Текст книги "Following Me"
Автор книги: K. A. Linde
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Following Me
Copyright © 2013 by K.A. Linde
All rights reserved.
Cover photo © Jacqueline Barkla Photography
Cover Design by Okay Creations
Edited by Unforeseen Editing
Formatted by JT Formatting
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Discover other titles by K. A. Linde at Amazon
Table of Contents
Chapter One – Chicago Bound
Chapter Two – Home Sweet Home
Chapter Three – The Bean Thing
Chapter Four – Square
Chapter Five – School
Chapter Six – Signature Room at the 95th
Chapter Seven – Highs of Life
Chapter Eight – Mirror Image
Chapter Nine – Everything for a Price
Chapter Ten – Rebellion
Chapter Eleven – Getting Through to You
Chapter Twelve – The Runaway
Chapter Thirteen – Filling the Darkness
Chapter Fourteen – Moving Forward
Chapter Fifteen – It’s Going Around
Chapter Sixteen – When It Rains, It Pours
Chapter Seventeen – Obsession
Chapter Eighteen – The Only Option
Chapter Nineteen – Strawberries
Chapter Twenty – Coming Clean
Chapter Twenty-One – Out of the Gutter
Chapter Twenty-Two – Fool
Chapter Twenty-Three – Natural and Easy
Chapter Twenty-Four – The Right Option
Chapter Twenty-Five – Coiled
Chapter Twenty-Six – Adrenaline
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Finding Your Way
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Following Me
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Filling in the Light
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
DEVON SAWYER SKIPPED to the next song on her iPod and adjusted the small earbuds to fit more comfortably. She bobbed her head to the ’90s punk rock blasting through her headphones, her blonde hair falling around her face. She was thankful that no one else was clued in to her choice of music. She wanted to listen to something that felt comfortable to her, and her older brother’s music always did the trick.
The train rattled along on its course. It had pulled out of the countryside and moved into the suburbs until it would finally reach the heart of Chicago. During the six-hour train ride from St. Louis into the city, Devon couldn’t quit biting her nails. They weren’t particularly long to start out with, but they were quickly turning into stubs.
Her feet tapped softly against the carpeted floor as she stared out the closed window at the passing flatlands and cornfields prominent in the Midwest. Since stepping onto the first train with nothing more than her purse and carry-on suitcase, she hadn’t paid much attention to anything. Although she was still focused on the end of term and her immediate departure, she couldn’t stop thinking about the one thing she didn’t want to think about.
But she had made her decision. For better or for worse, she had left St. Louis.
“Next stop, Chicago Union Station,” the conductor called over the intercom.
Devon popped up from her daydream. One of her earbuds fell out as she straightened in her seat. She looked down at the open notebook sitting in her lap. Words filled the pages, but she couldn’t remember writing them down. Reading the first few lines only intensified her despair, and she decided not to continue with the rest at the moment.
A stewardess walked through the cabin, smiling at the passengers as she stamped their tickets. Devon had the last seat on the train, and the woman was fast approaching her. She averted her eyes, hoping the woman would just leave her be. The last thing she wanted was to talk to a peppy stewardess.
Devon was out of luck.
“Miss,” the stewardess said, leaning into her chair.
Devon ignored her.
“Miss. Excuse me, miss?”
Devon pulled out the other earbud, shut her notebook, and turned to face the woman. “Yes?”
“Did you want anything else from the cart before we enter the station?”
“No, thank you,” Devon answered.
“Here, let me stamp your ticket,” she said, reaching out her hand.
Devon bent down to retrieve her bag, and then she began rifling through it to locate the ticket.
“So, why are you traveling to Chicago?” the woman asked, making polite conversation.
“Just meeting a friend,” Devon said.
“That sounds fun,” she said.
When Devon glanced up at her, the woman gave her an even bigger smile.
“How long are you staying?”
“Uh…” Devon murmured, trailing off as if looking into her bag distracted her. “As long as I want, I guess. Haven’t really thought that far.”
“Wow! You’re just picking up and going?” the stewardess asked, surprised.
“It’s my summer break, and I have some friends in the city,” Devon told her, not sure why she felt like she had to justify it.
“Neat. Are you at a school in St. Louis then?”
She finally located her ticket and handed it to the woman. Devon was ready for the woman to leave. “Yep. Washington University.”
