Kayne

While Heather has been in California, I have thrown myself into the investigation. If she doesn't press charges against Ryder, then I have to hurry up and solve this case. Ryder got involved with Faulkner—my #1 suspect —as if he came to town explicitly looking for a drug-dealing job. Which means he'll be grabbed up too when arrests are made.

Despite what happened to Heather that night, she was able to tell me all the information Ryder spilled about the investigation. He confirmed that Faulkner is running heroin from Mexico across the border to Canada.

I hate even thinking about Ryder. Any man who lays an unwanted hand on a woman should be locked away for good. And Ryder, from the things Heather has told me about him, I want to lock him up myself.

Sunday night, it felt impossible to help Heather. I switched into gear with the response that I would take as a police officer. That included calling the police on behalf of Heather so that they could collect evidence. I tried to go by the book, but I don't think Heather's emotions could take it.

However, given that my specialty is police work, it's my responsibility to take Ryder down for the drug charges because I know he'll definitely get jail time for that.

As I'm sitting deep in thought about how I can pin Ryder with drug charges along with Faulkner, I feel a buzzing from my phone.

Heather

I ordered some new bedding for my room. I would do it when I get home, but I don't think I'll be able to manage. I still don't want to get Dad involved. The old bedding needs to be THROWN OUT. I have no use for it anymore. Is there any way you can run by the house and do it today before my Dad gets home? Then check on Max and send me some pictures of him. I miss him so much.

I reply with a confirmation that I can do it and receive a response a few seconds later.

Heather

Thank you. :)

Me

I miss you. I hope you're enjoying your time off in California. Can't wait for you to get back here. I'll send lots of pictures of Max.

I grab the packages from the front porch and head to the back of the house. The spare key is hidden under a medium-sized rock by the door. I unlock the door and enter, to which Max sounds an excited bark. He follows me as I walk to Heather's room to deposit the packages. I make sure to strip the bed before taking care of Max, though making the bed again is difficult with the border collie lying in the middle. I put the new mattress pad, set of sheets, and comforter on Heather's bed.

When I'm done, I rush the old bedding out to the truck, so I can toss it out in the trash at home. Then, I harness Max and take him for a walk to get some energy out and do his business.

When I get back, Mr. Bright's car is in the driveway. I open the back door and enter the mudroom. I release Max, and he runs off into the house to retrieve a toy.

"Hello?" I call out, not trying to startle the man inside.

"Hello?" Mr. Bright stands alert in the doorway. I raise my hands up in innocence.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bright. Heather asked me to stop by and check on Maxie-boy. I've already taken him for a walk, and I was going to feed him his dinner now."

"Oh. Well, I wish she had told me that. I could have been here to let you in. You wouldn't have had to use the spare," he says. "Come on in, and let's talk for a few minutes."

I accept his offer and follow his lead. Before I sit down at the kitchen table where he has placed himself, I pour a scoop of food in Max's bowl. Max is eager to eat due to the energy he expended during our walk.

I remember my conversation with Alice earlier in the week. "Before I forget, my grandmother wanted me to invite you and Heather over for dinner on Thanksgiving. We eat around 8 o'clock."

"Well, that's kind of her. Please let her know that Heather and I both will be in attendance. So how do you like school?"

"It's going well, sir," I reply.

"I'm glad. Do you have your sights set on any colleges?"

"Not yet. I'm still figuring out what I want to do."

"I'd be glad to take you around the courthouse. You could talk to some different lawyers, or, hell, I'll just take you to the golf course in the spring, and you can meet everyone then."

"Thank you, sir. That would be great. I've always wanted to go golfing."

"It's my pleasure to escort Heather's new boyfriend around," he says with a wink.

I chuckle just to humor him.

"You know, Kayne. I was hoping you would answer a question for me, man-to-man, since we both care about Heather very much."

"Go ahead and ask, sir," I reply.

"What is going on with my daughter that she had to jet off to California two weeks before Thanksgiving? You know, she asked me if she could stay another week. She's going to wear out her welcome with Mac's family."

I'm completely surprised by the words coming out of his mouth. "I didn't know she was planning to stay another week. Won't she fall behind in school?"

"I've pulled some strings for her at school. She's doing her work remotely. As long as she's writing the papers and getting notes from her classmates, she shouldn't fall behind."

The week she gets back, it will almost be Thanksgiving.

"Now, Kayne, you've avoided my question. What is going on with Heather?"

"I don't want to break her trust by telling you, sir. It's not for me to tell."

"I admire your dedication to my daughter, but I'm at the end of my rope. She won't talk to me about anything. She has these panic attacks that are so terrible to witness. I have no idea how to help her." He pauses, placing his head in his hands. "Do I need to send her away? I've heard of rehab places that can do wonders for people with depression and anxiety. Tell me, is it so bad that she needs rehab?"

"No, sir. I don't believe it's that serious. But, if you talked to her about attending therapy, I think she would be receptive to that. You can't force her to do it, though. She will refuse if you make her," I advise. Mr. Bright nods his head slowly, pondering my suggestion.

"That just might work. If she doesn't get better soon, I'm going to be so worried about her when she goes to USC." He sounds almost defeated.

Before I can help myself, I blurt out the question that's really been on my mind. "Sir, you were supposed to have dinner with Heather the other night when I dropped her off, but you never showed up. Where were you?"

Mr. Bright looks taken aback for a moment. Then, with a shit-eating grin, he says, "I texted her that I was having dinner with the guys from work. I even had a friend in town, a great guy I knew in Pasadena: hard-worker and charismatic. Has Heather introduced you to Ryder yet?"

