Missing Persons. Shirlee McCoy
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ever truly loved. The man who’d shown her just how fickle love could be.
“You’re quiet.” Seth’s voice was soft silk and dark chocolate. The kind of decadence that could get a woman into trouble if she let it.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
You. “Jake. He reminds me a little of myself when I was his age.”
“It’s funny you should say that. I’ve often thought that he could be…” He shrugged. “He reminds me of you, too. A little shy. A little cautious.”
“A little boring?”
“You were never boring.”
But she hadn’t been interesting enough to keep his attention. “I’m sure Jake isn’t, either. Does he play sports?”
“Just baseball. His size has been an issue. He’s a lot smaller than other boys his age.”
“But he has other activities he enjoys?”
“Music. Video games. Playing with his friends. Normal ten-year-old stuff.”
They were on safer conversational ground, and Lauren planned to stay there. “He seems like a good kid.”
“He is. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of how blessed I am to have him.”
A child was a blessing. One that Lauren had longed for when she’d been dreaming of marriage. Nowadays, she tried not to think about what her life was missing, concentrating instead on what she had.
“You really are blessed, Seth.” Her throat was tight around the words, and she cleared it. Maybe this conversation wasn’t as safe as she’d thought it. “I’d better call Dee.”
A quick phone call provided Dee with minimum information and probably had her anxious to hear the details. Lauren would fill her in later. For now, she just wanted to get back to Dee’s guesthouse and away from Seth.
“Is she okay with you skipping out on her?”
“Of course. Dee is always fine on her own.”
“I take it she still loves to party?”
“She loves to be around people. That’s always been her gift. Take the next left. Dee’s house is just a few miles from here.”
“You seem like you’ve gotten more comfortable with crowds, too.”
“Eleven years is plenty of time to get comfortable with just about anything.” And that was all she was going to say on the subject. Seth didn’t need to know how hard that first year without him had been, or how she’d realized that she’d relied on him too much. “Why don’t you tell me a little about what Jake enjoys eating?”
Seth shot a look in her direction, but didn’t comment on her quick change in subject. “The kind of stuff any kid loves—pizza, hamburgers, chicken. Sweets. At least those are the things he’d like to eat.”
“I can make some variations that he’ll enjoy.”
“Sounds good. Where to now?”
“Turn right. Dee’s house is there. The first one on the left.”
Seth pulled into the driveway.
Finally.
Lauren shoved the car door open and hopped out. “Thanks for the ride, Seth. I’ll be in touch.”
She started toward the house, wobbling a little in her heels as she moved from the paved driveway to a stone path that led to the backyard.
“You’re not going inside?” Seth stepped up beside her.
“No. Dee has a guesthouse out back. I’m staying there.”
“I’ll walk you around.”
“There’s no need.”
“Of course there is.”
“Seth—”
“A body was found buried under the sidewalk at the college a week ago, Lauren. A little caution makes sense.”
“Whatever happened to that poor girl happened a long time ago. I don’t think I need to worry about it.”
“No? If she was murdered, a killer is walking free. I think that’s something we all need to be concerned about.”
Lauren wasn’t sure she agreed, but Seth’s words still made her shiver. “If she was murdered. It’s possible she died of natural causes or that she fell into the construction area and died from her injuries.”
“And somehow got buried beneath enough dirt that the crew pouring the sidewalk didn’t see her? That seems highly unlikely.”
“Maybe so, but I doubt a murderer would be hanging around town waiting for his crime to be discovered. Even if he is still around, I doubt he’ll be coming after anyone else.”
“Maybe he already has. Maybe there are other victims. We don’t know and, until we do, I think it’s best if we all be careful.”
That was definitely not a thought Lauren wanted to dwell on as she continued toward the edge of Dee’s property and the small carriage house that stood there.
An outside light glowed above the bright red door, lighting the cement stoop and the thick bushes that stood on either side of it. Lauren fumbled for her keys, pulled them out of the sequined handbag she carried and unlocked the door, reaching in to flick on the living room light before she turned to say goodbye to Seth. “Thanks for the ride. And the walk.”
“Thanks for helping me with my son.” His hair looked deeper red in the light, his eyes dark and unreadable. The years showed in the creases near his mouth, the fine lines near the corners of his eyes. Each spoke of time passing and of the life he’d lived in the time since they’d last seen each other. As much as she wanted to believe she didn’t care, Lauren couldn’t stop the emotion that clogged her throat and made speaking difficult.
She swallowed, forcing back all the things she knew she shouldn’t be feeling. “It won’t take me long to create the menus. I’ll contact you as soon as I’m finished.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” He smiled and her heart responded even as her head shouted that she was a fool.
“Good night.” She stepped inside and closed the door, shutting out Seth’s smile and the uncomfortable emotions it evoked.
But she couldn’t deny that she’d felt them, that somehow, despite all that had happened, she responded to Seth in a way she hadn’t responded to many other men. To any other men.
The truth didn’t sit well with her, and she paced across the small living room, frustration making her want to get in the car and drive back to Savannah and the life she’d created there. Sure, she’d needed this vacation, but she didn’t need to spend time with Seth and his sweet, shy son.
“They’re clients. Just like any other client you’ve worked for.” She muttered the words as she stepped into her bedroom and grabbed her Bible from the suitcase she’d left on the bed.
Clients. She could say the word a hundred times, and it wouldn’t make things any less complicated than they were.
Lauren opened French doors that led out onto a small patio. Honeysuckle-scented air drifted into the room, the sweet smell reminding her of carefree childhood summers. Frogs called to one another, their deep song mournful and lonely. Or maybe it was Lauren who was both those things.
She flicked on the outside light, determined not to be melancholy. This was her vacation, and she wasn’t going to spend it thinking about past heartaches.
Moonlight played over the trees that edged Dee’s property, casting deep shadows across the lawn. It should have been beautiful. It was beautiful. There was something