“Where were you?”
“Just running an errand,” I say, pushing my laptop to the side. “I was already in town, so I figured I might as well knock it out—”
“Chloe,” he interrupts. “What were you really doing?”
“Nothing,” I snap. “Daniel, I’m fine. Really. I just needed to drive around for a little bit, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, holding up his hands. “Okay, I get it.”
He turns around, and a wave of guilt washes over me. I think of every other relationship I’ve had, all over before they even began because of my inability to let people in. To trust them. Because of my paranoia and my fear silencing every other emotion in my body screaming to be acknowledged.
“Wait, I’m sorry,” I say, reaching my arm toward him. I wiggle my fingers, and he turns around and walks back toward me, sitting next to me on the couch. I drape my arm over his back and lean my head against his shoulder. “I know I’m not handling this very well.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Let’s do something today,” I say, sitting up straighter. My fingers are still itching to get back to my laptop, to dive back into Bert Rhodes, but right now, I need to be with Daniel. I can’t keep blowing him off like this. “I know you said we could spend the day in bed, but I don’t think that’s what I need right now. I think we need to go do something. Get out of the house.”
He sighs, running his fingers through my hair. He looks at me with a mixture of affection and sadness, and I can already tell that I’m not going to like what he’s about to say next.
“Chloe, I’m sorry. I need to drive to Lafayette today. You know that one hospital I’ve been struggling to meet with? They called me, while you were … running your errand. They’re giving me an hour this afternoon, and I might even be able to take a few of the doctors to dinner. I have to go.”
“Oh, okay.” I nod. For the first time since I walked in, his appearance really registers. He isn’t just dressed; he’s dressed well. He’s dressed for work. “Okay, that’s … of course that’s fine. Do what you need to do.”
“But you should get out of the house,” he says, poking me in the chest. “You should go do something. Get some fresh air. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you, but I should be home first thing tomorrow morning.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I have some wedding stuff I should be catching up on anyways. Emails to answer. I’ll settle in here and knock it out, maybe grab a drink with Shannon later.”
“Atta girl,” he says, pulling me in and kissing me on the forehead. He pauses for a minute, and I can feel his eyes drilling into the laptop behind me, still closed shut. He keeps me tight against his chest with one arm as his free hand snakes across the couch and reaches for the computer, pulling it closer. I try to reach for it, too, but he grabs my wrist first, holding it tight, while he slides the computer onto his lap, opening it wordlessly.
“Daniel,” I say, but he ignores me, his grip on my wrist getting tighter. “Daniel, come on—”
I swallow hard as the screen illuminates his face, wait while his eyes scan the page I know is still pulled up—Alarm Security Systems, and the picture of Bert Rhodes. He’s quiet for a while, and I’m sure he recognizes the name. He knows what I’m up to. After all, he knows about Lena. I open my mouth, getting ready to explain, before he cuts me off.
“Is this what you’ve been so worked up about?”
“Look, I can explain,” I say, still trying to wriggle my wrist free. “After Aubrey’s body showed up, I started to get worried…”
“You want a security system installed?” he asks. “You’re worried whoever is doing this to those girls might come for you next?”
I’m quiet, trying to decide if I should let him go down this path or explain the truth. Again, I open my mouth, but he keeps going.
“Chloe, why didn’t you say something to me? God, you must be so scared.” He lets go of my wrist, and I feel the blood rush back into my hand, an icy tingle pulsing through my fingers. I hadn’t realized how tightly he had been squeezing. Then he pulls me into his chest again, his fingers trailing against my neck and down my spine. “The memories this must be bringing back for you … I mean, I knew you were thinking about it, about your dad, but I didn’t realize it had gotten to this.”