Page 35

"Okay. Good."

He didn't think it was good, but it was what it was. "You can go home now, Rachel. Thank you for watching out for me and for making me a great dinner that I won't soon forget. But I'm fine."

"What do you want to do about your car?" she asked.

"I'll get a ride over there tomorrow." He stood up. "And now I'll show you out."

"I need to put things away, clean up. You don't want to do that."

"I'm happy to do that."

She frowned. "You can be really annoying, Tyler."

He smiled. "Right back at you. I'll walk you downstairs."

"It's not necessary."

"Yes, it is."

"Fine," she agreed as she grabbed her bag. "I wasn't too thrilled about going down to your garage alone, although I'm sure this building is more secure than Jack's."

"It's very secure. Let me just put my shoes on."

He was only gone five minutes, but when he came back, she'd cleared the table, put the leftovers in the fridge, and piled dishes in the sink. "You're too much," he said.

"I really wish you'd let me finish up here."

"I've got it. Come on."

As they headed down to the garage, she said, "What time do you want to meet tomorrow?"

"I'll pick you up around three."

She gave him a warning look. "You better show up. If you're telling me one thing just to shut me up and then you're going to do another⁠—"

"I will show up," he said. "And if I tell you I'm going to do something, you can trust that I'm going to do it."

Chapter Ten

Despite Tyler's promise the night before, Rachel was relieved when he showed up at her building just before three o'clock on Sunday afternoon. Even though it might be incredibly awkward to see Evan again, if he had information on Jack, she needed to hear it.

Tyler seemed to be feeling good. His face had more color, and his eyes were brighter and no longer filled with pain or fatigue. Seeing him in casual jeans and a polo shirt made her remember the guy she'd first found pretty damn irresistible.

The night they'd met, she'd had the crazy feeling that he was going to be important to her. The attraction between them had been palpable, but it wasn't just physical; she'd liked talking to him, too. And when he'd kissed her, she'd felt like she'd never been kissed like that before, and she had been eager to see him again.

He'd told her he hadn't known who she was that first night, but he'd had no excuse for romancing her the second night. And his actions had hurt, because she'd already started to fall for him. She'd inwardly raged about him for a long time, but along with that rage had also been heartache, something she didn't like to admit, even to herself. Because how stupid had she been to fall for someone she didn't even know?

That was all in the past, she reminded herself, even though she'd been feeling a tingle ever since Tyler had picked her up today. But this trip wasn't a date. They were going to visit a man who probably hated her, to discuss a man who'd told her to her face he didn't trust her. Maybe she was a fool to stay involved in all this. It wasn't like any of them liked her. But she couldn't stop now.

"You're quiet. Second thoughts?" Tyler asked.

"No. I was just thinking."

"About…"

She couldn't tell him she was thinking about him, so she opened her bag and pulled out the report she'd brought to share with him. Focusing on Jack would get her mind off Tyler. "I was thinking about the information I got today."

"What's that?" he asked, tipping his head toward the paper in her hand.