Page 53 of Love and Other Lost Things

“Sorry,” Mr. Morgan called.

Jane was sorry, too.

NINETEEN

PRESENT DAY

In the car, Nik stared at Jane’s face, illuminated by the lights of the dashboard and the town glimmering out beyond the overlook. “What happened, Jane?” Nik repeated the question, searching her eyes for answers.

He’d told himself he wasn’t going to do this. That he didn’t care where she’d gone or why she’d left without a word. But somehow, he kept ending up here, leaning in, desperate for answers.

Desperate to take her by the shoulders and kiss her.

Jesus. He leaned back against the car door and balled his hands into fists. What was the matter with him? She’d walked back into this town forty-eight hours ago, and already he barely recognized himself.

Jane gazed back, her lips parted, almost as if his nearness had left her breathless. And then she closed her eyes, shook her head. “I need to get the hell out of here.” And the next thing he knew, she was reaching for her door and yanking it open. She jumped out of the car and disappeared from sight.

“What the hell?” Nik muttered, pulling on his own door handle. The minute he climbed out of the car, the cold wind hit him in the face. Tugging the hood of his coat over his head, he turned to look for Jane. He spotted her maybe a hundred feet away, speed-walking down the gravel road back into town. “Jane!” He took off in her direction.

Nik had been running five miles a day for the past ten years, and it took him less than thirty seconds to catch up with her. He reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m walking.”

“All the way back to town? At this hour and in this weather?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re offering me a ride.” She turned away from him and kept walking.

He matched her pace. “Jane, you’re going to freeze to death. Get in the car.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. Last I checked, you were kidnapping me, so I don’t think you get a say.” She lifted her chin, and he remembered that stubbornness. He was almost tempted to laugh. Instead, he reached out and took her arm again, just as another gust of wind swirled around them. “Jane. Get in the damn car.”

Something dark crossed over her features. “I’m not going back there.”

“Where?” He glanced around. “To the car?”

“Yes. No. I’m not going back to the overlook.” She kept walking.

He felt a stab of anger. “So, we’re back to this again. Was it really such a terrible memory for you?” He took two big steps and swung in front of her so she had to stop walking. “That night with me? Is that why you left?”

She was shivering. Of course she’d gone out into the cold without gloves or a hat. She was from Los Angeles now. Fucking Los Angeles. He reached out to pull her against him, spinning around so his body shielded her from the wind.

“No, it’s not a terrible memory, Nik. It’s the opposite of a terrible memory.”

“Then—what the hell, Jane? I just want to know why.”

She shoved a forearm against his chest and looked up in his eyes. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the haunted look there.

“One of my dad’s deputies was here that night,” Jane said, in a low voice.

“What?” Nik blinked down at her. “Here?”

“Here at the overlook.”

His surprise had him loosening his grip on her, but she didn’t back away.

“That night that we…” He trailed off.

“Yeah, that night we…” Jane’s gaze dropped to the zipper on his coat. “I’m sure you remember.”

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