Dan’s head cocks to the side. “Bruises?”
Josie runs her index finger from her shoulder to her elbow. “Like someone had grabbed her too hard.”
“What did she say about it?”
Josie’s eyes roll. “She lied. She claimed Paul got rough during sex.”
“Could be true.” Dan hikes a shoulder. “Paul hasn’t complained about their lack of sex in a while. Maybe things are back to normal between them.”
I’m about to carry my plate of cold lasagna back to the pool house, skulk out of the kitchen before anyone notices I’m gone.
“Cole, sit. We’re talking about your new friend from across the street.”
I stifle a groan. “Not really one for gossip, Josie.”
“It’s not gossip. Callie’s my best friend, and I’m worried.” She kicks out the stool beside her. “I could use an unbiased opinion.”
Blowing out a sigh, I drop onto the stool and shove a forkful of lasagna into my mouth.
Josie’s voice lowers. “I think Callie’s husband is hitting her.”
My jaw stops moving, and I immediately think back to our encounter earlier. The woman flinched every time I moved.
Like she expected it.
Like she was used to someone raising his hands to her.
Not my business.
I shovel another bite into my mouth. “Bruises don’t mean she’s getting abused.”
Dan nods. “I’ve never seen Paul with a temper. He’s so even-keeled.”
Josie shakes her head while she rocks Lucas. “Those are the most likely suspects. The ones you’d never believe could do such a thing. You didn’t see her arm. Something’s wrong. I feel it in my gut.”
“Have you seen bruises on her before?”
Why am I entertaining this?
“No. But it’s strange that she’s always covered up. If I had a body like hers, untainted by four kids, I’d be flaunting it all over this place.”
Dan chuckles. “Would you ever ask her? There’s no way I could ask Paul something like that.”
Josie’s mouth tugs downward. “She won’t tell me the truth. She lied to my face today.”
“Nothing you can do if she doesn’t want you to know.” I wipe my mouth on a napkin and toss it onto my plate. “Penny’s family went to great lengths to hide anything that would tarnish their reputation.”
Josie’s hand clamps over mine. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
I shake my head. “Not your fault.”
Nobody’s but my own.
I push back and carry my plate to the sink.
“Feels like it is,” she says.
My head jerks around to look at my sister, confusion etched onto my face.
“I wasn’t there for you. Not enough. It kills me that you had to endure something like that by yourself.”
Grief twists my stomach. “I’m glad I was alone. Glad Mom and Dad weren’t there to witness that.”
Dan nods like he understands, but he doesn’t have a fucking clue. Nice guy and all, but he’s never known suffering a day in his life.
The kind that obliterates joy.
Shattering any morsel of hope.
Extinguishing the sun for all eternity.
I glance over my shoulder as I move for the door, watching as Josie kisses Lucas’s head, Dan rubbing his back in soothing circles.
A family.
One last look to twist the knife in deeper.
Four
Cole
Six Years Ago
Today started like any other day.
Almost ended like any other day too.
I was on my way home from the construction site, counting down the seconds until I could scrub the dirt and sawdust off of me.
Then, my phone buzzed from my tool belt on the passenger seat.
I answered it with my car’s Bluetooth. “Yes, Mom. I’m coming tonight.”
“Oh, good!” her cheery voice boomed through the speakers. “I need you to pick up that bread from that place near your apartment. La Vida ... La Dolce ... La Vida Loca ...”
I grinned as I made a quick U-turn. “La Dolce Vita.”
“Yes! That’s the one. They have the best bread.”
“How many loaves do you want?”
“Two should be fine.”
“I’ll get three. You can freeze whatever’s left.”
“Good idea. My boy’s so smart.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “See you in a bit, Mom.”
“Drive safe!”
Every Thursday since my sister moved out to California with her fiancé, I ate dinner with my parents.
Tonight was a regular, run-of-the-mill Thursday night.
But tonight, I had to make a pitstop for bread.
The silver bell on the door clanged when I walked into the bakery. My mouth watered when the sweet, sugary aroma wafted up my nostrils. After a long, scorching day of working outside, I couldn’t wait to have a beer and a heaping plate of Mom’s lasagna with some of this bread.
A brunette with a tiny frame stood in front of me in line. My eyes lingered on the swell of her ass in her tight pencil skirt, the way the curtain of her dark hair shone under the fluorescent lights, the way her heels accentuated her calves.
I hadn’t even seen her face, and I was already intrigued.
Her red fingernail tapped on the glass display case. “I’ll take two loaves of the sesame bread, please.”
Her voice was a melody, a song I wanted to learn all the words to. My body hummed along to it, inched closer so I could hear it better.
She shifted to the cash register, and when I stepped forward, she turned her head toward me.
My heart stalled in my chest, popping and sputtering, forgetting how to beat.
Big, brown eyes blinked up at me with long lashes fanned out around them. Her nose was perfect, small and slightly turned up at the tip. Her pouty, full lips were covered in a pink-tinted gloss.
The whole world tilted on its axis.
She stole the breath right from my lungs.
She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
The woman’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes averted to the ground before flicking back up to mine. “Thank you.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What?”
“You said I was the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “I said that out loud?”
She giggled, and Cupid shot my heart with another arrow. “Yeah, you did.”
I stepped closer, her fresh, flowery scent intoxicating my senses, luring me in. “Sorry. My mouth gets ahead of my brain sometimes.”
“Don’t be sorry.” She fidgeted with the strap of her purse. “I don’t mind.”
My heart kicked back to life, a jackhammer in my chest. “I’m Cole.”
I extended my hand but yanked it back when I realized how filthy it was, covered in dirt from the day’s work. “Shit, sorry.”
She shook her head, her hair swishing around her shoulders. “Stop apologizing, Cole. You look like you’ve had a long day at work. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Miss,” the cashier called. “Here’s your bread.”