I’ve seen a half dozen people on this trail, but no one is around right now. A breeze rustles the trees, and I inhale crisp air. “Ready to head back?”
Romeo seems agreeable, so we turn and begin to retrace our route.
A minute later, my phone buzzes in the side pocket of my leggings. I slow down to see who it is, then hit the button to accept the call.
“Hey, Matthew.” I stop again and try to catch my breath. “How are you?”
“How am I?” It sounds as if I’m on speakerphone. Perhaps he’s phoning me from his car.
I wait for him to continue. I want to hear Matthew’s version of the evening.
“Completely pissed off. Like I’ve been sucker punched.”
“It’s a terrible betrayal.” Even if on some level Matthew suspected it was Skip, to have it confirmed must be devastating. “And I apologize for being complicit in it.”
“You’re the one I’m the least pissed off at.” Matthew exhales loudly. “Marissa obviously fucked up royally. She shouldn’t ever have let Skip in that night. It’s gonna take me a while to get over that. But these past few weeks, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching, and one thing I know for sure is that I want to stay married to Marissa. I can’t help it. I love my wife.”
“How do you plan to deal with Skip?”
“I want to beat the crap out of him, but I’m just going to call him and tell him I know. And not to come near me or my wife again or I’ll kill him.”
“I get it.” I lean forward to stretch one of my calves, which is tightening up.
“I told Marissa I didn’t want to know a single detail about what happened that night. I don’t want that picture in my head.” Matthew hesitates. “Honestly, I think she’s relieved Skip will be out of our lives. I think she’s a little scared of him now. All the stuff he’s done … he could be violent.”
Behind me, I hear the crack of a stick breaking.
I spin around. The trail is empty.
“We can look into a restraining order if he does anything else,” I tell Matthew. “But I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I’m still taking Marissa out on the boat later today. Skip’s not going to ruin that for us. It’s not going to be the anniversary celebration I wanted, but … I don’t know, maybe it can be a new beginning.”
“It can be anything you want it to be.”
“Okay. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow night. Maybe you should have that tequila ready.”
I laugh and promise I will.
When we hang up, I adjust my earbuds again and resume running. I seem to be alone in the woods, but I’m prepared. I’ve got Mace on my key chain, and I can hear anyone coming.
Because appearances lie: I’m not a carefree jogger listening to a playlist; there’s never been any music playing through my earphones.
Romeo begins to bark and tug on his leash again, pulling me forward.
We round a corner and I spot a woman power walking ahead of me. Romeo and I pass her, and then a few minutes later, two bicyclists whip by me.
The woods that briefly felt menacing seem safe again.
Romeo and I reach the end of the trail and exit. My car is parked where it always is when I do these Sunday runs—along a stretch of Western Avenue.
A man is leaning against it, clearly waiting for me. It’s a terrible spot for an ambush. Not only is this a busy road, but plenty of people are around.
Still, I reach for my Mace, ready to fight to protect myself and my dog.
I’m sick of being threatened and followed. If it’s one of Acelia’s henchmen, I’m going to blast him with Mace, kick him between the legs, and call the cops.
But it isn’t.
It’s Skip.
I take a few more steps toward him, ready to tell him off. Then I look down at Skip’s hands and gasp.
It’s cold out, and he’s wearing gloves.
Blue leather gloves.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
MARISSA
THE TRADITIONAL ANNIVERSARY GIFT for twelve years is silk or linen. Marissa hadn’t been able to find anything inspiring along those lines, so her present to Matthew is a vintage Rolex. She’d ordered it weeks ago and had thought about having it engraved with the message EVERY MINUTE I LOVE YOU MORE. However, getting it inscribed proved more challenging than she’d expected, so she planned to give it to him unadorned.
She’d intended to wrap it earlier today, but hasn’t had a moment alone. Even though Matthew slept in the elephant room again, he woke early and showered in their bathroom. By the time Bennett padded downstairs in his pj’s, Marissa and Matthew were in the kitchen drinking coffee.