Page 141 of The Ruse

“Did you ever leave the cabin?” Asher asked.

“Not until we drove to Alaska,” Bailee said. “So it felt a lot like I was in jail. Or that I’d just been stranded on a desert island—you know, an island that looked like the forest.”

“That would be quite the change,” Asher said. “Going from constantly surrounded by people at school to never seeing anyone.”

Bailee nodded. “There were actually a couple times when a truck or car would drive by and I’d think about chasing it down just because I was going so crazy from being alone all the time. I mean, Elijah would come visit me on the weekends and bring me books and movies that I could watch. But that was it.”

“Did you have any idea what was going on in Eden Falls?” I asked, curious how much she’d known.

“Not until we moved to Alaska and I had the internet and TV again,” Bailee said. “Elijah told me a little. He said that people were worried and looking around for clues of what might have happened. But I didn’t know that they were blaming you for anything.” She looked at Asher.

“You didn’t?” he asked, sounding as skeptical as I was.

Bailee shook her head. “I asked Elijah how everything was and he said you were fine.” She shrugged. “I guess maybe he didn’t want me to worry and feel guilty enough that I’d ruin the plan.” She sighed. “Anyway, I didn’t see anything until the end of June, and by that time, the police had stopped investigating you so I figured it was fine.”

“It only became fine because I left Eden Falls,” Asher said, his jaw flexing and un-flexing, probably upset that she’d just let people believe whatever they wanted about him. “But it didn’t go away. In fact, when I came back to school last month, I still had people looking at me like I was going to chop them up.”

Bailee flinched. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how bad it was. I honestly thought everyone would know you well enough to know that you couldn’t have hurt me.”

“That would have been nice…” Asher said.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I know I don’t deserve to be forgiven for what I did, but I really am sorry, Asher.” She blinked a few times and wiped at her eyes. “You were my best friend, and I was so selfish and only thinking about myself and Elijah and our baby.” She wiped at her eye again. “So if you hate me now, I really don’t blame you. I kind of hate myself for doing that to you.”

“I don’t hate you,” Asher said, his voice sounding froggy, like he was getting choked up. “Am I frustrated about what happened? Yeah.” He wiped at his eyes, as if fighting back tears, too. “But I don’t hate you.”

And gah, the way they were both getting emotional was making me feel emotional. Because I was starting to get it now. I’d sensed it a little when Asher had told me about Bailee, but even though they had been apart for so long and were frustrated with each other, I could still feel the bond between these two. It was a palpable thing.

Though I only sensed friendship between them now, they had been thick as thieves—they still clearly had a bond that didn’t come around every day.

It was kind of like how I felt about Ava.

The room was silent for a moment, as we all seemed to need time to gather our thoughts. But then Asher asked, “So is Professor Hicks still in the picture? I didn’t see him with your family when the story broke this afternoon. Is he in New York?”

Bailee shook her head, her eyes filling with tears again. “He’s with the FBI right now.” She inhaled deeply, and her chin trembled like she was trying very hard not to completely lose it. “Sorry.” She blinked her eyes a few times before giving us a watery smile. “It’s just kind of a disaster right now. I, um, I’m trying to talk my parents out of pressing charges, but…” She drew in a shaky breath. “But I don’t know what’s going to happen with him or with us.”

“I’m sure it’s confusing,” Asher said.

She nodded. “Like, I love him still and he’s such a good dad, but I don’t know. It’s just…” She drifted off. “It’s just been stressful and hard, and I guess we just made a really big mess for ourselves.”

That they did.

Asher asked Bailee a few more questions, but then the sound of a baby crying came from one of the rooms down the hall.

“Sounds like Emmy has had enough grandpa-and-grandma-bonding time,” Bailee said. “I should probably get her to bed.”

“So you had a girl?” Asher asked. “Emmy?”

“Short for Emmelyn.” Bailee nodded. “She’s two months old.” She bit her lip and looked down the hall before turning back to us and asking, “Do you want to meet her?”

Asher looked at me, like he wasn’t sure what to say. But then he shrugged and said, “Sure.”

Bailee headed in the direction of where the tiny human cry was coming from, and a minute later, she was back with the cutest little pink bundle in her arms.

“Here she is,” she said, gently bouncing the baby as she cradled her in her arms. “Emmy, meet Asher and Elyse.”

Asher and I both stepped closer. And I couldn’t help but smile because she was literally the cutest baby I had ever seen. She had lots of dark hair with the biggest green eyes.

“She’s beautiful,” I said, looking at her tiny body dressed in a pink sleeper with cartoon foxes printed on it.

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