Avery: I fucked up. I didn’t tell you how I was feeling because I was afraid, afraid to let myself care for you. But I do, Nate. I care, and I understand. So I want you to know, tonight was amazing and I’ll never, not for a second, regret it. Goodnight.

I drop down onto the bed and put my head in my hands, taking a deep breath.

What the fuck am I doing?

CHAPTER 21

AVERY

“Come with me,” Kelly pleads, his eyes big and round. Damn if he isn’t cute when he looks like this.

He’s trying to convince me to go to a charity ball with him.

“Aw, Kel. I hate dresses.”

He scoffs. “It’s for a good cause, and I don’t want to go alone.”

I sigh, flopping back onto my bed. He leans against the doorframe, staring at me with that pleading expression that makes it so much harder to say no.

“I think I’m working that night,” I grin at him.

“You’re evil, you could get out of it.”

I laugh and sit up, staring at him. “You know I don’t have a nice dress.”

“I’ll cover it.”

“Kel,” I warn. “No. I have to work. Besides I look awful in dresses.”

“You’re hot, Av. Stop being such a baby.”

I shake my head with a grin and slide off the bed. “So, have you heard any more from your stalker?”

“A change of subject won’t get you out of it.”

I laugh. “I don’t doubt it. Now, your stalker?”

He chuckles and follows me out into the kitchen. “No. Whoever it was that was taking my board at night has stopped.”

“Probably saw the real thing and ran.”

He shoves me lightly from behind. “After that comment I’m seriously reconsidering taking you to the ball.”

“Ugh, ball. It’s such an ugly word. And I’m not going. ”

He laughs loudly and pulls out two cups as I flick the coffee machine on.

“Stop your whining. You’re going, and that’s that.”

“You tell yourself whatever makes you happy,” I mutter, slipping the cups under the machine. Then I turn it on and inhale the amazing scent of coffee.

“So, have you heard from Jacob?” he asks, lifting himself onto the counter.

“Not for a few days, though my dad has been trying to ring a bit.”

“You not answering him?”

I shrug. “What is there to say? He’s expressed how disappointed he is in me. There’s really not much more I can do.”

“Sorry. It sucks he’s not supporting you with this.”

“Yeah,” I say, staring at my hands. “It does suck.”

“Knock, knock!”

I hear Max’s voice and turn to see him striding into the room, cop outfit on, looking rather luscious. Seriously, how the man is still single is beyond me. The women should be snapping him up.

“Hey Maxy.” I smile.

He groans. “Seriously, petal, we’re going to have to talk about that nickname. You’re ruining my reputation.”

I laugh, then say, “Do you want a coffee?”

“Actually, yeah. I’ve got some news.”

My skin prickles. It’s an instant reaction when he says anything along those lines. Kelly leans across and takes my hands, turning me away from the coffee machine. “I’ll finish these. You sit down with Max.”

“Kelly,” Max says, nodding at him with a smile.

Kelly grins at him and then turns and focuses on the coffees while I go and sit beside Max at the kitchen table.

“So you know I’ve opened your mother’s case again,” he begins, “and I truly didn’t know if it would be worth it. It’s been a cold case for a while now; there was so little evidence surrounding her disappearance.”

I nod, unable to say anything. My breathing is ragged and my heart is pounding.

“Well, when I reopened the case I went back through the old notes and files to see what could possibly have been missed. There wasn’t a lot there. I found old names and numbers, and I started calling around.”

“And?” I whisper.

He sighs and drops his head, staring at his hands. “I found out some information. Some that wasn’t disclosed during the case.”

“Max, please,” I beg, my hands shaking. “Just tell me.”

“There was a hotel owner who had moved out of town the week before your mother’s disappearance. It was only through old friends of hers and people around the town that I found out his name.”

“What would a hotel owner have to do with anything, Max?”

His eyes soften, and I know he’s about to serve me with something big, something brutal.

“Well, you’d think nothing of it, but it turns out he was the husband of one of your mother’s friends. He didn’t speak up back then for reasons that are his own, but when I contacted him again he gave me some information that put some strong leads into place.”

“Max,” Kelly says returning to the room, his voice grim. “Don’t dance around it, just tell her.”

Max closes his eyes and then opens them. “The reason he didn’t speak, Avery, is because he was scared of the impact it would have on your family and your father. You’d all lost so much. But the information he came forward with was that there was a man who used to get a room there, twice a week, during the day. He saw Taylah three times going into that room during the time the man had it booked. He said she stayed anywhere between two and five hours before leaving.”