“That’s a great school! My son always wanted to go there, but we just couldn’t afford a private school, you know?” She placed a stamp on the ticket and returned it to Devon.
“Sure,” Devon said, not really understanding.
Her parents had told her she could go to whatever school she wanted. They were songwriters in Nashville, and business was good. Devon had wanted to start over and move far away from the South into a new city. Her parents would have preferred an Ivy League education if she were going to leave, but Devon hadn’t gotten into the Big Three.
Wash U was close enough to Ivy anyway. Plus, as soon as she had stepped onto campus, she had fallen in love with the school. Everything from the brick castle-like edifices to the large open grounds to the people she had met on her tour had pulled her in completely. She had spent the last three years there, and now, she didn’t know if she would ever go back.
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Devon reminded herself that she had made the right decision by leaving. She had to get away. She just needed to keep telling herself that.
The train began to slow as high-rises flew past the surrounding windows.
“That’s my cue!” The stewardess jumped up. “Have a fun trip in Chicago,” she called before bustling about through the cabin.
Devon stood and collected her bags. The passengers were cast into darkness as they rolled into Chicago Union Station. As the train rattled to a stop on the tracks, she pushed her way through the crowd. She was more than ready to be off the train. A man swung his bag backward, catching her in the ribs, and she grunted.
“Sorry,” the guy muttered, not even glancing at her.
Devon knew she was on the shorter side, but she wished people would be more considerate. She pushed past him and got off the train, struggling to bring air back into her lungs.
As the crowd headed for the exit, people jostled her on all sides. Relieved to be out of the fray, Devon lugged her bag with effort into the train station. It was white marble in every direction with a high-arch glass ceiling, enormous pillar entranceways, and benched seating. Standing there to admire it all, Devon thought it was beautiful.
She had only been to Chicago once with her parents during her junior year of high school. They’d had some kind of music appearance, and she had spent most of her time in the hotel room while her younger sister had followed her parents around the event. The record label her parents worked for had put them up in a suite, and in no particular order, Devon had alternated between the Jacuzzi tub, pool table, and minibar. She had regretted not getting to see much more of the city.
She craned her neck, looking around the giant room for her friend. Hadley was supposed to be picking her up. Devon wasn’t about to try to traverse the subway or L all by herself.
She turned around and nearly ran smack dab into someone.
“Sorry,” she muttered, moving around the stranger.
Then, she found Hadley standing there. She was staring down at her cell phone, ignoring the masses swarming around her.
“Hadley!” Devon called. “Hadley Bishop!”
Hadley turned around and rushed toward Devon. “Hey,” she cried, throwing her arms around Devon. “So glad you made it. I just couldn’t believe it when you called and said you were coming to the city!” Hadley released her and took a step back.
“I know. I’m so last minute,” Devon said.
“Oh, whatever,” Hadley said shoving her phone into her front pocket. “You know you always have a place with me.”
“Thanks,” Devon said appreciatively.
“Need help with anything?” Hadley asked, looking Devon up and down to see if she had other stuff with her.
“Nope. Just this.” Devon motioned to her oversized purse and suitcase.
“Alrighty! This way then,” Hadley told her, motioning back toward the trains.
Devon followed with a smile plastered on her face. She had missed her friend more than life itself. Hadley had graduated from Wash U in December, leaving Devon without a roommate for the spring semester. Hadley always did exactly what she wanted. For instance, she had graduated early, moved to Chicago, and accepted a job at a high-end marketing firm. It was just something Devon would have never thought to do. In fact, this whole trip was something that Hadley, not Devon, would do.
Thankfully, Hadley knew her way around the metro. They took a seat on the train, and Devon angled her body to face her friend. She had forgotten how much they looked alike.
Devon’s parents had always said that she looked like country music royalty. She didn’t know if it was because she had a small, curvy body that looked great on camera or because her mother had started bleaching her naturally light brown hair in middle school. Magnifying the country music image, her parents had dressed her in cowboy boots and a hat, had her belt out every song on the radio, and paraded her around to every music venue they could get her into. Since leaving for St. Louis, she had resisted all of these things except for her blonde hair. She hadn’t been able to get rid of the blonde.
