Stilettos & Scoundrels

  Chapter 10

  Damn it all!” I muttered to myself. In my haste to drive to Katy’s, already being over an hour late, I took a corner too fast and spilled the coffee I had picked up for her. Oh well. It just added to the other numerous coffee stains on my upholstery that I kept meaning to have cleaned. That was one of the main reasons I had a black car—I didn’t want to spend time and money cleaning it all the time, and black hid a lot. Maybe I should try it with my clothing. My soft pink shrug, paired with a white camisole and grey cargo pants, had some of the same coffee on it that was also on my upholstery but was much more visible. Now I would have to incur a dry cleaning bill I couldn’t afford. The shrug was cashmere, purchased on sale from Filene’s Basement, so I just hoped the stain would come out. I wouldn’t be able to find another one like it.

  I was running late, thanks to my mother. She had asked that I help her plant some flowers before I left again. I felt bad saying no, so I gave in and spent what she thought was some quality mother/daughter time with her. I admit it was enjoyable as we had a chance to talk, and although it ruined my manicure, it was worth it because I’d made my mother happy. Plus, the weather was warm, with a light breeze and it was nice being outside.

  I walked into Katy’s salon with what was left of the coffee, wondering if my friend had uncovered any gossip with her sleuthing techniques. Although, I admit, foremost on my mind was Cooper Sands. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and that kiss. We’d had a connection once, but hell, that was years ago. But if that kiss was any indication, that connection was alive and well. How could I be attracted to someone I hadn’t seen since high school? Even though I was confused about how I felt about him now, I was positive Cooper felt it too, but he seemed as reluctant as I to give into it. I could tell it wasn’t from lack of desire. Ugh. I didn’t have time for this. I had just gotten out of a relationship. And I had a murder to solve.

  Katy was working on a client, and the place was hopping already, but she saw me come in and waved. I was proud of my friend. Katy had a thriving business and seemed very happy with her life. For a moment, I felt envious. I wanted my life to be that good professionally. It was hard for me not knowing what to do now.

  “I’ll just be a second,” she said when I stepped close enough to hear her. “I need to set Mrs. Johnson under the dryer.”

  “No problem.” I wandered over to the reception area and sat down with our coffee. There were several ladies waiting under the dryers who engaging in their favorite pastime—gossip. Maybe I could find something out from them. In a salon, gossip was currency. I recognized two of the three women as friends of my mother.

  “Presley? Presley Thurman?” A voice came from where the women were all sitting. I turned. I thought her name was Margaret Coombs. This was my opening, and I had better take advantage of it. These women probably knew everything going on about town and be willing to tell me the dirty little secrets. I walked over to where they were sitting underneath the dryers and joined them.

  “Hi, ladies,” I said sweetly.

  “Your mother told us you were coming home to visit at our last organization meeting for the Fourth of July picnic,” Margaret said. “She was upset when you didn’t show up.”

  It was now April. Did what happened almost a year ago matter?

  “Yes,” said another one of the ladies, whose name escaped me. “She said you had an important job and had to work. She is proud of you, you know.”

  “So, I heard you were one of the last people to see the Senator alive,” Margaret said, changing topics. These women were making my head spin.

  I looked confused, so Margaret added, “Your mother told us. Said you were writing something about him.”

  “Well?” Margaret looked at me expectantly. I’d thought her question was rhetorical but obviously not. No one but these women could get away with being so blunt. If someone else tried it, they’d be ripped apart. These ladies obviously felt they were entitled to information and weren’t too shy to ask for it. You had to admire that.

  “She can still write about him even though he’s dead, Margaret,” a woman whose name I still couldn’t remember said, ignoring me.

  “I know that, Hildy. I was just asking, that’s all,” Margaret said.

  Ah–ha. Hildy Thomas was her name. She was the one who always won the best garden award every year. The award my mother wanted to win and said Hildy didn’t deserve, for reasons I had never paid attention to. My mother didn’t like Hildy. She said she was a mean, gossipy woman, exactly the kind I needed right now. I leaned in and was even more attentive.

  “She could probably write an even better story now. People love scandal,” Hildy said.

  “What scandal, Hildy?” I asked.

  “About what a jerk he was. I know for a fact that Helen had cut him off, wouldn’t give him one more cent,” Hildy said with conviction, sticking her chin out.

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Margaret said, shaking her head. “Stop spreading gossip.”

