“No.You can’t be.”
“I am.I can’t think about anything but being with her.I’m losing my fucking mind.My cover’s broken, and I don’t care.The only thing I’m worried about is how to win her back.I just got choked up saying goodbye to her kid!”
Kyle fell silent for a moment.“Have you told her how you feel?”
“No.”
“Okay.That’s good.”
“There’s nothing good about this!”
“Calm down, bro.It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a man like any other.You fall for the wrong woman, and it messes you up.”
“She’s not the wrong woman.”
“Well, it’s definitely the wrong time.”
“What should I do?”
“You really want my advice, after the way I’ve handled my relationships?”Kyle didn’t wait for a response.“Don’t do anything I would do.”
“She won’t even talk to me.”
“Of course not.You just broke up with her.”
“It was the other way around, actually.”
“She broke up with you?Even better.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I do understand,” Kyle said carefully.“You’re not thinking clearly, so I’m going to talk real slow.You can’t win her back right now.You have to keep your distance.You have to prioritize your own safety, and hers.”
Paul took a deep breath and accepted that his brother had his best interests in mind.They brainstormed about alternate locations for a hideout.It wasn’t easy to come to a consensus on this topic.Paul agreed to spend one more night in the cabin, though he had his outdoor gear packed and ready.Kyle promised to call back tomorrow with a few options.He didn’t want Paul to go AWOL in the desert.
After he hung up, Paul felt better.He wasn’t optimistic about his chances with Vanessa, but he couldn’t dwell on it.First, he had to survive.As he drew his keys from his pocket, he spotted a flash of yellow in the tree Emily had climbed.
Paul got out of his truck and approached the oak.Penelope had been placed in the knothole like a princess in need of rescue.Paul retrieved the doll from the hiding space and glanced around the parking lot.Twilight had fallen.Knowing Emily, she would be distraught by the doll’s “disappearance” and insist on a search party.He returned to his vehicle and tossed the doll on the passenger seat.The least he could do was save Vanessa the headache of another imaginary kidnapping.
“Nothing but trouble,” he muttered, not sure if he meant Penelope, Vanessa, or Emily.Perhaps all three.Females, in general.
He left the hospital parking lot and returned to the Nava residence.Paul parked on the street and approached the front door with caution.A porchlight illuminated the space.Vanessa’s car was in the driveway, next to Jackson’s truck.Paul lengthened his stride.He wasn’t here to cause a disturbance or plead his case.He’d leave the doll and go.
He bent to place Penelope on the welcome mat, his body thrumming with awareness.The lights were dim inside, the interior quiet.As he straightened, he heard the creak of a gate on the side of the house.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Paul turned toward Vanessa with his palms raised.She was barefoot, her ponytail askew.She wore the same outfit he’d admired earlier, the lavender shorts set.One strap of the top hung off her slender shoulder.Her eye makeup was smudged as if she’d been crying.
She’d never looked more beautiful.
Paul pointed to Penelope, and the front door opened.Jackson stuck his head out to investigate the noise.
“You okay?”Jackson asked.