Alarm bells go off in my head. Mr. Bright can't be insinuating that he was with Ryder on Sunday night. That was the night that he raped Heather. Heather wouldn't have lied to me, and she definitely couldn't have been faking the bruises and the rape kit and the reaction to my touch. That means that Mr. Bright is lying straight to my face. But why?

"Yeah, I met him at a Halloween party last weekend." I pause, my mind trying to connect the dots together. "You said you had dinner on Sunday night?" I ask to verify.

"Yep. The 'ole boys and I from work had poker night, and I invited Ryder to tag along. He's going to be working with me again soon. I wanted to introduce him to some of his new coworkers."

I'm getting heated as he gets further into the lie. "So, was it dinner or poker night?"

"Excuse me, son. This is not an interrogation. You asked, and I gave you my answer."

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to come off as rude."

"I've got some work to do in my study now. It might be best if you take Max to stay at your place, so I won't have to worry about him."

"Yes, sir."

"Before you leave, I'll take the spare key back."

"I was just going to put it back under the rock where I found it."

"No, I'll take it," He says firmly, holding his hand out to me. I reach into my back pocket and hand it over.

I pack Max's belongings and food and lead him out to the truck. On the ride back to my house, I can't help but feel rubbed wrong by my conversation with Mr. Bright. He lied straight to my face and then got defensive when I asked too many questions.

I brush it off as not knowing the man well. Heather's response to her dad has always been standoffish to the point of anger. I wonder if this is how he treats her when she gets too nosy about his business. She mentioned him bristling at their argument about her mother. He must just be sensitive to his wife and his daughter. Why else would he have snapped and dismissed me when I brought up him canceling on her? It's a complete insult to her, but he didn't care then. I tried to give him a chance tonight, but now I agree with her sentiment that he's an asshole.

Heather

A week later...

For the past two weeks, I've been anxious about seeing Kayne again. He gave me my space while I was in California, and I stayed longer than planned. Since I left him at the airport, I went numb and couldn't draw up a thought about him, let alone miss him.

Unable to face him yet, I call Ali to pick me up from the airport. She drops me off at my house. My dad isn't home, but there's a note explaining that Max is at Kayne's. So I just grab my keys and set off to Kayne's house. I could have pushed off seeing him again except for the fact that he has Max. I missed my dog more than anyone else, and I wish I had brought him along with me.

When I get to Kayne's, the motivation to get Max leads me to knock on the door despite the nervousness I feel. I suck in a deep breath as I hear his footsteps getting closer to the door. When the door swings open, Kayne shoots me a smile with his eyes full of relief. Immediately my stomach is full of butterflies, but the love kind. All my anxiety melts away.

Max runs up behind him, barking at me and jumping at my legs. I laugh at the spectacle Max is making and rub his head. Kayne waits patiently in the doorway.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi. How are you?" He asks.

"Doing okay."

It feels like we're meeting for the first time by the way our conversation is going. To make it less awkward, I decide to jump right in.

I rush forward and throw my arms around Kayne's neck. His arms encircle me, and immediately I feel safe. After a moment of enjoying his muscular arms around me, I lean back and plant a long kiss on his lips.

All my feelings for him come rushing back as if the past three weeks had never happened. To lose that while I was away for two weeks, I'm a lot more broken than I thought.

He pulls back from the kiss. "Now, you're not going to up and go back to California this week, right?" Kayne asks, causing me to chuckle.

"No, I'm back to stay for a while," I reply. He leans down to kiss me again. This kiss leaves me breathless. I would stay with him for a while if I wasn't so exhausted from the plane ride and trip from the airport. The conversation with Ali drained me as she talked about the yearbook deadline and tried to make me feel guilty for leaving and missing two weeks of photographable events.

"How was your trip?"

"It went well. I'll have to tell you about it later this week. I'm exhausted, and I really need to go to bed. Speaking of, thank you again for making the bed."

"You're welcome. I already tossed out the sheets, so they won't be a problem anymore." Kayne grabs Max's stuff and follows us out to the car. Max hops in as soon as I open the door. Kayne puts the bag in the back seat and embraces me again before I climb into the car.

I drive down the road, paying attention to my surroundings and enjoying nature as it flies past my window. This is one thing that I missed from the city. The natural wildness that feels untouched by man made neighborhoods with trees planted by urban planners.

When I get home, my dad is at the kitchen table waiting.

"Hey, welcome home," he says, reaching out to hug me.

"Thanks. Happy to be here."

"I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up at the airport. I had a lot of work to get done this afternoon before the upcoming holiday. Only a week until Thanksgiving now."

"No problem. I got to catch up with my friend Ali," I say, reaching into the fridge for a mozzarella cheese stick.

"Heather, I've been worried about you. I thought about it, and I think it would be beneficial for you to go to therapy. I know what you're thinking, that it's unness—"

"Dad, I think it's a great idea," I mutter, my mouth full of string cheese.

"Oh, you do?" His eyes look hopeful. "I set you up for an appointment this week. If it goes well, you can keep to a weekly schedule."

"Sounds good."

"And Heather, I won't ask about it. I'll wait for you to tell me when and if you're ever ready. As long as you're getting the help you need, I'll be happy."

I finish my string cheese before saying, "Thanks, Dad." I pause before adding, "I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he says, wrapping me in a hug.

I head back to my room and slip into my pajamas before climbing into bed. I snuggle into the new bedding, enjoying the feel of the mattress pad as it shapes with my body. Before I doze off, my phone buzzes with a text from Kayne.

Kayne

I'm happy you're home.

Me

Me too.

Although my heart still hasn't healed from the damage that Ryder did, I hug my phone to my chest, letting my heart flutter at the thought of Kayne. I'm looking forward to being back with him for a hopefully peaceful week.