  “Of course I do,” Hildy said smugly, with the confidence of someone who had an inside source. I hoped she kept talking as this was interesting, especially the part about Helen cutting him off financially. If he did owe people money, that might have put him in a bad spot. But bad enough to be killed over it? Maybe.

  “I bet a lot of people might find it interesting that the senator had someone working for him who was, well you know, someone of alternative lifestyle.” The third woman finally spoke up and as soon as I heard her voice I recognized who she was.

  Harriet Sands, Cooper’s stepmother. His parents had divorced when he was in high school. His mother left town and his father quickly remarried. Harriet had been a beautiful woman when she was younger, and still was. She had dark brown hair cut fashionably in a long bob with layers around her face. She had to be my mother’s age. However, attractive she might be; she wasn’t always rumored to be the nicest. As far as I knew, there was never any love lost between Cooper and his stepmother. They had never been on good terms. She despised having to share Cooper’s father, and felt Cooper was a nuisance. His words, not mine. Of course, they were the words of a teenager. This all happened years ago, so maybe things were different now. But she had gotten my curiosity up. Who could she be talking about?

  “Harriet, that doesn’t mean anything,” Margaret said. “Quit being so judgmental.”

  “No, Margaret, she’s right,” Hildy said. “Senator Daniels was a conservative. He took a strong stance against gay marriage. It’s not about being judgmental, but about being a hypocrite. Not that I’m surprised.”

  “Mrs. Sands, Dottie is ready for you now,” Katy said, walking up to us.

  “It’s about time. My appointment was ten minutes ago.” Harriet brusquely stood up. “I don’t know why I put up with this.”

  As Harriet walked off, Katy rolled her eyes, and the other two women giggled as they noticed. It was clear Harriet’s attitude was no surprise to them.

  “Because she does a fabulous job, and no one else will put up with you,” Katy said under her breath so only I could hear. We smiled at the inside conversation.

  “I brought you some coffee,” I said. “I thought you might want a late afternoon pick–me–up, although I spilled half of it on the way, and the rest is probably cold by now. I was trying to make it up to you for being late.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Come on back to the office,” Katy said to me. “I have a new espresso machine. I was spending way too much time and money going to Betty’s. Not to mention it was hard to go there without getting a muffin, too. I can whip us up some of that fancy coffee you like so well.”

  “Yum...lead the way.”

  Katy fired up the machine, and soon the room filled with the heady aroma of fresh brewed espresso. How I loved that smell. It was almost as good as the taste. Almost.

  I sat down on the brown leather couch in the break room/office of Katy’s salon and waited for my coffee. “I like those jeans, Katy.” They were
wide leg jeans with white embroidered butterflies on the cuffs. She paired them with a crocheted short sleeve top that set off the cuff of the jean well. “I need you to tell me everything you know about Cooper. How did he get into private security?”

  “What’s with all the questions? You like him?” Katy teased.

  “Hardly. In fact, it’s the other way around. He drives me crazy. I asked him about it, and he put me off, which makes me more curious.

  “You do like him,” Katy teased, looking at me as she expertly steamed milk for our lattes.

  “Just forget it.” I didn’t like where this conversation was going, so I changed the subject... “So, did you find out anything? Ruth was less than helpful, but I did get information from Betty,” I added and filled her in.

  “Don’t think you’re going to get off this easy, Presley. I want to talk more about this Cooper thing,” Katy said to me with mock sternness. “But I guess it can wait. Since, I do have some exciting news!”

  “What?”

  “I confirmed Helen Daniels was having an affair, and still is if you believe everything you hear. Which you should in this case, of course, because you saw it with your own eyes. Mrs. Dixon, who comes in for a wash and set every week, told me it was common knowledge that Helen and Tom were sleeping in separate bedrooms. She said they had their own lives, if you know what I mean. Those were her exact words, and she even winked at me when she said it. It was hilarious, and it was all I could do to keep from laughing. She told me the only thing keeping them together was money. His love of hers that is, because I don’t think he had any of his own. Helen just didn’t want the scandal of a divorce or to have to pay him off. According to Mrs. Dixon, she liked being a politician’s wife.”

  “I can’t believe you didn’t call me the minute you heard this! Did she give you any idea who Helen might be involved with? We already suspected her of the affair. We just need to find out who it is.”

  “No, she wasn’t exactly sure who it was, but she’s convinced it’s someone here.”

  “You mean, here as in Alkon? Why?”

