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I followed her wordlessly through the apartment. She shrugged off her coat and laid it over a kitchen chair. Her overalls had a dirt streak down the leg.Notone caused by a dog paw. Her hair was a mess with strands of it loose from what was left of her ponytail.
She looked the same if not a little worse for the wear. But she looked different. All the things I adored about her were in place, yet I felt the invisible barrier between us.
“They can be . . . a lot,” I said when we reached her room.
She sat on the edge of the bed and tugged off her boots. They landed with a thud a few feet away. Sadie jumped up and made herself at home on the pillows. Her watchful gaze was glued to Pepper.
Ash stayed beside me, and Muffy stood next to the bed close to Pepper.
“You all shouldn’t have worried. I’m fine,” she brushed off, back to looking anywhere but at me.
“Miss Adeline called me. I’ve never heard her like that.”
Pepper swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean to scare her.” She lifted her gaze to mine. “You were right.”
Bitterness laced her words.
“About what?” I didn’t give a damn about being right or wrong as long as she was here and safe.
“Walking the dogs late at night. It’s dangerous.” Her tone was robotic.
My stomach knotted. “Tell me what happened,” I whispered.Where have you been? Did someone take you? How did you get here?These were the questions I was yelling on the inside. She didn’t look harmed physically. A little dirty, but no bruises or cuts. But she’d been gone all night. She’d looked frightened. And yet didn’t want the police involved. Why?Somethinghad happened.
“What would you choose? In a perfect world.”
I blinked at her, confused by the question. “I don’t—”
“If you could pick any life, what would yours look like?”
I stared, completely caught off guard by the question. She waited expectantly, tugging on the straps of her overalls.
The truth was—I liked my life. Yeah, I’d love it if my mom were here and if I had a better relationship with my father. And I wished Beau lived closer . . . preferably the same continent. But I loved my job—my old job.
In all the chaos, I’d temporarily forgotten I’d been fired.
What did I have left besides my brother and sister . . . and Pepper?
Because it was starting to get difficult picturing my life without her. When I got that call from Miss Adeline, I’d never felt panic like that. While we waited, I’d never been more helpless.
I leaned on the dresser. Ash sat on my feet.
“I’m not sure. Other than a few things, I’m happy.” I sounded uncertain, like I needed more time to think things through.
“Iamsure.” She reached for Sadie with one hand and Muffy with the other. “I have the life I want.”
“Pepper . . .” What she said made no sense. I understood the words and what they meant, just not how they fit into the context of the moment.
“I have a decision to make. And I’d like to sleep on it. Unfortunately, this one”—she pointed at Sadie—“is going to start barking in oh, about half an hour.”
And then I saw it. How tired and weary she was.
I was sick of the distance between us.
I pulled her into my arms. She dropped her forehead to my chest and didn’t resist me.
For the first time in hours, I took a full breath.
“Don’t worry about the dogs. You rest.”
