“I can see by your face you want to talk about shoes instead,” Parker said.

“Yes, please.” She hated the desperation in her voice.

Parker sat on the edge of the bed and lowered her voice. “How about this. I’ll tell you what I think I know, and you can confirm or deny if I’m off.”

She offered a noncommittal shrug.

“You married the wrong guy, who beat you up.”

Erin blinked several times but said nothing.

“He did it more than once. In fact, I’m guessing it happened a lot.”

More blinking.

“I’ll bet this trip to Cabo that you’re scared to death he will come after you here. Which explains the security system and the double-checking the locks on the doors. And the lack of friends you have around or even a regular job that makes you leave the house every day.”

Erin started rolling her index finger on the pad of her thumb and kept her lips shut.

“Anything I’m leaving out?”

She heard the screech of tires and the feel of glass against her face. “Nope. That about covers it.”

Parker offered a half-baked smile. “That was a little too quick, Erin.”

Instead of a lie, she told her the truth. “He’s a dangerous man. If he finds me, he will kill me.”

The smile on her friend’s face fell. “The more people you have around you, who love you, the easier it is to protect you.”

“You of all people know you can’t always count on that,” Erin told her. “I’m learning to protect myself.”

They were both quiet for several seconds.

“I’m really sorry you live with that fear,” Parker told her.

She sighed, and forced her hands to relax. “Me too. But at least it’s not a daily reality any longer.”

“How long were you married?” she asked.

Nope . . . not going there. “Let’s play another game, okay? Truth or Dare is getting old.”

Parker jumped up and nodded. “Got it. Sorry. I don’t want to pry.”

“You’re curious. I get it. I would be, too.”

She tucked the cotton dress in her suitcase. “I have a pair of brown sandals that will work with almost everything.”

Shoes were a much safer subject.

Erin watched Parker walk into the closet and return with the sandals.

“Please keep this between us,” she told her.

Parker stopped packing and looked her dead in the eye. “I told you I won’t say anything, and I haven’t. Colin flat-out asked me once what your story was, and I told him that secrets are sacred.”

That was a relief. “Thank you.”

Another shirt went into the suitcase. “But if I figured it out, it probably isn’t going to be long before others do, too. Although I didn’t see the ex-husband thing coming.”

“No one else will either.” At least she hoped. Erin scanned the clothes on the bed and started to count. “I thought you said this was a five-day trip. Six if you count your travel day.”

“It is.”

She started to count. “So you’re going to change clothes three times a day?”

Undaunted, Parker rolled up another outfit. “I haven’t taken a break in three years. I want choices.”

“I bet you wear three outfits and one sundress. The rest of the time you’ll be in a bathing suit or naked in bed.”

Parker smiled. “Options!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Erin stood in the driveway alongside Matt, who had been roped into driving Colin and Parker to LAX for their noon flight.

While Colin put their bags into the back of Matt’s truck, Parker ran through a list of things that needed to happen, or not happen, while she was away.

“I already told Austin no parties.”

“I was there. I know.”

“And since you’re staying in the guest room, make sure Scout goes out before you go to bed. Otherwise he’s up the second the sun comes out and whines to be let outside to pee.”

“Got it.”

“And Mallory said she was coming over on Saturday with Jase to use the pool. They’ll probably stay the night.”

Yeah, Erin had already been told that, too.

“Oh, and I told Austin that if he’s going to stay with friends at all while I’m away, to let you know. And if he’s late coming home, to let you know . . . so you won’t be startled by the gate opening and closing at all hours.” That was helpful. The house alarm system told everyone inside every time the gate opened and closed. A necessary evil when the gate was five acres away from the front door.

“Great.”

“Oh, and—”

Colin came up behind Parker and wrapped both arms around her. “Erin’s a grown woman, she’ll figure it out.”

“But there’s—”

Matt opened the back door of his twin-cab truck. “I think we were given less instructions in high school when Mom and Dad went to Monterey,” he teased.

Colin laughed. “We still threw a party.”

Matt chuckled. “And blamed Grace.”

Erin shook her head. “You guys are bad.” She opened her arms to Parker for a hug. “Have fun and don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

Erin lowered her voice so only Parker could hear. “Text me if he puts a ring on it.”

That earned an extra hug before she climbed in the back seat.

Matt opened his door while Colin walked around the truck.

“You forgot your sunglasses at my house. If you’re around later, I can bring them by,” Matt said.

Parker rolled her window down. “Wait . . . you left sunglasses . . . at his house?”

The woman wanted to read into everything. “You gave me his address for the brownies . . . remember?”

Parker’s brilliant smile at what she thought was news, fell. “Oh.”

“So . . . later?” he asked.

“Whenever,” she told him. “I have others.”

He grinned like he’d been given an invitation.

“You guys better get going. Cabo is an international flight. You need extra time,” Erin said.

Matt waved as he backed out of the driveway.

“Have fun!”

And they were gone.

Scout barked at the truck as it rolled down the driveway before running to Erin’s side. “It’s just you and me,” she told the dog.

Austin was in school and the entire place was left to her. Then, as if to remind her she wasn’t completely alone, a couple of the chickens in the rebuilt coop started to make noise. Instead of heading into the house, she took the hens’ cue and went to see if she could have fresh eggs to go with her coffee.

Scout stuck right by her side.

 

“. . . and don’t just let yourself in. Erin needs to know who’s coming in the gate.”

It was Matt’s turn to hear all the instructions.

“I won’t.”

“You know, you could have just brought over her sunglasses this morning.”

The sunglasses were actually in his glove compartment, but he wasn’t about to reveal that tidbit. Besides, timing was everything.

“Where is the fun in that?” Colin said for him.