cover her face.
“I’m so embarrassed!” She gasped. I grabbed her hand, laughing.
“Seriously Ara, I have to turn up the TV just to drown you out. Imagine what the kids are thinking.” I was messing with her, and from her expression, it was working. She looked horrified. Sitting up, I grabbed my shoes that I’d carelessly tossed next to the coffee table. A car horn sounded outside.
“Bye.” I said, kissing Ara and grabbing my bag.
Chapter Fourteen
“Thanks for coming.”
I smiled brightly as I locked in my seatbelt.
“No problem-o.” I replied brightly. Devon raised an eyebrow, amused by my enthusiasm. It didn’t take a detective to work out it was fake. Get it? Detective?
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Right.” He reached behind his seat and grabbed a folder. “Here. Go through this, see if you recognize any names or faces.”
I bit my cheek as I caught a whiff of his aftershave. I couldn’t help myself. I breathed in the enticing scent of musk, sweat and soap. I blushed, realizing he was staring at me, his head cocked.
“You okay, there?” His voice had the slightest hint of suggestion, making me turn even redder.
“I was just thinking.” I said defensively.
“Uh-huh.” He smiled, his tongue wetting his lips. I sighed again, wanting that tongue on my lips so badly. I forced myself to focus on the contents of the folder.
There were lists of names, photos of men, and women. It took me a moment to realize they were off several dating sites. I looked at Devon questionably.
“We found some profiles of your mom on some of these dating sites. Some of these are old, as in she joined four years ago.”
Really? I’d had no idea mom even knew how to work a computer, let alone be savvy enough to set up profiles of herself.
“There’s more.” Devon looked uncomfortable as he fought to find the right words. “Your mom also had, uh, several accounts with some web cam sites.”
“Web cam?” I repeated. What the hell were web cam sites? I looked at Devon for answers. He glanced back at me, looking extremely uncomfortable. “What the hell are web cam…oh?”
It finally hit me. My mom was exposing herself on the internet. Stripping for money. I looked out the window, embarrassed, for both my mom and myself.
What had Devon seen? The thought of him watching my mom made me feel sick.
“I didn’t know how to tell you. It wasn’t something I wanted to blurt out over the phone to you…” His voice trailed off. I wished he had, because at least then I’d have something to hide behind.
An awkward silence filled the car as we drove along the freeway. I paid extra attention on counting the number of trees that lined the outer lane, while Devon sat next to me, silent.
Every now and then, his hand would brush past my thigh as he went to change gears. The feel of his touch startled me every time, and every time it roused up my feelings of desire for him.
“So what exactly am I supposed to be looking for?” I finally asked.
“Some letters, receipts we found. Some dating back a few years. I don’t expect you to be much help, but it’s worth a shot.” It wasn’t meant as an insult, but hearing him say I wouldn’t be much help cut through my heart.
As we drove along the street, my street, I took in the memories that brought me back to my childhood. It was a nice neighborhood, so much so that nobody could believe what had happened to me all those years ago, and now my mother’s disappearance. I climbed out of the car. A pile of flowers stood near the front door, some in better health than others. I hadn’t noticed them the other day.
Word of mom’s disappearance had obviously spread around the town. People walked past, craning their heads to see what was going on. I followed Devon to the front door, about to step into my old house for the second time in a week.
Devon looked at me sympathetically as I stood by the door, arms crossed. “Are you okay? Do you need a minute?” I shook my head, took a breath and walked inside.
“I’m fine.” I said. The last thing I wanted was his pity. I walked around the room, pretending to take notice of everything.
Pretending that I cared.
“Here.” He handed me a box of old letters. “Let me know if anything grabs your attention.” I sat