Hadley was taller than Devon by a couple of inches. They had the same blonde hair. Though Devon had seen Hadley change it to black, brown, red, and every color in between in the two and a half years they had lived together. They used to have similar styles, but now Hadley was moving toward business professional, and Devon was stuck in her jeans, even in the summer heat. It made Devon wish she had packed some dresses.
“So,” Hadley began, “are you hungry?” She crossed her right leg over her left, crinkling her grey pantsuit.
She looked positively radiant. Devon wasn’t sure she had ever seen Hadley quite like this.
“Yes, I am,” Devon said staring at her friend. “There’s something different about you. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“I moved in with someone!” Hadley squeaked, unable to hold in her excitement.
“Already?” Devon asked, her mouth falling open. “You’ve only been here for six months!”
“I know! It’s so new and so fresh, and I probably shouldn’t, but I did. I just had to! Wait until you meet him. You’ll see he’s perfect!” Hadley gushed.
Devon tried to keep her smile as natural as possible. She had hoped that they would spend time together, just the two of them, like old times. Not that she wasn’t happy for her friend. She was. It would just be different.
“Congrats. I’m so happy for you,” Devon told her. “That must be why you’re practically glowing.”
“You have no idea, Dev. You’ll get to meet him tonight. Can’t wait!”
The L slowed down and Hadley stood, indicating that this was their stop. Devon stared down the stairs, cursing the person who had decided escalators weren’t needed in this town. Flying down the stairs in front of Devon, Hadley seemed to forget her earlier offer of assistance. Devon grumbled under her breath as she hauled her bag to the ground level.
“We’re going to go this restaurant that I love. It’s kind of a you-have-to-know-it type of place. I think you’ll like it. It’s right around the block, so let’s eat first, and then we’ll take your stuff to my place,” Hadley said, walking into traffic without a backward glance.
She’s going to kill herself, Devon thought. She waited for traffic to stop before following Hadley.
“What is this place?” Devon asked when she finally caught up. As she rolled her suitcase behind her, it made clicking sounds every time it hit a bump in the sidewalk.
“Just a restaurant. Nothing fancy, but my friend Brennan works there as a bartender. It’s the place right now if you know what I mean,” she said.
Hadley turned down an alleyway and then immediately walked into a restaurant. Devon hadn’t even seen the door. She read the sign, Jenn’s Restaurant, over the door and went inside.
Hadley was right about the restaurant. It wasn’t anything fancy, but the place was slammed. It was on the smaller side, and all the tables and booths were full of young professionals still in their suits after leaving work. Although some had stripped down to their button-up shirts, Devon felt woefully underdressed even if the atmosphere was welcoming.
As Hadley veered through the crowd, people on all sides called out hellos to her. She elbowed a couple out of the way and took the last two remaining seats in front of the bar.
“You’re popular,” Devon muttered, plopping down in the seat next to her.
Hadley had always been popular though. She radiated energy, and people seemed to gravitate toward her spontaneous personality. Hadley always seemed to be going, going, going and waiting for life to catch up with her. Devon had missed Hadley’s fast-paced mindset.
Hadley just shrugged with a confident smile on her face. “Ay! Walker!” she called, leaning over the edge of the bar. When he didn’t immediately respond she called out again, “Brennan!”
The bartender turned in their direction and shot Hadley an exasperated expression. He was good-looking in the she-shouldn’t-go-anywhere-near-that kind of way. He had devious eyes and a knowing smile that made Devon wonder what secrets he had tucked up his sleeves. He wore a barback uniform of black slacks and a white button-up rolled up to his elbows with a towel slung over his shoulder. His brown hair was styled in a way that made it appear he hadn’t spent any time on it.
“Gimme me a minute, Hadley. I’m with a customer,” Brennan called.
“What do I look like?” she asked with a sassy smile.
“An annoyance,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear.
While the other customers snickered like this interaction was commonplace, Devon was having a hard time peeling her eyes off of the bartender.
He definitely has bad news written all over his pretty face, she thought
Hadley huffed but slumped back into her seat with a roll of her eyes. “He’s always like this. You can’t get his attention even when it’s not this busy.”
Devon nodded, feeling completely out of her depth in the big city.
A couple minutes later, Brennan walked over to them and rested his forearms on the front of the bar. He cocked a smile like he owned the place. “The usual?”
