“This tastes great. Thank you for cooking. Do you have a favorite food? I can put it on the next shopping list.”
Why was she changing the subject now? She pushed a few bites around on her plate, her discomfort growing. I picked my fork back up, still trying to figure out what had just happened.
“Actually, let’s keep a shopping list on my dresser. When you think of something, you can add to it so I know what to get without guessing.”
We ate the rest of the meal in silence. When she was done, she brought her plate to the sink, then returned to the table and started reading from one of her textbooks.
“If you want, when you’re done, we can watch a movie,” she said as I took my last bite.
I wanted nothing more. I hurried to clean up. When she moved to help, I waved her back to her seat. If she did her work while I cleaned, I’d have more of her undivided attention later.
While I finished washing the stove, Gabby packed up and then hovered in the doorway, waiting for me. Behind my beard, I grinned triumphantly. She wanted me. Sure, it was just my presence she wanted, but I knew there would soon be more.
We moved to the living room, and I picked out a suspense movie. It worked well for snuggling the last time.
“If I scream again when Rachel comes home, no laughing,” she said as she curled up on the couch.
I started the movie and sat next to her. As she watched it, I concentrated on her. She immediately relaxed, just slightly leaning against me. Her pulse jumped several times within the first few minutes of the movie. And although I knew it had nothing to do with me, my pulse always leapt in response.
I frowned and actually focused on the movie when I felt her shiver beside me. It wasn’t that scary. A few minutes later, just as the girl was about to enter the house, Gabby popped up from the couch and went to her room. Tilting my head, I listened to her pull something from her closet.
Gabby returned, wearing a hoodie. She’d been cold. Damn it. I could have put my arm around her.
I spent the rest of the movie mentally beating myself.
When the movie ended, Gabby sprang from the couch, surprising me.
“Hey, Clay. Do you like cookies?” she asked as she left the room.
I stood and followed behind her, wondering what had brought on that unusual question. She opened a cupboard and started moving stuff around, looking for something. I stepped closer, barely an inch behind her, wondering what she was after. There wasn’t much in the cupboard.
“Shoot,” she said, closing the doors.
She turned and let out a strangled “gah” when she saw me so close. I grinned. How had she not heard me?
“Har-har,” she said with a grin. Her pulse raced wildly. “I told you no suspense movies. Life is scary enough without them. Oh, and false alarm on the cookies. We’re missing some main ingredients.”
If she really wanted to make cookies, why not get what she needed? I held up her car keys and jingled them.
“It’s tempting, but unless I want to get a part-time job, I can’t afford to keep spending the money I’ve saved. I’ve got to stick to the budget so it lasts till spring. If we can manage to keep the heat off until November, I should have cookie money for Christmas. That’s when cookies are best anyhow. I’ll just need to start wearing more clothes inside.”
More clothes? I wanted to groan.
She took the keys from me and put them back in the dish on the counter. I barely noticed. I was the reason she was spending more than she’d planned. The money in my pocket was a good start but only if I used it to help her. I couldn’t just give it to her. She’d ask questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
Tomorrow, before I went to Dale’s, I’d figure out what groceries we needed in order to make cookies. I’d find a way to get everything Gabby wanted.
Chapter 13
When Gabby left for class the next day, I did what I could to help at home. I switched over the laundry she’d put in that morning—I was less afraid of breaking the machine now—folded everything once it dried, and washed the sheets she’d pulled from the bed.
While I waited for the laundry to finish, I looked at our supplies and made note of anything running low. I also found a cookbook with over a dozen cookie recipes. Each recipe had a slight variation, but all had the same basic ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, baking powder (or soda), and vanilla. I added those ingredients to the list as well.
Once I had the bed remade, the laundry put away, and the list in my back pocket, I headed out the door.
Dale was ready with a car on the lift in the right bay when I arrived. I checked the paperwork on his desk for what it needed, then started on the oil change. It felt good to have something to do while Gabby was at school. Reading had helped me from going crazy, but physically doing something was better.
It was close to dinner when Dale told me I could go. I knew I wouldn’t make it home before Gabby did, but I still stopped to pick up some more laundry detergent, dryer sheets, toilet paper, and toothpaste. Those items would be easy enough to sneak into the house. The rest of the list, I’d save for another day.
If Rachel wasn’t home and Gabby hadn’t yet eaten, maybe I could cook her dinner again. The likelihood of Rachel’s absence was pretty high. Rachel’s social life had altered when she started seeing Peter, and I’d noticed a pattern. She typically spent Tuesday nights at his house, which meant Gabby and I would have tonight together.
Two blocks from home, I noticed the car. It was parked in front of our house and was hard to miss. As I watched, the brake lights turned on; and it pulled away from the curb. I frowned. I knew both Rachel’s and Peter’s cars, and the one that had just driven away wasn’t either.
Something about the car worried me.
With a burst of speed, I made it to the garage to ditch the supplies, then let myself in through the back door. I found Gabby in the living room, standing with her forehead against the front door.
The scent of her fear and confusion laced the air. Worried, I stepped closer as she pushed away from the door.
When she turned and saw me, she started screaming, a blood curdling sound that nearly stopped my heart. With wide eyes, she clapped a hand over her mouth to stop the sound. In the silence, I heard her pounding pulse. Something had scared her before she saw me. What? Or who?
I inhaled deeply. There was a lingering scent in the air, barely there. I breathed in again, tracing the scent. She had something in her front pocket. Something not hers. I glanced down, caught a glimpse of white, and reached forward to pluck the business card out of her pocket. There was nothing but a name and phone number on it.
I looked at her and shook my head, wondering what had upset her so much.
She exhaled shakily and dropped her hand.
“Did you see who was here?” she asked with a slight tremor in her voice.
I shook my head, wishing I hadn’t worked late.
“How did you know that was in my pocket?”
I lifted it to my nose.
“Have you ever met Elder Joshua before?”
I shook my head again.
“Have you ever smelled him before?”
Where was she going with these questions? Again, I let her know I hadn’t.
She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She was relieved I hadn’t met him? Why?
Her unfocused gaze told me she was lost in thought. I gently tapped her forehead, wanting to know what she was thinking. She startled slightly and gave me a weak smile.
“You want to know what’s going on in my head?”
I nodded. I wanted that more than anything.
“I’d like to know what’s going on in my head sometimes, too,” she said, looking a bit lost. “Let’s make dinner while I talk. Let me know if you hear Rachel or anyone else.”
I nodded, kicked off my shoes, and put them in Gabby’s room before joining her in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, her hands fidgeting. I went to the cupboard and grabbed some potatoes. She needed to keep her hands busy.