“We take it slow,” I murmur under my breath, but my mom hears me. Like saying it out loud will lock it into place. “We keep things simple. No rushing, no assumptions.”
"That’s the only way this works." My mom's says with her words of advice.
For her.
"And for you."
I dry my hands and glance toward the hallway where Hadley disappeared, then back toward the window over the sink, the late afternoon light stretching long across the yard outside, everything calm, quiet, exactly the way I need it to be right now. My mom beside me like she is holding me up.
Something catches my attention, just at the edge of my vision, and I pause, my gaze shifting slightly to focus.
A truck.
Parked across the street.
It’s not close enough to be obvious, not pulled right up to the house, but far enough that it shouldn’t be sitting there without a reason, angled just enough that I can’t make out the driver clearly through the windshield.
My breath stills for a second, every instinct I have sharpening all at once.
Maybe it’s nothing.
Small town.
People stop.
People wait.
But something about it doesn’t feel right.
The way it’s been sitting there.
The way it hasn’t moved since I noticed it.
The way I can’t quite shake the feeling that it was already there when we pulled in.
I straighten slowly, my hand bracing lightly against the counter as I keep my gaze on it, trying to decide if I’m overreacting or if this is something I need to pay attention to.
Mom looks out the window. "I don't recognize that truck, it's probably nothing."
I drift away from thinking about it. My thoughts take over again.
Yesterday was supposed to be about one thing.
Introducing Hadley to her father.
But as I stand there watching that truck, something cold settles low in my stomach, a quiet warning I don’t ignore.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned…
It’s that nothing ever stays simple for long.
And whatever this is…
It’s not random.
Chapter five
Breaking Ground Anyway
