Page 55 of I'll Carry You

“Whatever. He tells you he wants to get in your pants. Then he hangs out with you and your toddler, watches your kid while you work, and takes you out for a ridiculously expensive dinner.”

“That room he rented at the resort was seriously nice, too.”

Travis shook his head. “Exactly.” He frowned. “Jen, I hate to break it to you, but this guy’s words don’t match his actions. Which is fine in the sense that he’s clearly into you. Not so fine in the sense that he’s more than likely hiding something. Not to mention, his life is in Chicago. Nowhere near Brandywood. He could be married.”

“No, he told me he’s divorced.” She stared at Travis, then rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was for Travis to get as overprotective and paranoid as her brothers. “What are you talking about? What on earth would he have to hide?”

“I don’t know. You don’t know. That’s sort of the point, isn’t it? You know next to nothing about this guy. He told you he’s a CFO, but what company? He went to UPenn, but when? You have no way of verifying anything about his identity.”

Determined to prove him wrong, she pulled out her phone. She typed his name, followed by “CFO” and “Chicago” into the search engine.

Nothing came up.

The refrigerator seemed to buzz more noisily.

Travis came and stood beside her, his arms still crossed. She moved her back toward him, feeling defensive. “His company might not be based in Chicago.”

“Except that he told you he worked there, right?”

He’d told Colby he took the train into work every day. Which meant an office. A sinking feeling went through her. “Maybe they’re not online.”

“Maybe they’re not a real company. Any company big enough to have a CFO is online, Jen. This isn’t the 1900s.”

She typed in “Jason Sutter” then “UPenn.”

Still nothing.

She closed the browser and put her phone away. She looked toward Colby and lowered her voice to a whisper, “This is stupid.”

“Is it, though?” Travis gave her a wary look.

“Not everyone is online. Just look at Kevin.”

Travis set his hands on her shoulders. “That’s the last person you should use as a yardstick of upstanding behavior.” Travis squeezed her shoulders. “You’re going to hate me, but I think you should ask Dan to look into him.”

“No way in hell.” Jen emphasized every word. She shot Travis a betrayed look, then left the kitchen. “Come on, Colbs. We have to get going.”

“I’ll drive you back.” Travis reached for his keys.

“I’m good, thanks.” Jen pulled her coat on. “I can call a ride and get my car seat from your car.” She’d left him with it last night in case of emergencies.

“I’m driving you. You don’t need to waste your money on a ride.” Travis’s voice was flat. He shut off the TV, then helped Colby into his coat. “I’m not trying to make you mad, Jen. I just want to make sure you’re not—”

“I know.” She put her hand on Colby’s shoulder and jutted her chin. “Everyone thinks I can’t handle anything. And that I make terrible judgment calls. But just let me be happy for like ten minutes, okay?”

Travis opened his mouth to argue, then snapped it closed. He nodded.

The drive back with him was tense, and she felt like a brat as she waved goodbye to him. He was the only reason she’d been able to go out with Jason last night. She should be grateful. But his words had also rattled her.

Rather than go inside, she re-installed the car seat into her own car and then plopped Colby in it. She needed to go get boxes for packing. Maybe if she listed her furniture for sale, she’d scrape together enough money to pay for some of her rent.

She didn’t want to even think about the fact that Christmas was coming up.

Getting in the driver’s seat, she checked her phone again. Still nothing from Jason.

She closed her eyes, releasing a slow breath. “Come on, Jason, please.” Her voice was a breathless whisper.

Starting the engine, she pulled forward and out of the apartment complex. She watched Colby in the back, staring out the window, his feet swinging gently in his car seat.

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