closet and picked out a more form-fitting tee. That was better. Taking one last look, she decided she was ready. She ran down the stairs, grabbed her backpack, threw her phone and wallet in it, and went into the kitchen. Parker got up and came over to her, nuzzling her hand with his head.

“Hey, boy. I’ll be back. You be good.” She grabbed a treat from the canister on the counter and gave it to him.

She went out to the garage, got on her bike, and took off.

The Wife

Things are ramping up. It sickens me to see the things he writes to her. He tries to be so cute in his texts, and she’s eating it up. Does he really think she’ll love him when she learns the truth? He’s delusional. I need to make her stay away. It’s time to put an end to this.

Scarlett

Scarlett arrived at the coffee shop and looked around for Ben. She must have gotten here first. She walked over to an empty table and sat, her eyes trained on the door. She had butterflies in her stomach and inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. The door opened again and her heart sank when she saw it was just another man. What if Ben stood her up? Then the man walked over to her table and stopped.

“Scarlett?”

“Who are you?”

He pulled a chair out and sat. “I need to explain something—”

Oh my God, oh my God! Avery was right. Was this some creep pretending to be Ben?