“Yeah.” As Brennan began pouring her drink, Hadley continued, “This is my friend Devon. She’s here visiting on her summer break.”
“Hey,” he said, tipping his head at her while he mixed the drinks. “I’m Brennan.”
“Hey,” Devon murmured back, meeting his gaze.
“Where ya from?” He slid Hadley’s drink toward her and began making another.
“Well, I go to Wash U in St. Louis, but my parents live in Nashville,” she told him.
He slid a mostly clear drink across the bar to her. Devon cautiously picked it up.
“You don’t seem much like a Southern belle to me,” he observed.
“You’d be surprised,” Hadley butted in. “Her parents work in the country music industry. She’s a Southern belle through and through.”
“Huh,” he said as if contemplating this information.
Then, he just shrugged his shoulders like he had come to a conclusion. Devon wondered what it was.
“Well, you two having dinner?”
“Yeah,” Hadley told him. “I’ll have the chicken, and she’s going to want the shrimp.”
Devon glanced over at her in frustration. They hadn’t even looked at a menu.
“I promise you’ll like it, Dev. Don’t worry!”
Brennan nodded and then left to go put in their orders. Devon noticed he wasn’t bad to look at from the backside either.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Hadley cried, throwing her arms around Devon. “I have so much to show you. How long can I keep you?”
“Oh,” Devon began, not yet figuring out how to have this conversation, “only for a week or so probably.”
“Well, when is your return ticket?” Hadley asked.
“I didn’t get one,” Devon said.
It was totally something Devon would have never done. She always came with a plan, but this hadn’t been planned. She had decided she was leaving, and then she had left. She had needed to get away and leave the life that was haunting her, destroying her. It hadn’t been an easy decision.
But she couldn’t tell Hadley any of that. Devon was so happy to see her friend, and maybe all she needed was a week or so for things to get better. She couldn’t run away from her life forever even if she wanted to.
“Whoa!” Hadley cried, putting her hand on Devon’s forehead. “You’re turning into me. How is Reid taking all of this?”
“Oh, Reid’s fine,” Devon told her. “He’s, you know, perfect.”
Hadley gagged. “If that boy could get any more perfect, I’d fall dead.”
Devon offered a stilted laugh. “Yeah, me too.”
“I’m just surprised he didn’t bring his ass with you. You two were connected at the hip last year.”
“Well, he’s spending a lot of time at home in Kansas City. Plus, he has to start applying to med schools this year. I know he wants to go to Wash U since his dad is a legacy. It’s one of the best in the country, but he’s also applying elsewhere,” Devon informed her, feeling like she’d had this conversation too many times already.
“That just means I get you all to myself,” Hadley said, grabbing Devon’s arm and pulling her close. “Lucky me.”
“Yep. Lucky you,” Devon responded, wincing.
DEVON STARED AT the impossibly tall, circular buildings where Hadley lived. She said the complex was called Marina City. All Devon knew was that it was way nicer than any place she expected to live in after graduation. The two buildings boasted the House of Blues, a full-scale hotel, and a working marina where people could dock their boats. It was all a bit overwhelming.
“Come on,” Hadley laughed at Devon while dragging her through the residential entranceway toward the elevator.
They took the elevator up to the forty-third floor where it deposited them on a rounded track leading to Hadley’s apartment. She jiggled the key into place and stepped inside. Following close behind, Devon took in the small apartment.
It wasn’t much bigger than her apartment in St. Louis, and based on the location, Devon was pretty sure it cost triple what she was paying. The layout resembled a slice of a pie, with hallways on each side of the entrance leading into bedrooms, a small kitchen off to the right, and an L-shaped living room with a conjoined dining room. The best part was obviously the view through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that led out onto the balcony, overlooking Michigan Avenue, Grant Park, the Chicago River, and beyond to Lake Michigan.
Being the Windy City and all, Devon briefly wondered how cold it got up here in the winter. She was cold enough in St. Louis without being forty-three floors high.
“Make yourself at home. Garrett won’t be back for another hour or so. I hate how late he works, but at least it’s not the night shift. I hate when he has to work the night shift.” Hadley tossed her bag onto the couch and turned to face Devon. “We have an extra bedroom if you go through the door on the left. You can put your things in there.”
“Thanks,” Devon said, walking into the guest bedroom. She placed her bag at the foot of the queen-size bed and stared around the room.
