Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,79
Vicki. And I hurt you. Those are the facts, and I'm incredibly sorry about each and every one of them."
She stared back at him. "But there's something you're not telling me. I can hear it in your voice. I can see it in your eyes. It's between us. It's been between us for twelve years. And it's always going to be there until you share."
"Does it have to be between us? Can't we build from here? Can't we make new memories, Hannah? Do we have to keep rehashing things?"
"I don't know, Jake. It bothers me that I feel like you're hiding something from me. I have a problem with secrets. My mom's drinking was a huge secret for a long time. I had to lie about a lot of things so no one would take me and Tyler away from her. And when we did get taken away, I had to tell more lies to get her back. I don't want to live with secrets anymore. I don't want to be with someone who can't tell me everything. Maybe that's unfair, but it's the way I feel. I shouldn't have to settle for less than complete honesty."
He realized her need for the truth went way beyond him. "You're right. You shouldn't have to settle. And you shouldn't have to lie."
"Where does that leave us?" she asked.
He wished he could give her a different answer. "For now, I guess I should take you home."
Disappointment filled her eyes. "Really?"
"I can't tell you what you want to hear, at least not right now."
"Then when?" she asked in confusion. "What's holding you back?"
"Nothing I can talk about."
She out a weary sigh. "Okay. Then I guess you should take me home." She slid out of bed, taking the sheet with her.
As she moved into the living room to find her clothes, he rolled onto his back and cursed. But swearing wasn't enough. If he wanted anything to change, he had to do something, and it was long past time to do it.
He got out of bed, threw on some clothes and went into the living room where she'd finished getting dressed.
"I can call for a car," she told him in a tense voice.
"No. I'll take you home."
"It's going to be awkward."
"Probably. But no more awkward than it's been before," he returned.
He grabbed his keys and put on his jacket as they left his apartment. When they got downstairs and stepped outside, there was a light snow coming down.
Hannah shivered as they got into the truck, and he quickly turned on the heat. "It should warm up fast."
"From hot to freezing in ten seconds," she muttered.
"In more ways than one," he said, thinking how fast things had changed between them.
A buzzing sound drew her gaze to her bag. "Oh, my God it's Adam," she said, shooting him a scared look. "He wouldn't call this late unless he had news."
"Can you put it on speaker?"
She did so, then said, "Hello? Adam? Have you found Kelly?"
"No, but we tracked the car she was driving to a gas station on the road leading into Black Falls. Your sister bought gas and snacks there. She was alone and appeared to be in good condition. The image we received from their security camera was blurry, but we were still able to make a positive identification."
"Black Falls is only fifteen miles from here," Hannah said with surprise in her voice. "I thought she'd be farther away by now."
"Well, that's where she was yesterday morning. Do you know of any place in that area where she'd be going?"
"We used to camp there with my dad, but that was in the summer, not in the winter. I have no idea where she'd go."
"If you think of anything let me know. I'll be in touch as soon as I have any additional updates."
"Thanks for working so hard on this, Adam."
"I'm determined to bring your sister home, Hannah."
Jake pulled into her driveway as she ended the call. "That's good news," he said.
"Is it?" she mused, dark shadows in her eyes. "I want this to be over, Jake. I want Kelly home. And I have no idea why she'd go to Black Falls or where she'd stay if she did. There's a big storm coming in tomorrow. If she's outside, if she's hurt in any way…"
"Adam said she appeared in good condition."
"On a security video. Who knows what kind of detail that picked up? And she's pregnant, Jake. If she's not eating or drinking enough…"