everything to her in the most literal way.
And she’d only been able to run and make him doubt himself. She wanted to give him so much more, and she wanted to accept whatever he could give to her.
No more being cautious. No more worrying about consequences or obsessing about her purpose. If she ever got out of this fog again, she wouldn’t waste another second.
Time dragged, but she didn’t despair. Determination replaced the lost feeling that had reduced her to tears last time she’d been trapped here. At long last, the fog billowed away to reveal his semi-darkened room.
She scanned it eagerly, but found it empty. Disappointment swallowed her relief at being released from her prison.
On the up side, the door was wide open, revealing a brightly-lit hallway, the only source of light in the bedroom besides the street lights shining through the bare window. The other times she’d been in this room, the door had been cracked, but not open enough for her to slip out. Now, nothing stood between her and the rest of the house.
Except her own hesitation. What if Haley saw her roaming around and got scared? What if she left this room and couldn’t get back in?
Enough. No more what-ifs. No more bowing to caution and ending up with regrets.
She squared her shoulders and strode into the hall, pausing to listen. The house was utterly still. A pang of loneliness tried to sink her spirits, but she refused to let it. An empty house was better, after all. She had the freedom to learn as much as she could about the man.
The open door directly across from the bedroom led into a black-and white-tiled bathroom. She took in the aqua green toilet and tub. The sink was newer, a white porcelain pedestal model with sleek, modern fixtures. Tan and navy towels hung from the rods. There were no child things. No second toothbrush, no barrettes or hair ties, no bubble bath or shower soap the likes of which Haley might use. She must live with her mother most of the time and visit her dad for short periods.
Which meant he lived alone. But at some point he had probably shared domesticity with a woman. A wife, possibly?
Jealousy made her jaw twitch.
A snoop in the second bedroom confirmed her suspicion. Light from the hallway reflected off a silver frame sitting on top of an enormous metal desk that looked like it had been reclaimed from a 1950s schoolhouse. The frame held a five by seven picture of the man, Haley, and a stunning blond woman. All three knelt in the sand with white-capped ocean waves behind them and their blond locks, different shades, from the man’s dark honey to the woman’s smartly-layered corn silk, tangled in the wind.
Haley had been a couple of inches shorter, her cheeks rounder, dating the picture to two or three years ago. The man and woman both had wedding bands on. The woman also wore a gigantic diamond on her elegant, French-manicured ring finger.
Everyone was smiling. The man looked so happy, it took her breath away. His warm expression made a stark contrast to the seriousness she’d grown accustomed to. She wanted to be the one to put that smile back on his face.
Sighing, she forced her gaze from the picture and took in the rest of the room. Besides the desk, there were some filing cabinets and a big futon boasting a pile of stuffed unicorns and teddy bears. This would be where Haley slept. She probably loved looking at the picture of her mom and dad and her. Or maybe it made her sad.
None of my business.
Learning the man’s name probably shouldn’t be any of her business either, but that didn’t stop her from scanning the desk for mail. Eureka! A pile of haphazard envelopes and mailers cluttered the corner. She reached for the pile, only to find the paper hard and unmoving.
Argh! She couldn’t pick up the mail or even shift the letters to reveal an address label. The generic one on top read Resident, along with an address in Redding, California. She waited for some spark of recognition, but none came.
And she’d only been able to run and make him doubt himself. She wanted to give him so much more, and she wanted to accept whatever he could give to her.
No more being cautious. No more worrying about consequences or obsessing about her purpose. If she ever got out of this fog again, she wouldn’t waste another second.
Time dragged, but she didn’t despair. Determination replaced the lost feeling that had reduced her to tears last time she’d been trapped here. At long last, the fog billowed away to reveal his semi-darkened room.
She scanned it eagerly, but found it empty. Disappointment swallowed her relief at being released from her prison.
On the up side, the door was wide open, revealing a brightly-lit hallway, the only source of light in the bedroom besides the street lights shining through the bare window. The other times she’d been in this room, the door had been cracked, but not open enough for her to slip out. Now, nothing stood between her and the rest of the house.
Except her own hesitation. What if Haley saw her roaming around and got scared? What if she left this room and couldn’t get back in?
Enough. No more what-ifs. No more bowing to caution and ending up with regrets.
She squared her shoulders and strode into the hall, pausing to listen. The house was utterly still. A pang of loneliness tried to sink her spirits, but she refused to let it. An empty house was better, after all. She had the freedom to learn as much as she could about the man.
The open door directly across from the bedroom led into a black-and white-tiled bathroom. She took in the aqua green toilet and tub. The sink was newer, a white porcelain pedestal model with sleek, modern fixtures. Tan and navy towels hung from the rods. There were no child things. No second toothbrush, no barrettes or hair ties, no bubble bath or shower soap the likes of which Haley might use. She must live with her mother most of the time and visit her dad for short periods.
Which meant he lived alone. But at some point he had probably shared domesticity with a woman. A wife, possibly?
Jealousy made her jaw twitch.
A snoop in the second bedroom confirmed her suspicion. Light from the hallway reflected off a silver frame sitting on top of an enormous metal desk that looked like it had been reclaimed from a 1950s schoolhouse. The frame held a five by seven picture of the man, Haley, and a stunning blond woman. All three knelt in the sand with white-capped ocean waves behind them and their blond locks, different shades, from the man’s dark honey to the woman’s smartly-layered corn silk, tangled in the wind.
Haley had been a couple of inches shorter, her cheeks rounder, dating the picture to two or three years ago. The man and woman both had wedding bands on. The woman also wore a gigantic diamond on her elegant, French-manicured ring finger.
Everyone was smiling. The man looked so happy, it took her breath away. His warm expression made a stark contrast to the seriousness she’d grown accustomed to. She wanted to be the one to put that smile back on his face.
Sighing, she forced her gaze from the picture and took in the rest of the room. Besides the desk, there were some filing cabinets and a big futon boasting a pile of stuffed unicorns and teddy bears. This would be where Haley slept. She probably loved looking at the picture of her mom and dad and her. Or maybe it made her sad.
None of my business.
Learning the man’s name probably shouldn’t be any of her business either, but that didn’t stop her from scanning the desk for mail. Eureka! A pile of haphazard envelopes and mailers cluttered the corner. She reached for the pile, only to find the paper hard and unmoving.
Argh! She couldn’t pick up the mail or even shift the letters to reveal an address label. The generic one on top read Resident, along with an address in Redding, California. She waited for some spark of recognition, but none came.
Similar Books
