Page 24 of Still Missing You

“Out of practice.”

I smirk and help myself to a slice. “Just getting old, I think.”

“Sure,” he says around a mouthful. “You’re practically decrepit. Hence, the healthier choice.”

“There’s another water for you, too, since we’re the same age.”

“You’re a whole year older than me.” Dylan grins and takes another bite of his pizza. We both start to eat, neither of us saying much. When we move on to seconds, Dylan breaks the quiet first.

“Do you think Nancy was the one in our room?”

“Since she obviously went through the bag with our drinks? I think it’s likely. I’m not sure if she was just nosy or looking for something specific.”

“About Matthew?”

“Maybe.” I pop the last piece of crust into my mouth, then wipe my hands with a napkin. “Or she could have been looking for something to steal.”

“I know you said not to fixate on Lyle Kirkland, but he has to be the most likely suspect, right?”

“Probably,” I agree. “I’ll run a background check on him in the morning, see what I can find out about him, and maybe track down this old boyfriend. I’m going to run a background check on Peters, too. For someone who doesn’t pry into the personal lives of his employees, he had a lot to say once he got going.”

Dylan wipes his mouth with a napkin and crumples it into a ball before tossing it away. “Do you think he’s dead?”

“I don’t know,” I tell him, honestly. “We shouldn’t assume the worst. There are other possibilities. He could just be hiding from Kirkland or someone else.”

He nods, his features smoothing. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

His face brightens, and I force myself not to react. I know the jealousy swelling in my chest is wrong and not fair to Dylan. What we had was years ago. We’d been kids. Of course, he’d been with other people. I had, too. But sitting here, so close to Dylan again, and knowing he wants someone else makes my throat tight.

“Do you love him?” I shouldn’t ask. I don’t want to hear the answer, but I can’t help myself.

He shoots me a confused frown. “Who?”

“Matthew.” Who else?

“I told you already, we’re not together.”

“You’re going through a lot of trouble for someone you’re not with.”

He sighs and leans back on his hands, eyeing me speculatively. “We’re just friends. That is probably as far as it goes. He works for me, and we’re friendly.”

“You’ve hired an investigator, put your life on hold to check out some middle-of-nowhere town with your ex, making things extra awkward, for someone you’re just friendly with?”

Dylan smirks. “It’s not that awkward.”

I shoot him a pointed look. “If you say so.”

“Seriously, it’s been good being with you again.”

Those eyes, dark blue like the deep end of the ocean, hold my gaze. I can feel myself sinking into his depths, but I drag my gaze away before I drown. Instead, I focus on gathering the napkins, the empty soda can and water bottle, then stand and dump them into the trash can next to the desk. “Do you feel responsible for him? Is that why this is so important to you?”

“I mean, in all the time I knew Matthew, he never mentioned family or friends. If I didn’t look for him, I’m not sure anyone would. I don’t know who I could even call to tell them he’s missing.” He kind of reminds me of myself.

“After I left home, my car broke down, and some creep robbed me and tried to shove me into his trunk.”

My insides ice over at the thought of what could have happened to him. He’d been so fucking young to be out on his own like that. “Holy shit, did you report him?”

“Um, no. I was trying to keep a low profile and actively avoiding the police. Anyway, I was exhausted, freezing and soaking wet from the rain when I shuffled into The Maple Shade. George, the man who ran the place, could have tossed me right back out into the rain, but he didn’t. Instead, he gave me a job and a place to stay, and I guess I was trying to do the same for Matthew. I know what it’s like to have no one.”