“I suppose my feelings could be a trauma response. Clinging to the dopamine and forgetting the chaos. Maybe I’ve gotten caught in a fantasy that’s too good to be true and I’m using Cody to avoid reality.”
The door swung open, and Cody stood in the hallway. He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze fixed at the floor. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to disturb you. Ollie needs to use the restroom, and I figured it’d be better for you to help him.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll be right there.”
Cody kept his head down and walked away.
“Shit,” she whispered.
“What is it?” Elsie asked.
“I think Cody overheard that last part. He came into his room to let me know Ollie needs me and when he left, he looked like a broken-hearted little puppy dog.”
“You’re in his bed?” Elsie screeched. “You conveniently left that part out of the conversation.”
Katherine cringed. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for checking in. I’m fine, Ollie’s fine, and now I need to smooth over whatever mess I might have made.” She disconnected before Elsie could get in another word.
Jumping from the bed, she found her robe and wrapped herself in the soft terrycloth. She dashed out to the hallway.
Ollie sat in his wheelchair, his body jostling up and down. “I really got to go.”
She looked for Cody, but he was nowhere in sight. She’d deal with him later, first she had to see to Ollie.
Once her son was taken care of, she hurried to the living room with Ollie. “Where’s Cody?”
Ollie shrugged. “I don’t know, but can I watch cartoons with Bailey?”
“Sure, honey.” She fiddled with the remote until she found something she approved of then went in search of Cody.
He sat at his desk in the office, the computer open and his focus fixed squarely on the screen. He didn’t so much as glance up when she stepped inside.
“Good morning. Thanks for letting me sleep in. I haven’t done that in years.”
A tight smile stretched across his mouth. “No problem.”
She clasped her hands in front of her. Dang it. Last night had been so special and now she’d gone and accidently put her foot in her mouth. “Was Ollie a handful?”
“Not at all.”
Awkward silence lingered between them and she’d do anything erase it. “Are you working?”
“Yeah.”
“Same stuff you were researching with my dad?” She scraped her thumbnail against her skin, hating the tension covering the room like a wool blanket.
Sighing, Cody finally glanced up. “I pulled more data. We focused our search on Cooper County and got nowhere. I’m expanding the radius. We know someone is angry with law enforcement and for some reason thinks of you or someone close to you as a snitch. My gut says I’m on the right track. I just need to focus and stay on task.”
“Oh, okay. I won’t disturb you then.” She turned to walk out of the room.
“Katherine, wait.”
She stilled, agony pressing down on her lungs. She faced the door, not wanting him to see the hurt she knew would be so clearly written on her face.
“If you aren’t sure about what you feel for me, I’d appreciate if you tell me first. Honesty is the most important thing.”
She spun around. “It’s not that I’m not sure, it’s just that so much has happened in so little time. I’m afraid that when the danger is over, this thing between us will die with it.”
His stone-faced stare didn’t bely a single emotion. “Then maybe we should take a step back before someone gets even more hurt. Once you’re safe, you can figure out what exactly it is you want.”
