Page 14 of Byte

“Enough about me. How was your day?”

He sighed. “Uneventful.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

He shrugged. “Well, I guess that’s not completely true. I did figure out the guy you were seeing was using a fake name. I don’t know what his real name is, but it’s not Chad Higgins.”

“Well, that’s great,” I muttered.

He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I was kind of expecting it.”

“Really? Why?”

“When I initially searched his name, I should’ve found a lot more than I did. It’s nearly impossible to not have some presence online. Think about it. Public records like traffic violations, judicial records, property taxes, and marriage licenses are all available online.”

“Right, but what if he’d never been married, rented instead of owned, and hadn’t been to court for anything?”

“Even if that was the case, I find it hard to believe that a twenty-nine-year-old has never been cited for a traffic violation.”

“Touché,” I admitted.

When we arrived at my house, I waited in the truck while Byte made sure the house was clear. He waved me inside a few moments later, and I went straight for the bathroom. I made quick work of showering and returned to the kitchen, only to realize I had very little to eat in the house.

“Byte,” I gasped. “I’m so sorry. I completely forgot about groceries.”

“Not a problem. I stopped by Irene’s for dinner,” he said and reached into the fridge. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a cheeseburger.”

“You’re the best,” I said and happily took the container of food from him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After reheating the food, I sat down at the table and took a huge bite. “Mmm,” I moaned. “This is delicious.”

“Glad you like it.”

“You mentioned her before. Who’s Irene?” I asked and continued to inhale the cheeseburger.

“She’s a good friend. She owns the diner on Main Street,” he explained.

“Oh,” I said, feeling slightly deflated with his response. Whatever, or whomever, he did in his free time was none of my business. Suddenly, the burger I had been devouring didn’t taste as good as it initially had.

“You’ve obviously never been to the diner,” he mused.

I cocked my head to the side. “What makes you say that?”

“Because if you had, you’d know Irene is in her sixties. She was the first person I met when I moved to Cedar Valley, and she’s been like a mother to me ever since. Well, maybe a crazy aunt is a better way to describe her,” he explained.

He was far more observant than I thought. I felt seen, and I didn’t like it. I had no right to be jealous of anyone in his life. Then I silently laughed at myself. I wasn’t jealous. I was under a lot of stress and tired. It was nothing more than that.

I swallowed the last bite of my burger and smiled. “Please thank her for dinner. It was wonderful. And thank you for thinking of me.”

“Gabby,” he started.

“Byte, I’m beyond tired. I’m going to bed.”

“All right. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night,” I said and headed for the sanctity of my bedroom.

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