When I first woke up and realized she wasn’t with me, I’d called out and searched the apartment. Then I’d called her cell and left a dozen messages on her voicemail. I tried to reason with myself over why she wasn’t there. I even texted her in case something had happened with her grandad, and she couldn’t talk.
And then I started to worry I’d done something to drive her away. Was she hurt from our lovemaking? Had I come on too strong? Pushed her too far?
My last hope was the thought she’d just gone home to change so she wouldn’t have to come to work in that sexy green dress from last night. That would make sense. But then when I got to the office, she wasn’t here either. Her supervisor said she was a no-show.Fuck.
Alice brings me a strong coffee and places a flask of whisky right by it. “Just in case,” she says with an understanding smile.
I drink the coffee, but I don’t drink the whisky. No matter how stressed I am, I never break my no-drinking rule. But I’ve gotta admit, I was tempted. It’s not every day you expect to wake up next to your soulmate and find an empty bed instead.
Picking the flask up, I decide I’m not about to sit around waiting all day. Something has happened, and as a man of action, I need to find out.
“Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day,” I say as I place the flask on her desk. “I need to go out.”
“OK. But if you’re trying to find Ms. Townsend, might I offer a suggestion?”
“Knock yourself out,” I say, hoping that somehow Alice and her all-seeing eyes have some information I don’t. Because I’ll do whatever it takes to find her. And when I do, I’m going to wring her pretty neck for leavingourbed without a word.Christ, what was she thinking?And does she regret it?
“Perhaps you could try using that Find-My-iPhone app, sir? It’s very helpful whenever I’m trying to locate my husband who is terrible with directions.”
“Find My iPhone? OK. Thanks, Alice,” I say, typing it into the search bar on my phone as I turn away and head out.
A minute or two later, I’m in the parking garage of my building, ready to drive to an old folks’ home, which is where the app showed her to be.
“You can’t run from me, cupcake. You promised you were mine,” I mutter, my hands gripping the wheel as I navigate my way out of the city.
By the time I arrive, the phone is on the move, and I find myself following a blue Chevy. I can’t see inside, but something in me tells me it’s her in the big old car. And when she pulls into the driveway of her house, I’m filled with relief.She’s safe.
I pull in to a stop in front of the next house down, watching her get out of the car and make her way back into the house, a bag of groceries in her hands. Something about seeing her doing normal things when it feels like my life is falling apart incenses me. But I try to tell myself there’s a perfectly plausible reason for all of this. After all, I know that what we have together is real. We belong together.
Once she’s inside and I’ve collected my thoughts, I get out of my car and lock up, walking up to her front door and rapping on it sharply, impatiently waiting for her to open it.
When she does, an overwhelming surge of relief hits me, followed almost instantly by concern. She looks terrible, despite her clean clothes and neat hair, her eyes are puffy and red. Her nose looks red too, like she has a cold—or has been crying all night.
Fuck.
What did I do?
“Can I come in?” I ask. And when she simply stands there looking at me, I walk forward, forcing her to move back as I enter her house.
“Where’s Pop?” I ask when I close the door behind me.
“He’s at the old folks’ home. Today’s his weekly card game with his friends.” She stands there with her arms hanging loosely at her sides, her eyes refusing to meet mine.
“And what about you? What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” Her voice is small as she lifts her hands and studies her palms. “I’m just getting the groceries put away and deciding what I’m going to make for dinner.”
“That’s all?”
She lifts her eyes to mine and blinks. “Yes.”
“Jesus, Emmy. I woke up and you were gone. Do you know how worried I was, especially when you didn’t come in to work today? What happened? Are you ill? Did I hurt you?”
She shakes her head and lowers her eyes.
“Emmy.” I take a step closer. But I stop abruptly when she steps back and her hands wrap themselves around her sides, and she looks at the floor between us.
“Drake…”
