was grateful he couldn’t see her eyes. “Sometimes.”
Her response seemed to give him the incentive he sought. Seth stood up and scooped his jacket from the floor. “Let me know when you’re not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She refused to be Seth’s exclusive property, just as she’d never belong to Warren. “I’ll see him any time I please.”
“I know.”
The least he could do was argue with her instead of being so…so agreeable.
“I’ve told you before—Warren’s not right for you,” he said mildly.
“And you are?”
He nodded matter-of-factly. “Yes.”
Justine had heard enough and apparently Seth felt he’d said everything she needed to hear. He walked over to the door and opened it. “Let me know when you’ve broken it off with Warren, all right?”
“You’ll have a long wait,” she tossed out, furious with him and unwilling to make the slightest concession, to give the slightest bit of hope. And yet, she couldn’t have. It was over with Warren, and Justine knew it despite her words to the contrary.
“If you’ve learned anything about me at all, you should realize I’m a patient man.” And with that, he left.
Although Justine was convinced Seth had stayed in town, she didn’t hear from him the rest of the weekend. Then on Sunday night, he phoned.
“Where are you?” she asked, so grateful to hear his voice that she forgot to pretend she was angry.
“Alaska.”
“You couldn’t have called me while you were still in town?”
“No,” he said, his voice husky and tired. “That would’ve been too easy.”
“Do you always do things the hard way?”
“Good God, I hope not,” he muttered.
“I suppose I should thank you,” she whispered, keeping her eyes shut and cradling the phone against her ear as she dropped onto a kitchen chair. Seth had prevented her from making an even bigger mistake than just throwing herself at him.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice suddenly gruff. “I’ve kicked myself all the way back here. Next time I won’t be so damned noble.”
“Next time,” Justine said softly, “I won’t give you the chance.”
Grace carried two heavy bags of groceries into the house and set them on the kitchen counter. It was Monday afternoon, after a relatively good weekend. She never knew what to expect from Dan anymore. Some days he was down and some days he was up. Recently, though, his moods seemed to be on a more even keel.
Kelly and her husband had been to the house for dinner on Sunday and it’d been a wonderful visit. The news of their daughter’s pregnancy had brightened their lives. Grace longed for this baby; whatever was lacking in her marriage, she hoped to find in grandchildren.
The house was dark and still. She expected Dan home at any time. She’d taken off an hour early for a doctor’s appointment that had lasted only a couple of minutes.
Grateful for this chance to organize her kitchen, Grace started unloading the bags, then suddenly paused. Something wasn’t right. She felt it. A sixth sense, a premonition, she wasn’t sure which. Listening, she cocked her head to one side. Her first inclination had been to dismiss the feeling, but it refused to go away.
Drawing in a stabilizing breath, she walked into the bedroom, and stopped abruptly. The dresser drawers hung open; their contents dangled over the edge and spilled about the room. Her first thought was that an intruder had been in the house, but a quick inventory said otherwise. Strangely, nothing valuable appeared to be missing. Her jewelry was out in plain sight.
Moving into the living room, Grace threw herself into a chair and closed her eyes.
Dan wasn’t coming home.
Again he’d taken nothing with him—only the clothes on his back. He’d abandoned everything else. His clothes, his personal possessions, his marriage and family.
She couldn’t say how she knew, but she felt it with a certainty that was inexplicable.
She didn’t contact Troy Davis or even Olivia; she wouldn’t tell anyone until at least a few days had passed. Her husband had been furious with her the last time. He’d pulled this horrible stunt, worried her to the point of physical illness and then been outraged that she’d called the sheriff. Dan had said she’d embarrassed him. Not once had he taken into account what he’d put her through. Two days of bitter, sullen silence had passed before they could speak to each other again. Now this.
Grace was right—Dan didn’t come home after work, nor did he show up that night. Despite a determined effort, she didn’t sleep. Her mind played tricks on her until, too exhausted to do anything else, she drifted off an hour before the alarm buzzed. She was tempted to call in sick, but decided against that. Staying home, pacing and worrying about where her husband might be or with whom, wasn’t going to help.
Tuesday afternoon, she walked hopefully into the house and found it cold and silent. Dan wasn’t back. The phone rang and she nearly tore it off the wall in her eagerness to answer.
“Mom, I just want to thank you and Dad for having Paul and me over for dinner.”
“It was our pleasure,” Grace said, doing her best to hide her fears.
“Daddy was in a good mood.”
“Yes, he was.” Grace closed her eyes in an effort to concentrate on the conversation.
“Mom,” her daughter said cautiously, “is everything all right?”
“Of course…I think so,” she corrected.
The line went silent, then, “What does that mean?”
Because she didn’t know where else to turn, Grace told her daughter. “I haven’t seen your father in nearly two days.”
“You haven’t seen Dad? But where is he?” Kelly asked, anxiety sharpening her voice.
“I…don’t know.”
“Shouldn’t you call someone?”
“I phoned the sheriff’s office the first time and learned that—”
“This has happened before?” Kelly cried. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her daughter was upset with her, and that was the last thing Grace wanted. Not with Kelly pregnant. A risky pregnancy at that.
“I’m on my way over,” Kelly said adamantly.
“Kelly, no, there’s nothing you can do.”
“Does Maryellen know?”
Grace
