He hoped to God she wasn’t at the verge of telling him he was on his own.
Chapter Ten
Rosette had been checking out the window a few times a day since Alex told her about that girl staring at their house. That’s why she was looking out the window now, and why she saw the same young woman slowly walking down the sidewalk, her hands in her pockets and her head down. The girl slowed down even more as she approached, looking despondent in the windy weather. She could have been a high school or college student; Rosette couldn’t tell.
She wanted to tell Trey, but he’d taken the kids out. On second thought, maybe she shouldn’t trust him. She wondered what would happen if Trey were the one peering out the window. The girl had started watching the house after Ricky and Amanda died, as far as anyone knew, but maybe this was about Trey and not about them. Maybe Trey knew that girl. There were too many possibilities to make any kind of educated guess.
Rosette turned around, faltering on what to do. Then she turned back to the window and peeked out again. It would nag her until she got some answers. Making a quick decision, she hurried through the house and garage, coming out on the far side so she could meet the girl after she passed the house.
Rosette slowed her pace and walked toward the mailbox even though it was Sunday. It was the only thing she could think of as an excuse to walk down the driveway. Before she opened the mailbox, she pretended to notice the girl for the first time.
“Hello!” She tried to smile and sound friendly. It sounded a bit forced instead. “Do you live around here?”
The girl shook her head, walking faster.
“Are you visiting then?”
An undercover detective she was not. The girl picked up her speed to almost a run. She looked older than Rosette had thought, somewhere in the eighteen-to-twenty range. So she wasn’t a bored high school freshman without a license who spent her time walking around for something to do.
Rosette went back into the house and sat down, thinking. But what could she do? Call the police and say a girl walked past her house. Oh, no, call in the SWAT team!
She leaned back, sighing and almost laughing. Maybe this is what it’s like to be strung out on drugs or something. With all the sadness, stress, and lack of sleep, on top of the normal daily things, she was losing her mind.
Trey had taken the kids out today so she could rest, not work herself into a frenzy. It was either funny or sad, but they were keeping so busy that they didn’t have time to talk about their problems. At this rate, they could leave it on the back burner indefinitely. In a year, when they were sleeping through the night again, one of them might say to the other, “Oh, by the way, do you remember we were going to separate?”
In her fuzzy-minded, sleepy state, it almost seemed comical. A muffled cry came over the baby monitor, bringing that sinking feeling that she’d have to get up out of her comfy chair. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, then rose and went upstairs. Hope wasn’t yet waking up, just moving around. Rosette stood and watched the baby sleep. Her tiny mouth was open just a bit, and her face was completely slack. Her arms were thrown out on both sides, bent at the elbows, and her little hands were curled into fists by her head. It was so like Candace and Jake when they were babies, except they had dark hair. Hope looked like a blond angel.
Rosette wandered to the back window and looked out. The trees hid the beach where the waves hit the sand, but she could see the mighty Pacific extending as far as the eye could see. It was a dark day due to heavy cloud cover, and rain began to patter on the window pane.
She glanced at Hope again and then went downstairs to start the laundry. She tried calling Angel but didn’t get an answer. If they didn’t already have all kinds of baked goods from friends, she would have baked some cookies. As it
Chapter Ten
Rosette had been checking out the window a few times a day since Alex told her about that girl staring at their house. That’s why she was looking out the window now, and why she saw the same young woman slowly walking down the sidewalk, her hands in her pockets and her head down. The girl slowed down even more as she approached, looking despondent in the windy weather. She could have been a high school or college student; Rosette couldn’t tell.
She wanted to tell Trey, but he’d taken the kids out. On second thought, maybe she shouldn’t trust him. She wondered what would happen if Trey were the one peering out the window. The girl had started watching the house after Ricky and Amanda died, as far as anyone knew, but maybe this was about Trey and not about them. Maybe Trey knew that girl. There were too many possibilities to make any kind of educated guess.
Rosette turned around, faltering on what to do. Then she turned back to the window and peeked out again. It would nag her until she got some answers. Making a quick decision, she hurried through the house and garage, coming out on the far side so she could meet the girl after she passed the house.
Rosette slowed her pace and walked toward the mailbox even though it was Sunday. It was the only thing she could think of as an excuse to walk down the driveway. Before she opened the mailbox, she pretended to notice the girl for the first time.
“Hello!” She tried to smile and sound friendly. It sounded a bit forced instead. “Do you live around here?”
The girl shook her head, walking faster.
“Are you visiting then?”
An undercover detective she was not. The girl picked up her speed to almost a run. She looked older than Rosette had thought, somewhere in the eighteen-to-twenty range. So she wasn’t a bored high school freshman without a license who spent her time walking around for something to do.
Rosette went back into the house and sat down, thinking. But what could she do? Call the police and say a girl walked past her house. Oh, no, call in the SWAT team!
She leaned back, sighing and almost laughing. Maybe this is what it’s like to be strung out on drugs or something. With all the sadness, stress, and lack of sleep, on top of the normal daily things, she was losing her mind.
Trey had taken the kids out today so she could rest, not work herself into a frenzy. It was either funny or sad, but they were keeping so busy that they didn’t have time to talk about their problems. At this rate, they could leave it on the back burner indefinitely. In a year, when they were sleeping through the night again, one of them might say to the other, “Oh, by the way, do you remember we were going to separate?”
In her fuzzy-minded, sleepy state, it almost seemed comical. A muffled cry came over the baby monitor, bringing that sinking feeling that she’d have to get up out of her comfy chair. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, then rose and went upstairs. Hope wasn’t yet waking up, just moving around. Rosette stood and watched the baby sleep. Her tiny mouth was open just a bit, and her face was completely slack. Her arms were thrown out on both sides, bent at the elbows, and her little hands were curled into fists by her head. It was so like Candace and Jake when they were babies, except they had dark hair. Hope looked like a blond angel.
Rosette wandered to the back window and looked out. The trees hid the beach where the waves hit the sand, but she could see the mighty Pacific extending as far as the eye could see. It was a dark day due to heavy cloud cover, and rain began to patter on the window pane.
She glanced at Hope again and then went downstairs to start the laundry. She tried calling Angel but didn’t get an answer. If they didn’t already have all kinds of baked goods from friends, she would have baked some cookies. As it
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