  “Because for the last six months, she said Helen has been spending more time back here in town than she has in a long time, and without Tom. Mrs. Dixon said Helen used to come to Alkon about once or twice a year, and it’s been that way for years. Then, in the past six months, she has come back about twice a month, supposedly on family business. But as far as Mrs. Dixon knows, there hasn’t been any family business. She’s friends with Helen’s mom and she said she would have told her. Katy was vibrating with excitement at being the one to give all this news. I was glad to have our suspicions confirmed. At least it was a start.

  “Hmm, you know, Ruth also made me think there was something going on. She got annoyed when I started asking questions about Helen. The gossip queens,” I said, nodding my head in the direction of Margaret and Hildy, “didn’t have a lot of nice things to say about Tom. But, Harriet Sands suggested that the senator had someone working for him who is gay. Or, as she put it, someone of an alternative lifestyle. Since the senator was publicly against this lifestyle, if people knew about it, it could be bad for him. Can you believe that people still even care about this in today’s day and age? As if someone would get killed over that.”

  “They must be talking about Tobey Stone.”

  “What?” I choked on my latte. “Tobey’s gay?”

  “Duh. I thought most people had that figured out in junior high. You’re not very observant.”

  “Well, that sucks. I had thought maybe Tobey was the one Helen was having an affair with. You know, I saw them arguing at the Coffee Café, and Tobey’s young and good–looking. I thought maybe Helen might have picked him to get back at the senator since he was one of his employees. It would have been a great way to get back at him if she wanted to. Nothing like a little young eye–candy on the side.”

  Katy laughed. “Well, Tobey’s not having an affair with Helen.”

  “Then maybe it’s Chris. You know, keep it in the family.” I was joking, but the look on Katy’s face made me stop for a moment and start to think that there was something going on between her and Chris. More than just the casual fling Katy had alluded to. The other night at a restaurant, I knew Katy liked him, with the shameless flirting and noticeable cleavage. However, when she said it was all in fun, I believed her. So why, when I mentioned Chris having an affair, even in jest, had a pissed–off look flitted across her face? A look she quickly replaced with sadness.

  “Katy, what’s wrong? Is there something you’re not telling me?” I probed gently. Tears welled up in Katy’s eyes. “Is there something more than just a flirtation and fun going on between you and Chris?”

  She nodded, trying to get control of her emotions.

  “Well, why are you crying about it?” I touched her hand. “If you like him and he likes you, then you have a right to be happy.” I was just teasing.

  “That’s just it. I’m not sure he does like me. I mean, for anything more than just a quick fling, and I want more than that this time. Which I told him, and he said that this time things would be different. At first, he was sweet and caring. He couldn’t seem to get enough of me and wanted to spend all our free time together. Then, these last few weeks he’s been standoffish and distant. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” This statement brought a fresh burst of tears.

  “Honey, nothing is wrong with you. If he's a jerk, that’s his problem. Not yours. Have you tried to ask him about it?”

  She nodded again. “He just says he’s busy and that he’ll call. You know the typical unoriginal excuses that men come up with. The ones they think we’re stupid enough to believe, but he doesn’t. He just brushes me off.”

  “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but maybe blow him off the next time he comes around. Make him realize you are not going to just sit around. You know how it is. When men think you’re available, they think they can treat you like crap. The minute you turn the tables on them; it is amazing how quickly they come running. Let’s go shopping later. I promise it will make you feel a hundred times better.”

  She smiled at this. “I wish I didn’t like him, but I have for years.” She shook her head ruefully. “You’d think by now I would have learned my lesson with him, but I can’t help it. There is something about him I can’t seem to get over, even when he treats me like crap. I keep thinking he will change. That this time is the time and things will finally work out between us.”

  “Trust me; I’ve made plenty of mistakes with my love life. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Sometimes you have to act strong even if you don’t feel it.”

  “I know, I know. Guys are pigs. So remind me, why do we like them?”

  We both sat there for a minute; Katy lost in her own thoughts. I was trying to be patient, waiting for my friend to collect her thoughts while sipping her coffee. I wanted to get back to the matter at hand but didn’t want to push her. Chris was a jerk and had always been a jerk, in my opinion. Better she realized it before she continued to let him play his games with her. She was way too good for him.

  “You know,” Katy, said, tapping her finger on her lips thoughtfully, seemingly back in control of her emotions. “I did hear a rumor a while back that Bobby Johnson was having an affair. Supposedly it was the reason Bobby’s marriage broke up.”

