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“Really. It’d be good to have you around.”
Her smile is genuine. “Wow. Thanks.”
When she disappears into the house, I pace over to my Land Cruiser. The hope that stirred in my chest now feels like a growing fire. I stare out across the treetops for a minute, thinking. Puffy white clouds drift across the sky. The round tower is a pale gray in this mid-morning sunlight. The day started off cold, with a real bite in the air, but it’s warming up fast.
I was quick to accept Briand Campbell’s accusation of Gwen. Too quick.
Why?
It was almost like he was giving me an excuse to get out of what was happening with her. Maybe my fear of love was at the root of it all.
I saw my parents’ divorce.
I saw their arguments, their tears.
I saw what happened to Mia and me the minute we tied the knot. We fell apart.
Brian gave me an excuse to give up on Gwen. I was falling in love with her, and the minute I was given an excuse to bail, I did.
I bailed. I ran. I hid.
I haven’t even tried to contact her. That’s another thing—my willingness to fire her without looking her in the eye and explaining myself.
If I really, really believed—in the depths of my soul and in my heart—that she was behind the theft, I’d make that accusation straight to her, nothing held back.
And yet, I didn’t.
I snatched up my lawyer’s advice and took the coward’s way out. I had Elizabeth Rixon fire her…
I took this whole thing about spying and theft, and I ran with it. I was so relieved to have a reason to walk away from Gwen.
But I’m not a coward.
My feelings for her are so deep, they terrify me. Maybe that’s exactly how I know they’re real.
I love Gwen.
I have to talk to her.
Kate is right—there has to be more to the story. I have to hear Gwen’s side of things.
I dial her cell, but it goes to voicemail. So, I start up my car. I’ll go to her house. I have to find her. I have to talk to her.
Watching my sister and Sawyer was a very powerful reminder of what’s important. I lost sight of that because of my fear. I let legalities get in the way. Now I know: what’s important to me right now is finding Gwen.
I speed to her house, but it’s empty. When I try calling her again, it goes straight to voicemail. Is she out of cell range? Is her phone battery dead? Or… is she ignoring me?
Next, I try the dog park on the east side of town. She doesn’t have a dog, but I know she loves the trails and the pond.
She’s not there, either. I park in the dirt lot and wrack my brain for my next move.
When my cell rings, my heart leaps up into my throat. Is it her?
The console tells me it’s Jordan. I answer on Bluetooth. “Yo. What’s up?”
“Hey, I just stopped by your place. Kate says you left to get together with Gwen?”
“Trying. If I can find her.”
