Page 114 of Guarding Over You
“About what? Tell me anything that might help.”
“You don’t really know if it’s you or Arden, right?”
“They’ve been targeting her, but no one can figure out why. Looking at everything, the timing was there when she started to talk to me. We thought it was her ex and maybe his new girlfriend, as it always happened around their fights.”
Even the fight on Saturday and then bike on Sunday. But they didn’t know for certain when the bike was stolen.
And Tina was ruled out.
As much as he wanted to think it could be Billy and this could be a way to get the guy out of their lives, he had to trust Arden that it wasn’t.
He’d seen the change in Gracie lately too after she’d been around her father. Even how open she was around his brothers yesterday.
Slowly Gracie was losing the fear that had been riding in the shadows of her subconscious.
Where a deep, firm voice made her cower.
A large man who might frighten her even when they had a smile on their face.
Yesterday had been a test of sorts around the men in his family. Only Clay had her hiding behind his leg and not staying there long.
He’d take that as a win.
“Are you positive it can’t be him and he’s just a smooth talker?”
“He’s not smooth. I don’t know the new girlfriend other than a name.”
“And that has to be killing you. Here is my thought. If it is you. If the person is using Arden to get at you, put it out there in their face. You, me and her, we’ll be watching. Or I can watch to see if anyone reacts differently.”
“Not a bad idea. Though I don’t want to put you in the middle of it.”
Maddy looked down at the list in his hand. “You already did and I’m just fine with it.”
35
WHAT SHE NEEDED IN LIFE
“Hey,” Arden said at the end of the day, seeing Blaze in a hallway of the hospital.
Her nerves were stretched so thin in her body she thought most were going to snap.
Every sound. Every shadow. Every call of her name had her jumping and trying to compose herself.
“How was your day?” Blaze asked.
“Could have been better.”
She wasn’t so sure this plan to let people see they were in a relationship was that smart, but she was going to listen to him because she didn’t know what else she could do.
What other step she could take.
Looping her boss in on what happened to her daughter’s bike didn’t seem wise. It wasn’t a work issue now. It was more personal. It was taken too far and was too... scary.
Even Maddy’s suggestion didn’t bring her much comfort.
Not like when she saw Blaze just now walking toward her, his smile bright, his hand coming out to reach for hers.
He wasn’t putting on a show. She knew that.
