“That’s what I was trying to find out.”
*
Natalie followed me back to the house and turned up the drive, eventually coming to a stop beside me. I got out of the car first but waited for her and we approached the house together. I remembered doing the same thing after we’d visited the beehives and I felt a sudden stab of loss. We had been drawn to each other and fallen in love, only to have her end it. What had I done wrong? Why hadn’t she given us a chance?
I led the way inside to the kitchen, taking down two glasses from the cupboard and turning to her. “Tea or water?”
Her eyes flickered to the porch, which looked different than it had the night of our dinner. “Homemade sweet tea?”
“What else?”
“Yes, please.”
I filled our glasses, then added ice. Handing her a glass, I motioned at the porch.
“Can’t you just tell me what’s going on without making an event out of it?” she demanded, clearly exasperated.
“I just want to sit down,” I said. “Don’t make it into something that it isn’t.”
On the back porch and thankful for the shade, I waited for her to join me. After a few beats, she reluctantly took her place in the other rocker. “Well?” she asked. “This better be good.”
I related everything from the very beginning, finishing with the hospital and an attempt to locate Callie’s family by looking for clues in the trailer. Through it all, Natalie remained quiet but attentive.
“You really think she might die?”
“She will die,” I said. “Medicine and transfusions can help in the short run, but in her case, it will eventually be fatal. It’s actually the same disease that killed Eleanor Roosevelt.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?”
“I didn’t want to get her in any trouble and for now, she has to remain in the hospital no matter what. Besides, if she won’t speak to the doctors, she probably won’t speak to the police, either.”
She considered that. “Did you find any clues in the house?”
“Not much,” I said. “Probably because of the fire, there wasn’t a lot there. I did find a Georgia Bulldogs sweatshirt and a calendar with scenes of Georgia, though.”
“Do you think that’s where she’s from?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“That’s not much.”
“No,” I admitted. “It isn’t. And Georgia’s a big state. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
She squinted at me. “Why do you care so much?”
“I’m not just handsome and rich. I’m also a good guy.”
For the first time, Natalie cracked a wry smile. I remembered that smile and was struck by how much I’d missed it, how much I still wanted it to be part of my life. I think she knew what I was thinking because she turned away. Finally, she went on.
“Do you want me to try to talk to her?”
“I think it would make her clam up even more.”
“I could try for fingerprints.”
“Do you think that would help? If she’s never been arrested?”
“Probably not.”
“What should I do, then?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’ll start talking when she starts feeling worse.”
“Maybe.” I hesitated before going on. “Can I ask you a question?”
She seemed to sense what was coming. “Trevor…please don’t.”
“I just want to know what happened between us. What did I do wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then what was it?”
“It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I was scared,” she said in a low voice.
“Of me?”
“You. Me. Us.”
“What was so frightening?”
“All of it,” she said. Her gaze took in the creek, anguish etched in the lines of her face. “I loved every moment with you,” she admitted. “At the park, tending the beehives, our dinner in Beaufort. The boat ride and dinner here. Everything was…just the way I hoped it would be. It was perfect. But…”
She trailed off.
“But what?”
“You’re leaving,” she said. “Soon, right?”
“I told you that I didn’t have to move to Baltimore. I would have stayed. I can make other arrangements. It’s not a big deal.”