Total pages in book: 225
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
As if I’m going to cause any problems when Derek’s mother just died.
It’s about four hours later, and Lan and me are in the family room, curled up in front of the fireplace. The snow is falling and we’re in the midst of a chick flick marathon. She brought four DVDs, nail polish and remover, a deck of cards, and a bunch of junk food with her.
I get a text message, so I reach for my phone with a sinking feeling.
Carson Shields: Hello, Chloe. Mr. Steele is out of surgery and in serious but stable condition.
I read it aloud to Alannah, then reply.
Good news. Thank you for the update.
Alannah and I ponder whether or not Derek will come back tonight. She decides to stay the night and says she doesn’t care if he comes back – she’s in my life and she’s not about to hide from him.
I don’t hear anything else from Carson. And I don’t hear anything at all from Derek.
Alannah has to leave by nine in the morning to go set up for her cousin Claudia’s baby shower. I feel bad because I’d normally go with her, I know and like Claudia and I’m so happy she’s having twins after trying for four years to get pregnant. Alannah tells me she already signed my name to her gift as I hug her goodbye.
“Be safe. Be smart. I love you,” she says softly.
“Same, same, and love you more,” I tell her, hugging her tight.
Not even ten minutes after she goes, my phone rings.
DS Cavalier calling.
I guess it’s time to change his display name.
“Hello?” I answer, feeling shaky.
“Keep the house alarm armed,” Derek says tersely. “Kenny is staying there to keep you safe until I get back.”
“Pardon?”
“He slept in his car last night. He’s switching out with one of his people so he can go home and shower, but then he’s coming back. He’ll stay parked outside until I get there.”
“Why, um… why? You don’t have to think I’m about to cause any problems while you’re dealing with what you’re dealing with, because I-”
He cuts me off. “It wasn’t a car accident. It was a hit and run. They were coming out of a restaurant when they got run down. Don’t know if it was an enemy or if it was random. Keep the alarm on. Stay home. Ken said she left. Is she coming back?”
“She has plans today. How’s your dad?”
The line sounds dead, so I eventually call out, “Hello?”
“Still unconscious,” he answers.
“I’ll say a prayer for him. My mom sends her best for your dad and condolences for your mom.”
There’s more silence on the line for a long minute so I’m not sure if he’s still there.
“Are you there?” I ask.
“Gonna go. Bye.”
He ends the call.
Wow, was he cold with me. It’s not about me, of course, but it still doesn’t feel nice to be on the other end of coldness from Derek. And I have no desire to dissect my emotions on the issue.
My day with Alannah yesterday was somewhat therapeutic, especially with all my alone time lately. She did her best to keep me distracted. Of course she wanted to know how things were with me and Derek when she first got here, but because I was pretty clammed up, she let it go instead of launching into her typical non-surgical information extraction mode. I told her I had no idea if the house was wired for surveillance or not, so she let it go and pampered me by making me cream of cauliflower and broccoli soup and an extra bougie grilled cheese for lunch. She also gave me a manicure and we watched some old favorite chick flick movies and hung out, showing one another stupid memes and videos on our phones.
She ordered pizza at about ten o’clock at night and got Ken to bring it in after giving him two slices.
“He’s kinda hot, isn’t he?” she asked after shutting the door.
“He’s the guy that held me and Adam at gunpoint. He’s been following me around for weeks. Following you at points, too.”
She was offended. “I should go take that pizza off him.”
She didn’t.
She slept in the guest room I’d changed the bedding for yesterday and told me she loved the house, thought it was even better in person than it had been on the real estate website listing from several months ago, and while we didn’t talk much about Derek given the likelihood that the house was wired, she did bring up running into Derek the other day, telling me she thought he planted a white van there, insinuating she could be abducted by it and never to be seen again… but she went on to say it was there again the next day, that when she was leaving at the end of the day, she saw men going in and out for flooring materials. She realized he’d probably used that to his advantage rather than planted it himself.