Page 9 of An Unexpected Home

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and nodded. “I’m pretty sure it might be.”

Those were not the words he wanted to hear but he sat back down, prepared to listen.

Chapter 3

Leah wanted to cry or scream or maybe throw something. But she couldn’t really do any of those things with a cop sitting right in front of her.

Instead, she was forced to do something that she did not want to do; tell the story of her dad and uncle. Again. She had felt like this was going to be her fresh start. That here, in Cedarville, she could live life and no one would know her past.

But now she was getting ready to tell a cop.

And sure, he was a hot-ass cop that she’d thought about all day long but a cop, nonetheless.

“Did Carly tell you my last name?” She felt like this was the easiest way to start. If he’d already heard of her, she could skip details.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“The name I am using is Leah Britton but that’s not my real name. My real name is Leah Gibson.” She waited to see if it registered with him. “Does that ring any bells?”

“No,” he said. “Should it?”

She guessed she was going to have to start at the beginning. “Almost two years ago my dad and my uncle were accused of fraudulent activity at their financial firm in New York City.” Not wanting to stop to let him speak, she kept going. “After an investigation, they were both arrested and eventually there was a trial. A trial that lasted months and where I had to testify against both my dad and my uncle.”

Brandon was motionless across from her. It was almost as if he wasn’t breathing.

“Long story short, my mom and I ended up with nothing. I got fired from my job and without money, I wouldn’t be able to keep my apartment for very long. So Carly invited me to stay here with her and Melanie and to help them out with their new studio. I told her it was a bad idea but she refused to listen.”

Again he sat and didn’t say anything.

“Did you hear all that? Don’t you have anything to say?”

His eyes, which had been strong and determined when he questioned her, were now soft and full of emotion. “I’m trying to come up with the right thing to say that won’t make me sound stupid.”

She gave a little laugh. “Most people ask if I knew.” She bit her bottom lip and waited.

“And here I was thinking I was going to sound stupid.” He rubbed the heel of his hand over his left eye. “I’ve known you all of five minutes and I already know that you were blindsided.”

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