  I choked on my coffee again at this news. “Stop telling me these things when I am drinking something,” I scolded Katy playfully. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  “Sorry.” Katy giggled.

  “You know I love gossip just as much as the next person, but does this have anything to do with our investigation?”

  “Maybe it does. The rumor was going around for a few weeks right when Bobby separated from his wife and came back from his trip to Las Vegas. Supposedly, he went there to recover from his big heartbreak. But if cheating was the reason his wife left him, he shouldn’t be too upset. It was his own damn fault.”

  There was that Vegas
connection again. Interesting how it kept coming up. So much for what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

  “Maybe we can talk to his ex–wife. Do you know her?” Maybe this would give us some good information.

  “No,” Katy said. “She wasn’t from Alkon, and they didn’t live here for the brief period they were married. I’m not sure where she’s at now. Probably as far away as she can get.”

  “Damn. Oh well, I doubt it has anything to do with Senator Daniels’s murder, but it would have been fun to get her thoughts on Bobby.”

  Katy had to get back to work, so we made plans to be in contact later, and I headed home. My cell phone rang, knocking me out of my driving trance. The phone displayed my parents’ number. Was I late for something? I tried frantically to recall if I had made any plans with them.

  “Hello.”

  “Pres. Where are you?”

  It was my dad. “I’m on my way home. I should be there in a few minutes. Why?”

  “I don’t want to alarm you, but when your mother and I got home, we found that someone had thrown a rock through the window with a note attached,” he said calmly, as if asking me to pick up a loaf of bread on the way home.

  “What?” I yelled. I couldn’t believe he was so relaxed about this.

  “Now, sweetheart, calm down. It’s no big deal.”

  I could hear my mother in the background yelling, “See; I told you! You should have waited for her to get home. Now she’ll speed and not pay attention to her driving. Do you want her to get in an accident?” Not as calm about this whole thing as he was. She was clearly rattled which was unusual for her.

  Dad ignored her and kept talking. “Everyone is fine, and I’ve called Derrick. He should be here in a few minutes.” He paused, adding, “I see him pulling in the driveway now.”

  “Did you see who did this? You said there was a note. What does it say?” My words tumbled out.

  “Don’t worry about it, King. Concentrate on driving, and when you get here, we can figure this all out.”

  Concentrate on my driving after hearing this? Was he freaking kidding me? How could he be so nonchalant about this? I thought, hitting speed dial where I had programmed in Cooper’s number. “C’mon, c’mon! Pick up!” I said into the phone. The voicemail kicked in.

  “Cooper,” I said urgently. “Call me the minute you get this.” My next call was to Katy, who didn’t answer either. Wasn’t the point of cell phones to be reachable at all times? In the city, people kept their phones glued to their ears. I threw mine onto the passenger seat out of frustration. It rolled off the seat and onto the floor, taking me from frustrated to pissed—at myself. How stupid. Now if someone tried to call, I would have to stop to get a phone or risk reaching over to get it while driving and swerving off the road.

  Deep breath in, and...exhale. In with the good and out with the bad. That never worked for me in yoga class, and it sure didn’t work for me now. It’s okay, I told myself. I’ll be home in a minute.

  The last few miles seemed to take forever. As I pulled in, I noticed Dirt’s county–issued Tahoe was already there in my parents’ driveway. Then I saw a car following me up the driveway. Who the hell drove a red truck? Then it clicked. The red truck belonged to Brian. Why was here here? Argh! As if what happened wasn’t bad enough, now I had to deal with Brian. I wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel in frustration.

  I jumped out of the car and jogged up to the porch where I saw my parents and Dirt waiting.

  “So, who did this, Dirt?” I asked breathlessly. I needed to start getting some exercise. Whew! I was winded just from running a few steps. I thought if I didn’t wait for Brian to get out of his truck; he might get the hint. No such luck. He was right behind me.

  “Who the hell did this?” I demanded again. “Someone tell me what’s going on.”

  As I spoke, Brian started rubbing my arm, I assumed in an attempt to console me or something. I tried to subtly move away from him with a little sidestep. Did he have amnesia and not remember our discussion the other night? Had he not understood me clearly enough? What part of let’s just be friends did he not understand?

  Dirt looked strained. He shook his head. “I don’t know, Pres. That’s what we are trying to figure out here. The note said to quit interfering or more than a window would be broken. But it’s in messy block letters like someone was writing with their left hand. Do you know what that could mean, Pres?”

