Page 77 of The Lair

“That sounds amazing, honey,” she says, her voice soft and motherly and everything that is good in the world. “Are they good to you?”

“They’re all really nice to me.” I clear my throat and try not to feel like the most horrible person alive for what I’m about to do. “Jada, there’s… there’s something I need to tell you.”

The mood shifts. As if she were right in front of me, I feel the tension radiating off her body. And when she asks, “What is it?” in that clipped voice I haven’t heard in a very long time, I know I can’t back down.

I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to break the news for days, and because I still have no clue what the best tactic is, I decide to be blunt about it.

“Someone tried to break into my apartment, and I had to move out.”

Silence.

A heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach, but I keep talking.

“I’m okay. They didn’t get in. I know that doesn’t make you feel better, but… yeah. I called the police, and they said they were going to deal with them, whoever they are. Apparently, I was living in a not-so-safe area, so they think someone drank too much or got too high and… you know.”

I decide not to tell her about the car because I don’t want to make her even more worried.

When she says nothing, I check that she’s still on the other side of the line. She is.

“Jada?”

It takes another couple seconds to finally hear her voice. “That’s… that’s a lot to process, Allie. Are you okay? You said you weren’t hurt? Where did you move to? Do you want us to fly out there?”

“You don’t have to come here. I’m fine, really. I was a bit shaken up at the time, but I feel much better now. I’m not hurt at all.”

“Allie…” she starts. “Allie, are you sure you want to stay in Bannport?”

“Yes.” I’m surprised by how quickly my answer comes out. It’s honest too. “I do, Jada. I didn’t expect to, but I feel at home here. I think… I think I’m starting to build a life here, a life I really like.”

“Okay,” she concedes. “If you think that’s the right choice, you know we’ll support you. We just want you to be safe, honey, and what you’ve just told me…” Another pause. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind right now. “You never said where you’ve moved to. I’m assuming you’re still in town.”

“I’ve been apartment hunting for a while, but there’s nothing available within my budget that isn’t a holiday rental,” I start, pacing around in circles again. The sun is about to set, and the air is getting colder, but I barely feel it—my heart is beating way too fast, and my armpits are sweaty. “I stayed at a hotel for a bit, but, um, Travis offered me one of the spare bedrooms at his farmhouse until I could find a place.”

There’s confusion in her voice as she asks, “Travis? I thought he was your boss. Or is he one of your friends?”

“Travis is my boss,” I confirm.

“Is he… I thought he was married?”

The mental picture of Travis having an imaginary wife who is obviously a thousand times hotter, funnier, prettier, and smarter than I am makes me nauseous. But that is a problem for another day.

“He’s single. No kids either.” And then, for some stupid reason, I add, “It isn’t weird or anything. I promise. He’s a great man, and I feel comfortable here. It’s only temporary. He didn’t want me to pay rent, but I insisted.”

“This is a lot to take in,” she repeats, her words followed by a deep sigh. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know you can take care of yourself, but do you promise you’ll tell me if you need help of any kind?”

“I promise.” I hope she can hear the honesty in my voice. “I’m really okay. Better than I’ve been in a while, in fact. I got a promotion at work.”

Because of course I had to throw that in there. I don’t know if I thought that would make her feel better about this whole mess, but at least she sounds interested and not so freaked out when she asks, “A promotion of what kind?”

My chest feels lighter as I say, “I offered to handle the accounts at the bar, and Travis accepted. I’m so pumped about this, Jada. All the online courses I took weren’t for nothing after all.”

“Of course they weren’t for nothing. Even if you’d never used them, they helped your brain stay active, and you did something you enjoyed and are good at. That’s just as important,” she says, turning into the schoolteacher I miss so much. “We’re proud of you, honey. Really proud of you.”

Don’t cry.“I love you guys.”

“And we love you, but I’m still worried. Paul will be, too, when I tell him later.”

I swallow the uncomfortable lump in my throat. “I’m truly okay now. Travis has two massive guard dogs, cameras, and he’s an ex-Navy SEAL. I’ll be fine. I feel safe here.”

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