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"How did it feel?" he asked, his gaze intent on mine.
"It felt good. It felt like me. Now, tell me how it sounded to you."
"Amazing. Did you write anything down?"
"No," I said, gazing into his beautiful dark eyes. "But that doesn't matter. Thank you, Kade. Thank you for making me try."
The air between us suddenly seemed electric. I became very aware of where we were and the anticipation running through my body. This man had somehow gotten into my head in a way that no one else had.
Kade suddenly cleared his throat and got up. "Goodnight, Brynn. I hope you can get some sleep now."
He was gone before I could say a word.
I stretched out on the bed, my feeling of peace having already evaporated, replaced by other, more complicated emotions. My body was tingling from the heated look we'd just exchanged, and I had a feeling that sleep had just gotten further away.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
I wokeup Saturday morning completely disoriented. It took a moment for me to realize I was sleeping in Kade's bed. But at least I was alone. That was a good thing, I told myself. My life was complicated enough. I didn't need an unexpected attraction to a sexy painter to tie me up in even more knots.
It was very quiet in the apartment. I got out of bed, realizing I'd once again slept in my clothes, although I had managed to kick my shoes off. At some point, I needed to find a real place to stay. I just couldn't seem to take myself away from my mom's house. This was the farthest I'd gone, and it was just downstairs.
I moved to the door and opened it quietly, peeking into the living room. I expected to find Kade asleep. I'd seen the light under the door until late into the night.
But Kade wasn't on the couch or anywhere in sight. I moved into the kitchen and once again found a fresh pot of coffee and a note:Gone to the gallery.Will check in later.
I felt a little too disappointed by his absence. I'd gotten used to him being nearby, sharing every shockwave that hit me, but he had a show to do, and it wasn't fair to keep putting my problems on him. Although, his mother had had an odd relationship with my mom. And if I were being honest, Kade had an odd relationship with her, too. I didn't understand either of those connections—another missing piece in the puzzle that was my mother's life.
It was probably good that Kade was gone. Things had gotten a little heated last night. By forcing me to make some new music, he'd opened up a part of me that hadn't seen the light of day in a while. And the music had unleashed feelings in me that I preferred to keep buried.
That was probably why I'd felt so emotional when he'd come into the room, so on edge when he'd looked at me. I'd felt bare, vulnerable, stripped of my defenses, and somehow, I'd let this stranger in when I was very good at keeping everyone out.
But that was last night, and today was a new day. Nothing had happened between us, mostly because Kade had left the room in a big hurry. Whatever moment we'd had was long over. I needed to go to the hospital to see my mom, check in with my sister, and follow up with the PI, as well as Inspector Greenman. I also still needed to find my father. I wondered if he might show up at the vigil tonight at my mom's school.
The list of things I had to do drove thoughts of Kade out of my head, and I was grateful for that. Unfortunately, they came flying back when I saw a box of freshly baked donuts on the counter.
Damn him. He'd gotten me donuts before he'd left.Why did he have to be so nice?
I lifted the lid on the box, and my mouth watered at the sugary glazed, chocolate, and vanilla donuts. Something for everyone. I grabbed a glazed donut and felt immediately soothed by the warm, sugary pastry.
Kade was an interesting mix of toughness and kindness. I felt continually thrown off by him. Just when I finished forming one opinion, he did something that changed that opinion, made me think of him differently. Dani would tell me I was getting too close too fast, and she wouldn't be wrong. As if on cue, my phone vibrated, and Dani's name flashed across the screen. She must have been reading my mind.
"Hi, Dani," I said.
"I'm still waiting for the picture of you at a hotel."
"I'm at the house, but everything was fine last night."
"I knew you weren't going to leave. Was it really fine? I just got off the phone with Vicky. She told me about your conversation, about the video, about her going to San Francisco. Why didn't you call me?"
"It was late. I was going to call you this morning. Did you watch the video?"
"Yes. It was eerie. I can see why Dad has gone off the deep end. He must be confused, heartbroken, and angry," Dani said. "His wife faked her death and left him with two small children. It's not surprising he'd be overwhelmed and need space."
Dani was eager to make excuses for our father. She'd always given him more breaks than I had, but then they'd had a closer bond. I had felt more connected to my mother than him. "Well, whatever the reason for his absence, we need to find him before the police do."
"Jeremy said he's going to make finding him a priority."
"I thought I was working with Jeremy," I said.