Devon could tell that Hadley had decorated this room. It didn’t look like anything a guy would have put together. Long white panel curtains hung from the glass wall, which opened to its own balcony. The bed had a pretty patterned quilt on it with a couple of matching pillows. A dark wooden five-drawer dresser sat against another wall, and large paintings of flowered landscapes were displayed around the room.
Walking toward the balcony, she flipped the lock, slid back the door, and walked out onto the platform. It was really a very pretty view. So much to see and so little time, Devon thought.
She pulled out her phone from her pocket to check her email. She immediately deleted a newsletter from Wash U along with a series of spam emails. As her finger lingered over the next one, she bit her bottom lip, indecision creasing her forehead. She really wanted to read it, but she couldn’t do it.
Not having the courage to just delete the email, she moved it to a separate folder. Out of sight, out of mind.
Just as she was scrolling to the next email, her phone lit up. She stared down at the screen, letting it ring a few more times, before steeling herself and answering.
“Hey, Mama,” Devon said.
“Hey, Dixie!” her mom cheerfully called into the phone.
“Mom,” Devon complained, “it’s just Devon now.”
“You’ll always be my Dixie girl,” her mother drawled.
Devon was pretty sure she would never convince her mother otherwise. “I know, but can’t you just give it a try? You named me after all.”
“Why do you have to be so difficult? Dustin and Dani don’t seem to have your propensities.”
“You must have screwed me up real good,” Devon joked.
“Always have to blame me,” her mother said.
“It’s not like it’s Dad’s fault.”
“Oh, shush! You know I just miss you,” her mom said, tears spilling into her voice.
“Miss you, too, Mom,” Devon said softly.
“When are you coming home? Reid can’t steal you for the entire summer. Your father and I have a big event in July, and we’d really like you to come. I know you’ll want to bring him. It’s so close to your birthday, and we’d like to celebrate with you, honey.”
“I don’t know, Mom,” Devon answered uncertainly.
She had already told her mom that she was going to stay in St. Louis for the summer. This was already the second or third attempt to get her to come home. Devon hadn’t been able to tell her mom that she had left. Her mom wouldn’t understand her reasoning.
“Oh, come on, Dixie…Devon,” her mother quickly corrected. “I’m only asking for a bit of time. You’ve been away for so long, and I haven’t heard from you as much lately.”
“I know. I’ve just been so busy.”
“I know you are, honey, and I’m so proud of you. I just feel like we haven’t talked as much this year. Are you sure everything is okay?” her mother pleaded.
“Yeah, Mama. Everything is fine,” Devon lied, taking in a deep breath.
She didn’t want her mother to pry. She was hitting too close to home, and Devon couldn’t talk about it.
“Alright,” her mom said. “Well, think about July. We’re going to New York, and I know how much you love the big city. I’ll take you to see shows on Broadway, and we can go shopping, have cocktails at fancy parties—”
“That all sounds great, Mom,” Devon told her wistfully. “I just don’t think I’ll be able to make it.”
“You can bring Reid with you if you want, dear,” her mother said, offering a plea bargain.
“Thanks, but I don’t think he’ll be interested. He’s taking the MCAT and applying to med school. You know how important that is to him.”
“I know, but…” she began, clearly biting her tongue.
“But what?” Devon couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“I think you spend too much time with that boy, that’s all,” her mom responded quietly.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much.”
Her mom sighed. “Well, think about New York. I miss you, and I know it would mean a lot to your father to have you there.”
“Alright, I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises. I have to go though. Love you,” Devon said.
“Love you, too.”
Devon quickly ended the call. She buried her head in her hands and took a few steadying breaths, trying to remind herself over and over that she was doing the right thing. Lying to her mom was the hardest thing in the world to do, but she couldn’t be in St. Louis.
She wished that she could really talk to her mom. She wasn’t wrong when she had said that Devon had stopped talking to her. If only things were the way they had been when she was younger, when she had told her mother everything. But things had changed so much since then.
Stuffing her phone into the pocket of her pants, she left the balcony and walked back into the living room.
“Sorry about that. My mom called,” Devon told Hadley.
Hadley was stretched out across the couch, watching Millionaire Matchmaker on the mounted television. She had a proclivity for bad reality shows and Lifetime movies. Devon had never understood her obsession, but Hadley had often referred to it as her only flaw.
