Page 11 of Lost Truth
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Cady charged down the hallway, Hayden tailing her. He’d insisted on walking her to the door, but she hurried ahead to collect herself. She plunged into the cool night filled with sparkling stars overhead as a sharp wind coming from the ocean beat against her body. If only it could blow away the thoughts whirling through her mind. A plethora of thoughts. Conflicting thoughts.
She resisted, groaning over her unease, and tugged her jacket closed, then zipped it to her chin as if she could zip out her anxiety. The meeting had done nothing to settle her thoughts. Was partnering with the LLL team in her best interest? Sure, they’d offered to help, but their goal differed from hers. In the long run, would working with them distract her from her mission?
Maybe she should search her father’s home and talk with his fellow birdwatchers on her own. Or not. She just didn’t know. This team had far more experience in questioning people and searching properties, and they might find something she would miss. Plus, she had to admit it would be far easier to look through her dad’s things if she had someone with her, as Reece had suggested.
Oh, man.What was in her best interest anyway? Was she letting her chemistry with Hayden cloud everything?
The words her father shared whenever she wanted to quit echoed in her brain.
Come on, Cady girl.You can do anything you set your mind to. Just be true to yourself and your faith, and you’ll succeed.
Right. Do as her father said. Do her best to take her emotions out of the equation. Approach this situation dispassionately like she would as a reporter hot on a story. Make a plan. Stick to it until other information presented itself. Then revise and move on. Rinse and repeat until she reached her goal.
“Feels like we might get frost tonight, though it’s really not the time of year for it,” Hayden said from behind.
She jumped and spun.
He tipped his head and studied her. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Lost in my thoughts, I guess.” She forced out a smile. “Mind if I leave my car here for the night? I’d like to walk to clear my head.”
“No problem.” His eyes narrowed much the same way as when he’d first laid eyes on her at Kai’s house, but she had no idea what had prompted such a reaction. “I’ll walk with you.”
No. No! That was not in her best interest or his. “Thank you, but I’d rather be alone to think about everything that’s happened tonight.”
He widened his stance and didn’t look away. “There’s no way I’ll let you walk alone at this time of night.”
Was he concerned for her safety? Was that all this was about? Her safety here in little Lost Lake. “Um, Hayden. I walk alone in big cities all the time. I think Lost Lake is safe.”
He remained resolute and didn’t budge. “You never know where crime will strike.”
“I’ll take the chance.”
“But I won’t.” His expression solidified into a hardened rock, and he gestured for her to go first.
Clearly, this meant a lot to him, and she wouldn’t keep arguing, so she started down the hill.
He caught up and stepped into place beside her. “I’m sorry. I kind of have this protective thing. I might overdo it, but I don’t ever want someone I care about to be hurt.”
She looked up at him to discover worry had replaced his rigid expression. “Sounds like something happened in your past, and you don’t want it to happen again.”
“Yeah,” he said, but his voice trailed off in the wind.
Now he’d really piqued her curiosity. “Want to tell me about it?”
He glanced at her, but quickly looked away. “Want to? Not really.”
“But will you so I can understand?” she asked, but did she really want to understand what was behind his actions when she had no intentions of getting involved with him? What was the point?
He clenched his fists, and his footsteps faltered.
She’d caused his negative reaction, and she didn’t much like being the source of his pain. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s up to you.”
“My parents died when I was fourteen, and I was put in foster care,” he blurted, the words racing like a train barreling out of control down the tracks.
“Oh, Hayden.” She clutched his arm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up old wounds. Especially now that I know what it’s like to lose a parent. And I can’t imagine losing both of them and to have it happen at fourteen.”
