two?”
I leaned back with an exhale. I was tired of this conversation.
“It’s nothing. I just felt bad for him; that’s all.”
She looked me deep in the eyes, then gasped lightly. “Oh, dear Lord. You two had a thing in high school, didn’t you? Without any of us knowing it?”
I could feel my face turn red.
“No, you’re wrong.”
“Yes, yes, you did. Oh, my God, that’s why you’re all flushed now and why you dropped everything when he showed up.”
“I am helping him find his girlfriend who is missing,” I said. “There’s nothing more to it than that.”
She shook her head. “Nope—not buying it. But what I wonder is why he’s got this hold over you. What did he do to you? Did he break your heart? Was he the one that got away? And you never could get him out of your head again, huh?”
“You’re being ridiculous. Of course not. It was always Matt and me. We knew we were meant for one another.”
“How did this happen without me knowing about it?” she asked, completely ignoring what I had just said. “That’s what I really want to know. I thought we told each other everything.”
I looked down at the table.
“We…we kept it a secret.”
“You snuck around? Behind our backs? Because he was dating Hannah, oh, my. Eva Rae, he used you. Don’t you see? And now, he’s using you again. I bet he killed his girlfriend, and now he just wants your help to look innocent. Or even better yet, maybe he’s keeping her somewhere in a basement, tormenting her so she won’t leave him like Hannah did.”
That made me laugh, but it sounded awkward and nervous. I grabbed the cinnamon bun and bit into it.
“You read way too many mystery novels, Melissa. I’m telling you, you’ve got it completely wrong. Scott is a very nice guy. I am helping him out of sympathy. And because my conscience can’t stand the thought that out there somewhere, his girlfriend is in trouble. That’s all. Nothing else.”
She grabbed my hand in hers and squeezed it. “Just promise me you’ll be careful, please? I don’t trust this guy.”
“I think we’ve established that,” I said and got up from my chair. I wanted to go home now. I was getting tired of this conversation with her. As I grabbed my phone, I checked to see if I had received any messages, then realized it was the fifth time I had done this since I sat down. And it wasn’t Matt I was hoping would call or text, I found out to my surprise. It was Scott.
I hadn’t been in contact with Scott for several days now, and much to my astonishment, I realized that I missed him. I couldn’t stop worrying about him and where he was. He had promised to stay under the radar so the police wouldn’t find him, while I tried to find another angle we could use to find his girlfriend. As I carried Angel to the car and Melissa came up behind me with Owen, I realized to my regret that part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to find Sarah. Because then it would be all over. Scott would have no reason to call or come to my house anymore, and we would lose contact again. I didn’t want that. I liked having him around. As I said goodbye to Melissa, hugging her tightly, then waving at her, I felt my heart beating fast in my chest.
Was Melissa right? Had I lost myself in him? If so, then what did it mean? Didn’t I want to marry Matt anymore?
I closed my eyes briefly, clasping my mouth. The thought was unbearable and brought tears to my eyes. What was happening to me?
I shook my head.
No, you can’t think like that. You simply can’t. Everything is perfect now. Don’t ruin it. Why do you always have to do this to yourself? Why do you have to ruin everything good in your life?
I grabbed Angel’s seat by the handle and left Owen next to the tire, right next to me, while strapping down Angel inside the car. As I pulled my head back out and reached down to grab the handle of Owen’s car seat, my hand came back empty. I looked down and realized it was gone.
Owen wasn’t there.
Chapter 39
Lily stared at the man approaching her, heart throbbing in her chest. It was him. She could barely understand it. It was the same guy who had been following her everywhere—the stalker.
“Are