“Shhh! Patti is about to bitch out the girls. It’s the best part.” Hadley’s eyes were glued to the television.
Devon laughed and shook her head. At least some things hadn’t changed. Taking a seat next to her friend, Devon watched the woman on TV work her magic. She was pretty sure they had already seen this episode.
Devon easily fell back into the simplicity of living with Hadley. They had always been easy living mates. She couldn’t even remember if they had argued over anything more than whose turn it was to empty the dishwasher. Devon had taken a chance her freshman year and allowed Housing to choose her roommate. She had won the jackpot. Even though Hadley had been a sophomore, they had gotten along perfectly.
The year before, Hadley had had a terrible experience with a roommate that she knew from home. After that, she had decided to live in the dorms again and chance fate with a stranger. They had stayed in the same room the next year as well. It had helped that the dorm had been renovated the summer before to an apartment-style layout with small bedrooms, a communal living room, and a kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
Last year, they had opted to move into an off-campus apartment. When they had made the decision, Devon hadn’t thought that Hadley would be graduating early. After Hadley had moved out, Devon had spent all her time with Reid. Even with him there though, the apartment had felt empty without Hadley.
“Where are your cups?” Devon asked, standing during a commercial break.
Hadley pulled out her phone and immediately started texting. “Second cabinet on the left from the refrigerator.”
“Thanks.”
Devon walked into the kitchen and filled a glass full of ice water. As she took a sip, her phone beeped three consecutive times in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and flipped through the texts. They were all from Reid, wishing her a safe trip and telling her how much he would miss her while she was gone.
Her heart skipped a beat as she read the last one.
Come home to me quickly, Dev. I’m too busy to fly to Paris, but I already miss you. I miss you so much.
She swallowed back the emotions rushing through her as she cradled the glass of water to her chest. She had told him that her family had planned a trip to Paris for the summer. The lies were piling on top of her, and not for the first or last time, she regretted her decision.
At that moment, the front door opened, causing Devon to jump out of her self-pity.
“Hey, baby!” a guy called, walking through the door.
Peering through the kitchen door, Devon watched as he lifted Hadley right off the couch and into his arms. Hadley giggled like mad as she threw her arms around his neck while her legs wrapped around his waist. He pulled back long enough to deeply and thoroughly kiss her on the mouth. Feeling intrusive, Devon stepped back into the kitchen to give them some privacy.
“Put me down. Put me down. You have to meet Devon!” Hadley cried.
Devon heard a few thuds that sounded like Hadley was playfully hitting Garrett.
“Is she here already?” he asked.
“Yeah. Hey, Dev. Come meet Garrett!” Hadley called.
Devon took a deep breath, preparing herself for the utter cuteness that always came from the honeymoon stage of a new relationship. She waved awkwardly as she entered the living room. “Hey.”
“Garrett, baby, this is my bestie, Devon Sawyer,” Hadley said. “Dev, this is my boyfriend, Garrett Jones.”
“Hey, Devon. So nice to finally meet you,” Garrett said, striding forward with his hand extended.
Devon politely placed her hand in his and shook.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” he said.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, too.” Which was true. Hadley hadn’t shut up about him at lunch, not that Devon was complaining. She would rather talk about anything but herself.
“Don’t believe a word she says. She thinks I’m a nice guy,” he said with a wink in Hadley’s direction.
“You are a nice guy!” Hadley said, rolling her eyes and walking over to them.
“Kiss of death, babe. Kiss of death,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in close.
Yes, that looks like the kiss of death, Devon thought.
“So, how long are you here for?” Garrett asked, directing his attention back to Devon.
“Uh…probably just a week,” she said, finding his wide brown eyes unnerving.
“Well, glad to have you. I brought home a couple bottles of wine from the cellar,” he said, gesturing to the side table where he had deposited a bag.
“I didn’t know you were going to see your dad,” Hadley said, her voice strained.
“He asked to see me after work. Told me to tell you hello. I think he wants us over for dinner sometime this week.”
“Oh, well that sounds nice,” Hadley responded flatly.
Devon would be sure to ask her about that later. She hadn’t mentioned anything about Garrett’s parents, and she knew Hadley too well. There was definitely something off in her voice.
