opened the car door for her, but blocked her from getting inside. “I don’t understand. If this guy scares you so bad, why did you bother to come? You’ve barely spoken to anyone. And did you really date that mule?”
Cosette hung her head, humiliation and shame flushing her face. If he thought Beau was bad, he’d really look down on her for Jeffrey.
Wilder tipped up her chin. “Hey, look at me... We all have exes from our teenage years we wish we didn’t. But you could have done so much better.”
Back then, she didn’t believe that. And now? Now she just wanted to be alone even if it was lonely.
He brushed his thumb across her jawline. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she whispered. “I’m fine.” Now. Thanks to Wilder.
“He won’t bother you again. I’ll make sure of that.”
Cosette believed him. But what about the real threat out there? The cunning and manipulative man who lurked in the shadows and hid behind his PhD? Or was Beau the real threat? If he wasn’t the original danger, after the humiliation, he would be one now. The thought hung over her like a thick blanket of cold darkness and she shivered.
“Is there anything else I need to know, Cosette?”
He must be getting that superhero hunch. She swallowed the truth, choking on it. “No. No, I’m fine.”
For now.
* * *
“Do you want me to come with you?” Wilder asked.
Cosette gripped the door handle of the rental car and stared out at the sea of tombstones marking the lives of loved ones. “No.” She did this alone every year. She’d never feared coming, though. Until now. “I know some people would say that she’s not there—not really. And I know that. She’s in heaven with Jesus. But it comforts me to come. To talk to her as if she’s alive. To clean up the weeds and replace the flowers. I’ve—I’ve even brought a blanket before and spent a whole afternoon.”
“Would you like to do that now? I can come back for—”
“No!” She choked down the fear. Jeffrey might be out here, hidden in the woods, watching and waiting. Or Beau. With no car, no Wilder... She couldn’t risk being stranded. And that’s how she felt. Stranded. Alone. Hedged in. She forced a pleasant expression. “I mean...no, thanks.”
The lines in Wilder’s brow deepened and he searched the cemetery as if scanning for threats. “I’ll be here. Stay as long as you like. I have a book.”
“You’re reading a book?” She bit down on her lip and smirked. “I mean, I’m not implying...” She sighed. Wilder was well-educated, he just didn’t like much fiction. Most military suspense wasn’t believable, according to him. “I—”
“How about I pull you up out of that gigantic hole you just dug?” His grin lit up and warmed a few dark and empty places within her. “It’s by a former SEAL. Not rocket science.” He tugged a strand of her hair. “Go on. Go talk to your mama.”
“Thank you, Wilder. For everything. Even the cake, though I certainly don’t need it.” She was five-eight and wore size twelve. “Hippie chick” brought a whole new meaning when coupled with her. In today’s society, she’d be a plus-size model! Okay, enough self-hatred over weight. She had other things to hate herself for that were far worse.
“Cake looks good on you.” He held up his book and motioned with his chin for her to get going.
She exited the vehicle and weaved slowly through the cemetery. Memories of her and Mama cooking, baking, shopping, sunbathing, filled her mind. Cosette missed her so. If only she would have left for safety’s sake.
He loves me, Cosie.
You don’t know him. He doesn’t mean to do it.
He’s sorry. Really. Deep down he’s a good man.
He’s had a terrible life. If you only knew...
One excuse after another to defend Dad. Cosette wiped a tear and stood before Mama’s grave. She clasped her throat. Someone had already replaced the old flowers with a bouquet of white tulips. Cosette dropped to her knees and yanked them out of the vase. Jeffrey would not get this pleasure.
Then she saw a small black velvet box buried in the weeds. Her lungs turned to brick.
Hands trembling, she picked up the box and opened it. Inside were a pair of pink tourmaline earrings. Round. Simple. Cosette scanned the secluded cemetery, finding its hallowedness and peacefulness gone. Jeffrey had ruined this. She hung her head and sobbed, fear rising in her throat and leaving her dizzy and angry...so angry that he would do this. Wreck this one place she held dear. That’s when she saw the slip of paper.
She wiped her eyes and removed it from the box.
I’ll always love you.
Would she ever be rid of this man? Why would he come back after two years of being quiet? It wasn’t like she’d used cash or changed her name. She’d blocked him from her cell phone, but she hadn’t changed the number; her patients might need her, and she wanted to be available to each one of them.
If he’d hired a PI, it wouldn’t have taken this long to track her to Atlanta. Something must have triggered him. She wadded up the note and dropped the earrings in her purse.
Lord, I know You’re probably not listening much to me, since I’m unwilling to forgive my dad—You know where I stand on that. But please, please don’t let this turn into what it was in Washington. Please!
She searched the tree line. Had she evaded his trap by coming early? If he was in Atlanta, following her, wouldn’t he know she’d left for the airport two days ago?
“Sorry to cut things short, Mama, but I’m in real trouble here and I’m scared.” Scared she’d end up lying right next to her. Because Cosette would never surrender to Jeffrey and it would eventually bring him to a vengeful state. He’d try to kill her before it was over. And if Beau had decided to come after her...she was in a heap of trouble.
“I love you, Mama, but I gotta go.” She kissed her fingertips and placed them on Mama’s headstone, then scurried back to the car.
Wilder scowled. “I’ve read maybe ten pages and I’m not a slow reader. What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m ready to go.”
A dark eyebrow arched and he held her gaze a beat longer than she liked, but then he motioned to the passenger seat. “We have time to kill before we have to be at the airport. You hungry?” he asked.
Not even a little bit. “Sure.”
They chose a restaurant near the airport.
Inside, at their table, he said, “When Caley was about six, she climbed a tree. She’d watched me and Meghan do it earlier. Mama told her not to. But hey, she was six and had something to prove.”
Good
