Page 63 of Cornered

“It wasn’t.”

“Jaime died. Chef Albert came down from his high, realized what he’d done, and let us all go. Before the police could get to him, he died by suicide. He left a short note. Said he couldn’t live with himself for killing Jaime.”

He held her and murmured, “It wasn’t your fault” and “You aren’t responsible for other people’s bad choices” and “You can’t carry this on your shoulders,” and he prayed for wisdom when none of his words felt like the right ones.

NINE

CASSIE HAD NO IDEAhow long she sat on the ground, snuggled into Donovan’s arms, crying like she hadn’t cried since she’d moved home. When she sat up, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

When she thought she could speak without falling apart, she said, “You asked me why I didn’t speak up about what happened here. Now you know. I’d rather deal with bullying and intimidation and stress and drama a million times than be responsible for anyone’s death. I know what I can handle. And I can’t handle that. Not again.”

She stared into the blue Carolina sky and took a deep breath. “There has to be a balance, but I haven’t found it yet. I have to be able to stand up for myself. And I can see how, in this case, I should have spoken up sooner. But it’s going to take me a while to figure out where my personal boundary lines are.”

Donovan tilted his head and gave her a nod that said he understood. “I have faith in you. You’ll figure out what you need. And you’ll be okay. And I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing this piece of yourself with me. It hurtsto know it, but I don’t think I ever could have truly known you without it.”

“I’m afraid knowing me isn’t all that big of a prize.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree there.”

“There’s still more we need to discuss. I have questions.”

“I’d be happy to answer them.”

Donovan got to his feet, then extended a hand to her and she gladly took it. Her rear end was cold and stiff from sitting on the ground, but her heart felt lighter. She still needed to talk to Donovan about their relationship and why he’d ended it. But for now, she had to get back to her kitchen.

CASSIE RETURNEDto her car at ten o’clock. The security guard patrolling the parking area gave her a small salute.

She wanted to believe that increased security would make a difference. But she couldn’t shake the suspicion that the destruction of the kitchen had been an inside job. Either someone had figured out how to avoid the security at The Haven or someone who understood the security at The Haven had helped. She had no idea which was more problematic.

She slid into the driver’s seat and rested her head on the steering wheel. She’d had days where she’d put in more hours, but she wasn’t sure if she’d ever put in a longer day. Every part of her hurt. Her head, her heart, her body.

She started the engine and put her high beams on, then began making her way through the winding roads that sang to a place in her soul that had been parched and miserable in big cities.

She came around a curve and slammed on the brakes, barely avoiding the deer lying in the middle of the road.

The Jeep shuddered to a stop and adrenaline coursed through her system as her heart slowly returned to a normalrhythm. She slid her foot from the brake and gently pressed the accelerator, taking her time as she was forced to move into the opposite lane to skirt around the carcass. She used voice commands to call Donovan.

“Cassie? Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry to bother you with this, but there’s a deer in the middle of the road. Two miles toward town past The Haven gates.”

“Did you hit it?”

“No, but I almost ran over it. It probably would have bashed up my Jeep.”

“Where are you now?”

“On my way home.”

“But in relation to the deer?”

“Oh, half a mile?”

“Are you going straight home?”

“That was the plan.”

“Okay. I know we have more we need to discuss, but I’ve been thinking, Cass. I think we should talk tomorrow. Or maybe Monday.”

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