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She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “I tried. You refused.”
“I’m a stubborn, foolish man.” He shook his head, releasing her. “So where does that leave us?”
It was a good question. In spite of their passionate kiss yesterday, Sienna wasn’t sure she was ready to risk her heart all over again. Eli had cut her off without a backward glance. His abandonment, along with his refusal to hear her out, had left its own invisible scar.
And they were different people. It’d been five years. A lot had changed for them both. Sienna often made decisions quickly, but right now, she couldn’t find the emotional bandwidth to sort out her feelings. “Things are so complicated. I think our focus should be on the case, as you said yesterday. Finding Ruby and catching Albert’s killer are my top priorities.”
He hesitated and then nodded. Eli’s lips curved into a smile. “Friends?”
Relief unknotted the last bit of tension punctuating this conversation. Sienna grinned back. “Friends.”
As they turned to stroll back to the house, there was a lightness in her steps that hadn’t existed for a long time. Until she thought of Ruby.
Where was the young woman?
And would they find her before it was too late?
TWELVE
Amelia Morales, Ruby’s grandmother, lived across town on a quiet street close to the local elementary school. Eli followed the GPS directions while staying vigilant. So far, there was no sign of Sienna’s attacker, but he wouldn’t let down his guard.
In the passenger seat beside him, Sienna seemed lost in her own thoughts. Her brow was furrowed, her curls tamed into a low ponytail that drew attention to the curve of her cheek and the delicate line of her jaw. The scent of her perfume filled the cab. It’d been an hour since their emotional conversation, and Eli’s thoughts hadn’t stopped churning.
How could he have wasted so much time?
Five years. Five long years of anger and hurt over a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up with one vulnerable conversation. Instead, Eli had blocked every attempt Sienna had made to repair their relationship. He’d let his own stubborn pride get in the way.
God, I’ve really screwed things up. Big-time.
Trust was a fragile thing. While Sienna had gone behind his back, her reasons were pure. She’d been trying to protect him. And he’d thanked her for it by breaking her heart. This wasn’t the type of hurt that mended quickly or easily. Sienna had been right to draw a boundary around the attraction arcing between them. Despite how their conversation ended, Eli wasn’t sure their friendship could be salvaged when this was all said and done.
Could he even be just friends with Sienna?
He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She leaned against the seat, eyes closed, long lashes resting on her cheeks. Sunlight caressed the bridge of her nose and highlighted the curve of her lips. Unable to sit still for a moment, her foot tapped in time with the music pouring from the truck’s speakers.
Apples and sunshine. That was what she smelled like. The familiar scent encircled his heart and squeezed tight. Eli tried to imagine seeing her with another man. The very thought left his insides hollowed out. Yeah, no. Friendship had been the basis of their romance, but once love entered the equation, there was no going back.
He tore his gaze away from the beautiful woman sitting next to him and scanned the mirrors for any sign of trouble.
No one was following them.
At the moment.
He tightened his hand on the steering wheel, slowing for a red light in the center of town. Molly’s Ice Cream Shop sat on the corner. A sign on the sidewalk promised the best hot chocolate in the county.
When Dalton was in elementary school, there was nothing he loved more on a winter day than hot chocolate topped with mini-marshmallows. Eli would skimp and save, stealing change from the couch cushions for months, so that when report cards came out, he could buy his little brother a special treat for a job-well-done.
Back then, Dalton had been a straight-A student. Where had everything gone so wrong?
The light changed to green and Eli gently pressed on the gas. He cleared his throat. “Have you heard from Dalton?”
Sienna opened her eyes and blinked, as if his question had interrupted her line of thinking. Probably had. Eli had the sense she’d been using their car ride to mull over questions for Ruby’s grandmother. Which is what he should be doing. But his mind wouldn’t settle on the case at the moment.
“No.” Sienna adjusted her seat belt as she sat up straighter. “After Dalton left rehab, I lost contact with him.” She shot Eli a sympathetic look. “I take it from your question that you haven’t seen or spoken to him either.”
He sighed, his heart heavy with regret. “No. And… I don’t know.”
“You aren’t sure if you should find him.”