  “No,” I said, but wondered if someone knew I was asking questions around town about Helen and Tom. I just couldn’t imagine the people I had talked to doing this sort of thing.

  “Thank God no one was home when the rock went through the window,” my mother said. She kept staring at me, making me want to squirm. Why did it seem that she somehow knew I was keeping things from Dirt? She always did know when I was hiding something.

  Dirt resumed talking. “That’s one reason we don’t want to blow this out of proportion. Obviously, the person who did this made a point to do it when nobody was home. That means they were probably not out to hurt anyone, just scare you. As much as we’ve been able to narrow down, it happened sometime between the time your parents left at two and four thirty, when they came home about a half hour ago.” I looked at my watch, a knock–off Cartier but completely authentic looking, and saw it was a little after five.

  “Did you talk to the neighbors yet?” I asked, moving away from Brian, who kept inching closer and closer. As big as this porch was, I was about to run out of room. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my dad was looking at me and trying to hide a smile. Leave it to him to be amused by my discomfort while having to deal with a broken window. “Maybe it was kids. You know, just a prank.”

  “No one heard anything, and I doubt it was kids. Their pranks include mailboxes and graffiti. Usually, not something as close and personal as breaking a window,” Dirt said.

  My parents didn’t have any close neighbors, and those in the area had kids who were all grown. It would have been easy to pull this off undetected, but kids wouldn’t have left a note like this.

  I started to ask Dirt something else when another car pulled into the driveway. What was this, the new Grand Central Station? I squinted into the sunlight. It looked like Cooper’s SUV. I was relieved he was here, but also tense because I knew Dirt wasn’t going to take kindly to Cooper stopping by. I hadn’t thought that part through when I called him. I just knew I wanted him to know what was going on and wanted him there. Cooper no doubt guessed what kind of treatment he was bound to get since he’d know Dirt would be here.

  I looked over and saw that Dirt had noticed Cooper’s SUV.

  “What are you doing here?” Dirt asked Cooper as he stepped up onto the porch. “This is none of your concern.” Dirt took a step forward. His belligerent stance had my dad putting a hand on his arm. For a second, it looked like Dirt wasn’t going to back down, but then he stepped back. Cooper just stood there, not saying anything, which was probably smart under the circumstances.

  “I called him,” I said, defiantly taking in how good Cooper looked in his faded jeans. “I thought he should know.” Even though, I had my own issues with Cooper, I was even more annoyed by Dirt’s attitude. Couldn’t these guys just talk about things and get past this—whatever this was? Wasn’t solving the murder more important than some pissing contest? “Do you think it could be related to the senator’s murder?”

  Dirt glared at me, which didn’t faze me at all. I wasn’t about to be intimidated by someone I had known for years.

  “Why did you call him? Why not me, Pres?” Brian asked. I just looked at him, grateful for the interruption to break from Dirt’s stare, but that was short–lived. I started to answer when Dirt interrupted.

  “Why did you call him, Pres? He has no place here,” Dirt snapped.

  “Oh, for the love of Pete! I felt Cooper had a right to know what’s going on. I have the right to tell anyone I choose, so get over it.”

  Dirt turned t
o my dad. “Mr. Thurman, I’m about done here anyway. I’ll try to catch the Thompsons on my way out. Maybe they’ll be home by now. I’ll give you a call back tonight or tomorrow and let you know if I find out anything.”

  While he finished talking to my dad, I turned to Brian. “Brian, why are you here?” I knew I was somewhat rude, but I didn’t care.

  “I heard it on the police scanner at my shop. I listen to it for company sometimes. I came over to make sure everyone was okay,” he said, rubbing my arm again.

  “Presley, I need you to stop by the police station as soon as possible to speak to the FBI,” Dirt said. Without even waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

  “Listen, Brian. I thought I made it clear the other night,” and then I stopped. Another car was coming up the drive. For God’s sakes! Who was it now? Half the town was already here. This car I didn’t recognize at all. A royal blue Dodge Neon. I didn’t recognize the girl driving it either. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the serious frown on her face made her not as cute as she probably normally was.

  Brian saw the car and blanched, murmuring, “Oh shit.”

  We all looked at Brian. I raised my eyebrows in question. He looked thoroughly embarrassed, as if he had been caught doing something wrong, which I thought he had.

  Brian looked back at me sheepishly and then toward the newcomer. He took a step back, and I turned around to follow Brian’s gaze. A petite brunette in jeans, adorable yellow sandals decorated with flowers, and a plain yellow T–shirt stomped up onto the porch. She was cute in a wholesome way.

