Page 12 of Under Your Care

“I thought you might have already heard since you guys were so close.” I gritted my teeth. “Paulette just called your dad and I.” My mom’s relationship with her sister wasn’t strained per se, but they didn’t speak much.

“Okay, well, what did she say?” I asked, wishing she’d just get on with it so I could go nurse the hangover that was starting to show itself.

“They found his trailer torched. Paulette said that the police think it had been like that for a few days before someone saw and called it in. They haven’t been able to find him. I just know that you two had such a bond when you were younger, so I thought that he might have said something to you about going somewhere or something?”

Missing?I didn’t know how to feel.

“No, we weren’t and aren’t that close. I don’t keep in touch with him. Sorry, Mom, I just woke up so I’m a bit blindsided,” I said, rubbing my temples. “Did Aunt Paulie say anything else? I just don’t get how he could be missing. Was his car gone?”

“No, it was still there. It’s just crazy,” my mom bristled. I really couldn’t have this conversation before breakfast and coffee.

Trying to sound worried about the news, I said, “Well, tell me if they hear anything else. If he reaches out to me, I’ll let you and Aunt Paulie know right away, okay?”

“Alright, honey, thank you. Gosh, I just can’t imagine how scared Paulette and Mark are! Just awful,” she tutted. “Okay, I guess I’ll let you get back to your morning, dear.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon, Mom,” I sighed, hanging up the phone. I walked back out to the couch, finding Oliver awake and playing a game on hisphone.

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” I asked, plopping down beside him.

He shook his head and said, “No– Chloe,” he nodded over to my cat sitting on the TV stand. “She bit my hand and then ran over there.”

I laughed, watching as Chloe elegantly licked her paw. She made eye contact with me and immediately started meowing and jumping down to the floor. She sauntered over to the kitchen where her empty food bowl was.

I walked over to get her breakfast taken care of as I addressed Oliver, “She was just hungry and probably mad that I was awake, but not feeding her. You were the closest target.”

He grunted, “Of course. So, what was the phone call about? It’s literally eight in the morning.”

Groaning, I replied, “It was my mom. She wanted to tell me that one of my cousins is missing.”

That got his attention.

“Your cousin goes missing as you’re being stalked?” He narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t that suspicious?”

I shrugged, pouring out two bowls of cereal. “I mean, not really. He lives like 12 hours from here. I highly doubt my stalker traveled all that way to burn his trailer. Maybe he upset an ex or something? Or maybe he killed himself and burnt his stuff before doing it.”

“Sounds like you’re super worried for your cousin’s wellbeing,” Oliver said sarcastically.

“Super concerned,” I droned, gesturing for him to come to the kitchen table. “Do you need to get to the shop soon?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll just eat this and go. I have someone coming by before lunch to drop off a china cabinet.”

“Ah, yes, very exciting stuff.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, it is very exciting.”

“Well, I have therapy today and I think that beats a china cabinet,” Igloated.

But Oliver didn’t seem amused. He swirled his spoon around in the cereal milk for a few seconds before replying. “About that… Don’t you think your therapist acted weird when we saw him at the cafe? He was looking at you weirdly.”

I raised my brows. “What do you mean? I mean his brothers were pretty fucking weird, but Dr. Cohen acted how he normally acts with me.”

“Lane… Have any of your prior therapists acted like him?” He questioned, looking uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Well, no, but–”

Oliver cut me off. “There’s nobut, Lane…” He reasoned, “I just feel like he actsoff. Like for one, he totally isn’t supposed to be randomly telling people he’s your therapist. And two, he was looking at you like he was interested in you– and not as a client.”

“I guess. It’s just his personality and treatment style. He’s very laid back to create a comfortable environment. There’s no way he’d ever be into me though,” I said.

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