Mission: Without a Trace - Nicole Edwards Page 0,19
Ellen. Figured Lauren didn’t need us both micromanaging her.”
When no one said anything more for nearly a minute, Brantley decided to conclude the conversation.
“Mr. Tyler, you’ve got my number,” he said, getting to his feet. “If there’s anything else you can think of that might help us in our investigation, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“And you’ll keep me informed?” he asked hopefully.
“Of course. I’ll make sure you receive frequent updates.”
Half an hour later, Brantley was sitting at a table at Whataburger with Reese. As they waited for their food to be delivered to them, he went back to a couple of things the man had said.
“Rob was pretty adamant his daughter wasn’t dating anyone at the time.”
Reese leaned forward, drank from his straw, sat up. “I know. I caught that, too.”
“Not that I remember a whole hell of a lot about bein’ fifteen, but I’m pretty sure hormones played a big part for me that year. And many years to follow.”
“All the way to present day,” Reese quipped.
Brantley quirked a brow. “What about you? What were you doin’ when you were fifteen?”
“Probably ridin’ my Haro to Jenny Andrews’s house.”
“Jenny Andrews?”
“My girlfriend from sixth grade through tenth.”
“Ah. So you were the settlin’-down type back then.”
“No. It took me that long to round all the bases with her.”
“Go, tiger.”
Reese rolled his eyes. “It’s not the fact Lauren’s father said she didn’t have a boyfriend. It was the way he said Ellen forbid it, therefore it couldn’t have been true.”
“Yeah. Almost like if he said it enough, it would be true.”
“What’re you thinkin’?” Reese prompted.
“I don’t know. Maybe she had a bad relationship. Somethin’ Mom and Dad didn’t approve of.”
“Like an abusive asshole? Maybe someone older? Or…”
“Or what?”
“A girl?” Reese suggested.
That was actually the first thing that had come to his mind. “It’s possible.”
“And maybe this is me bein’ naive, but if she was gay, I don’t see her girlfriend kidnapping her.”
“No, wouldn’t’ve been the girlfriend. Not if she was her age, anyway. And if Lauren was gay, I’d think Corinne would’ve known,” Brantley explained. “They were best friends. Chicks share all that shit with each other.”
“Not if they don’t want word spreadin’.”
Brantley watched Reese, wondering if he was talking about their current situation.
“You know Ethan, right?” Reese asked, pushing his drink to the side.
“Of course. He’s my cousin.”
“You went to school with him?”
“He was a few grades back.”
“Did you know he was gay? I mean, back then. Were you aware?”
“Doubtful. Not somethin’ that interested me.”
“I don’t think anyone knew,” Reese explained. “Based on what I’ve heard from his brothers, Ethan was bullied brutally. His boyfriend took his own life and the kid’s older brother terrorized Ethan for years.” Reese exhaled. “What I’m sayin’ is that not many people knew Ethan’s story because he didn’t want anyone to know. Could be Lauren kept it on the DL.”
“If you twist it enough, yeah, it could fit. When I talked to Lauren’s mother yesterday, she said the same thing. There was no way Lauren had a boyfriend. If she had, they would’ve known. I took it more to mean they kept a close eye on her.”
“Oh, the misconceptions parents have,” Reese teased. “I can tell you, my parents had no idea who I was datin’.”
“Mine did,” Brantley admitted. “But only because I’ve got three older sisters who could never seem to mind their own business. Still can’t.”
A young guy carrying a tray strolled up to the table, handed it over before swinging another around. This one held a variety of condiments.
Reese waved him off while Brantley snagged a couple of spicy ketchup tubs.
When the guy walked away, Reese leaned in. “I hope you know I’m not takin’ you out for a burger on our date.”
The comment had Brantley’s eyes darting upward. He probably should’ve said something pithy, but the truth was, he was too stunned to say a damn thing.
***
The look on Brantley’s face loosened something inside Reese.
He wasn’t sure why that was.
Nor was he sure why he’d spoken his thought aloud.
What he did know was that when he was around Brantley, the anxiety wasn’t there. At least when they were hanging like this. Casual, comfortable. No pressure. When they were naked, yes, he was anxious, but he suspected it was different than the strange tension that had choked him when Autumn had seen that text.
It wasn’t something he could explain because it wasn’t something he understood. But he hoped with time, as he figured out how he fit in this new puzzle that was