Page 119 of The Affair
I swallowed, my nerves beginning to get the best of me. “Have you, um, heard from him at all?”
Yes, I’d admit it. I was fishing for information. It wasn’t my finest moment, but I wanted to know what I was walking into.
Was he mad? Did I need to grovel?
Should I prepare for the worst?
“Um, nope,” she answered. “Not at all.”
Well, crap.
“I guess with the store closed, you wouldn’t really see much of him around town.”
“Right,” she agreed. “Plus, I’ve been busy. Like, really super busy.”
Her words made sense, but the way she’d said them sounded odd. Maybe I was just being paranoid. “Okay then. Well, I will see you in a bit.”
“Any idea when? I’d love to drop by tonight and catch up.”
“Maybe in a few hours, if traffic behaves. I’m hoping to be home for dinner.”
“Perfect,” she simply stated before adding, “See you then!”
We said our good-byes after that, and I focused on the road ahead. I also made a plan. There was nothing better than a good plan.
Thankfully, the traffic gods blessed me with a fairly uneventful ride, and just as the sun was beginning to set, I passed the town limits.
It felt like forever since I’d driven down Main Street.
In actuality, it had only been three weeks, but it felt like an eternity.
So much had changed.
I’d fled my home in search of answers.
I’d run into the arms of my mother, seeking guidance, and although she hadn’t given me the answers I’d hoped for, she’d told me exactly what I needed to hear.
Believing in love really didn’t make it real.
Hoping, dreaming, and fantasizing about a happy life were the ideals of a child.
A real woman made it so.
As I drove toward home, having to go through most of town to do so, I passed by Timeless Treasures. I hadn’t planned on stopping. My to-do list consisted of making a brief stop home before chasing down my man.
But doing a double take, I saw the lights were on in the store.
“What the hell?” I murmured, pulling off the road to park in front.
Surely I hadn’t left those on for three weeks. That would be one epic electricity bill.
Stepping out of the car, I noticed the sign I’d had Candace place on the door was missing.
It was also unlocked.
Feeling all sorts of nervous, I entered, taking a look around for intruders.
“Hello?” I shouted. “If you’re here to rob me, you might want to reconsider and go for the bank down the street. I hear they leave the vault open on the weekends.”
