He cleared his throat and shook his head. “It’s over long ago.”
“But you haven’t seen her since then?”
A shadow went over his face, and his eyes grew dark. “Who have you been talking to?”
She shook her head. “I was just wondering; that’s all. I know how hard it was for you to let her go.”
“You’ve been talking to the police, haven’t you? They’ve been here?”
“Is that important?”
“Yes, it’s important,” he almost yelled.
Lynn’s eyes grew wide, and her pulse quickened. Jeff rose to his feet and paced in the room.
“God, I can’t believe they came here to see you too.”
“Sit down, Jeff, please.”
He didn’t. Instead, he kept pacing back and forth, making Lynn nervous.
“Jeff, please,” she said. “If you and I are to talk together today, then I need you to sit back…”
“I can’t believe the nerve they have,” he said, stomping his foot angrily. “This is harassment. They have no right to…”
Lynn swallowed and thought about the button next to her chair, then one that alerted the front office of an emergency so they could call the cops in case a patient got aggressive. She really hoped she didn’t have to use it. Jeff was the last person she wanted to have to use it on.
“Jeff…” she said, sounding firm. “Sit down, please.”
He stopped pacing and stared down at her. She was suddenly acutely aware of how big he was compared to her. He looked at her, then walked closer. Lynn had her finger on the button as he hovered above her.
“Look me in the eyes, Doc. Are these the eyes of someone who could harm another human being?”
Lynn looked into his eyes, long and deep. She felt herself ease up, and her finger slowly slipped off the button. What was it about this guy that just made her melt completely?
“Do you really think I would harm her?” he asked, his voice growing soft and tender. “Me?”
Lynn smiled, then shook her head with an exhale.
“No, Jeff. I don’t.”
That made him smile, then he leaned forward, grabbing her face between his hands. He planted his lips on hers, and everything exploded inside of her as they shared a kiss.
Chapter 42
Matt was smacking his lips as he ate the last meatball on his plate. I had made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner but didn’t have much of an appetite myself. I kept staring at my future husband, wondering what was going on with me.
Was I about to make the biggest mistake of my life?
Was I in love with someone else?
I closed my eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of my nose. No, I just needed sleep; that was all. Matt was right about one thing, taking care of two infants was threatening to tear me apart.
“I’m done; can I be excused?”
Alex looked up at me with his big eyes. He had gotten close to Matt these past several months, and I knew he adored him, especially after Matt took him to work with him one day, and they walked next door to the fire station, where he got to sit in the big truck, the one with the ladder. He kept telling the fire chief that it was “on his bucket list” to sit in the big firetruck, and now he could cross that off.
We had laughed a lot at that.
Why didn’t we laugh anymore?
“Sure, sweetie.”
Alex smiled, left the table, took his plate out to the dishwasher, and then ran for the stairs and his room. My mom had bought him a new firetruck for his collection, and all he wanted was to play with it. It was all he talked about.
“Anyone want seconds?” I asked and smiled at my family.
Christine looked up, and our eyes met. I had scolded her for stopping bass lessons and told her that I wanted her to continue, at least finish the year. I didn’t like her quitting like this for no apparent reason other than “it was a lot of work” and because she wanted to hang out with her friends downtown, which apparently was what she had been doing since she quit. The conversation hadn’t ended well, and she had yelled at me that she hated me.
Nothing new there.
“No thanks, Mom. It was really good, though.” Olivia rose to her feet and walked to the kitchen as well, followed by Elijah, who didn’t say a word. Nor did he take his plate out, as was the custom here in our house. I had told Matt that he needed to teach his son to do as the rest of the kids did, but even Matt forgot to take his things out and just left the table to watch TV—without a word to me.
We hadn’t talked at all. I simply didn’t know what to say to him. Every time I opened my mouth, it felt like we ended in a fight. And with the babies always demanding me, there really wasn’t time or energy for a long talk. It mostly became words yelled at one another in passing.
It wasn’t good.
As they all left the table, I looked at my phone. I had been staring at it all day, wondering what Scott was up to, where he was. Why did I spend so much energy thinking about him when I had everything I needed right here?
I stared at the empty table. Everyone had left, and the dirty dishes were piling up in the kitchen.
“Guess I’ll clean up then too,” I mumbled and got up. I was carrying the big pot out with me when my phone suddenly vibrated on the dining table. I almost dropped the pot when I put it on the counter and ran for the phone and picked it up, panting.
“Scott?”
Chapter 43
She almost tripped when she realized that the truck was coming toward her. Sarah gasped, then leaped forward, just in time for it to miss her. It roared past her. Panting and agitated, she then turned to look and watched it come to a stop. It stayed there like it was watching her for a few seconds before it finally took off again. She watched it turn a corner, then drive down a side street, tires screeching. Heart pounding, she stared in the direction it had come from when she realized it hadn’t left. It was just taking a trip around the block, and soon it peeked back out further up the one-way street.
Ready to come back.
Heart throbbing, Sarah took off running. She stormed down a side street, panting, running, gasping for air, continually looking over her shoulder. Then she spotted the bright red Ford pick-up truck turn the corner she had just left and drive down the street.
Sarah made it to the end of it, then turned right and ran into a small square that she crossed, hearing the truck roar behind her. She could hear it coming closer and closer, fast, and knew she could never outrun it. Instead, she searched for an escape, a hideout, and spotted a restaurant. She decided it was her only chance and went for it, crossing the street. The truck came roaring up behind her as she sprang for the door, and it missed her just as she opened it and fell inside.
Panting, she stared at the glass door closing behind her, then up at the two men standing above her. They were both wearing uniforms.
Police!
One bent down and looked at her. His eyes were gentle.
“Are you okay?”
She sat up, then corrected her hair, even though she knew she had to look awful right now. They probably just took her for a drunk homeless person.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I tripped.”
His eyes rested on her, and his head tilted. “Say, haven’t I seen you before?”