  “Brian Roger Ames!” the brunette screamed. “What the hell are you doing here? You said you were working. Last time I looked, this wasn’t your shop.” She looked like she was getting ready to take a swing at him.

  Cooper stepped in and tried to calm her down. Too bad, this was just getting interesting. I would’ve enjoyed seeing Brian get beaten up by a girl, and this girl seemed like she had quite the temper. He so deserved that.

  “Hi, I’m Presley Thurman,” I said, holding my hand out to the brunette. I wasn’t sure what Cooper said to the girl, as I had been too busy enjoying the look of horror on Brian’s face, but it seemed to have calmed her down a bit. She still looked mad, but not ready to do bodily harm.

  “Barbara George,” she replied, shaking my hand while staring Brian down at the same time. If he knew what was good for him, he would say something. I just wanted to laugh. Poor guy.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Brian spoke. “Barbara is my girlfriend.” He seemed to have a hard time saying the words. I assumed it wasn’t because he didn’t want to admit Barbara was his girlfriend, but rather, because he had to admit to me he had a girlfriend after the way he had been acting. I was sure he wondered if I was going to bust him or keep my mouth shut. As much as I would have loved to rat him out, I thought keeping my mouth shut and having something to hang over his head might work more to my advantage down the road. Plus, I didn’t want to hurt Barbara’s feelings over what was nothing.

  “We just moved in together,” she said. I raised my eyebrows at this. I was just at Brian’s house the other night. Where had Barbara been? Oh my, that would have been awkward. I glared at Cooper as I saw him suppress a laugh. Barbara looked at us while Brian stood there with a hangdog expression on his face. He knew he was in trouble with both Barbara and me, and that he still wasn’t sure if I was going to keep his actions just between us.

  “I’m sorry, Barbara,” I said. “It’s been a long, stressful day. Brian just came to check on my parents. Someone threw a rock through the window, so we’ve had a bit of drama here.”

  “Oh no! I hope no one got hurt. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “Luckily, no one was home. It was probably just kids.” While I knew that wasn’t true, I saw no reason to tell her what was happening, especially since we weren’t even sure. “It was nice of Brian to come out and check on them.”

  “That’s my Brian. Always concerned for other people,” she said, taking his hand and seeming less angry. Barbara seemed to accept everything I said, which was good for Brian. I couldn’t wait to give him a hard time about it later.

  They left hand in hand, with Brian talking in earnest, no doubt to further try and smooth things over. Once they were out of earshot, I started rolling with laughter. Cooper joined in, while my mother went back in the house with my dad.

  “That was a bit awkward,” I said.

  “Seriously though, King. What happened here tonight?” Cooper asked me.

  “What does it look like? Someone threw a rock through my parents’ window.”

  “There’s more to it than that,” Cooper said, brushing my face with his hand. There was that spark again. Damn that spark. I could tell by the look he gave me he felt it too. I wished we were somewhere a little more private.

  Cooper told me he had a strong suspicion that this incident was not kids playing pranks that it was way too much of a coincidence and unfortunately I completely agreed with him. He said he needed to make some phone calls and get to the bottom of this. Then he stepped closer and whispered, “I hate the thought of you or your family in danger.”

  Cooper suggested we go for a walk, so we went down behind my parents’ house. There were woods and trails that went on for miles. As a child, I’d spent hours running up and down the trails. Even though, I hadn’t been on them in years, they still looked familiar.

  “C’mon,” I said to Cooper, “Follow me.” I went down the path on the right. I knew it ended up at a little creek as it had been one of my favorite spots as a child, and even as a teenager for that matter. Though as a teen, I liked it for different reasons—mainly because my parents never came back here looking for me. This spot held many secrets.

  As we neared the spot, I was excited to see that the rock formation that had always been my hideaway was still there. Time hadn’t changed anything there. I walked around the larger rock to sit on the smaller one that overlooked the creek. It was getting a little chilly as the sun started to go down, but I didn’t feel it. I could only think about Cooper, and that kept me warm enough.

  I sat down on my favorite rock and motioned for him to do the same. His body next to mine radiated heat, and he put his arm casually around me, which radiated a lot more than heat. What was it about him that aroused me so much? I couldn’t remember a time when the mere presence of someone could make me feel this way. Talk about a chemical reaction. I put my head on his shoulder and just sat there lost in thought, enjoying the moment.