Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“Ah fuck, I’m sorry, Colt. That’s… fuck.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He looked genuinely upset on my behalf, which was… well, kind of cute. Damn it. That just made me think the ‘fake-boyfriend’ idea was dead-on-arrival. I thought I was done with all of Eric’s wit and charm, but clearly, he still had some kind of effect on me. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if we were made to hold hands and kiss, regardless of the theatrics behind it.
And then there was the nagging thought that maybe I was overreacting over my mother’s death. Not that any reaction to a parent’s passing should be considered as an “overreaction,” but after some serious soul-searching last night (and an entire bottle of wine), I realized that maybe my emotions had gotten the best of me. Jen and I became riled up and concocted an entire theory based around a couple of facts.
“Whatever,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “It’s just not worth it. Besides, I think maybe what the police said happened is the truth. Why should I go and play Sherlock Holmes when all my mother deserves is to rest in peace.”
“Because I also don’t think what the police are saying is the full story.”
I chewed on my bottom lip as I looked into Eric’s soft brown eyes.
“I found something out this morning, before I called you. Your mother had a nanny cam that was online at the time of the murder, and it should have caught the whole thing. But it wasn’t recovered in the search. Someone knew about the camera and took it with them before they left. It makes me think that whoever did this must have known your mom very well. Did you even know about the nanny camera?”
The walls of the coffee shop felt like they’d been blown to smithereens, leaving me in an open-air cafe with my ears ringing. I blinked, the pale yellow walls covered in colorful art prints still standing. “No, I had no idea. Do you know where it was hidden?”
“No, I wasn’t able to get that.”
“How’d you find this out?” I asked, sorting through the possible meanings of this seemingly massive discovery.
“I called the author of this blog post. She’s got a lot of inside information, which makes me think someone in your family or very close to it is the person leaking this information. Could be someone in the force, but you know cops hate talking to reporters.”
Shit. “This changes things.”
Eric nodded his head, agreeing. “Let me help you, Colt. I think I can get to the bottom of this.”
“You were always such a top, though,” I quipped, the words flying from my mouth before I could even put thought behind them.
He chuckled. His tan face caught a pink glow as he looked out the window, the quiet Atlanta street only now just beginning to fill up with cars as people went off to brunch with friends or church with family.
“So you really think someone might have murdered my mom for some reason other than a few stolen necklaces?”
He turned back to face me. His expression answered before his words did. “I do.”
I thought the most I’d have to worry about this week was a profit-and-loss sheet I had to pull together at work. Little did I know that my week would end in a bombshell revelation that left me with no choice but to go back to my original idea.
“Fine,” I said, determination making my chest puff up and my shoulders stiffen. I had to do this for my mom. If someone in our own family had taken her life, then I wouldn’t rest until they were caught and punished. “Let’s do it.”
Eric perked up, a smile crossing his face, framed by a five-o’clock shadow that seemed to be more than a few hours early. “I promise I’m going to try and figure this one out. And we won’t cross any lines. We’ll take this fake relationship however far it is you feel comfortable.”
“And that’s not very far,” I said, deciding to be honest and up-front with him. “I’m really not ready for anything right now, and considering what our history is, I think it’s important we set up boundaries. Plus sleep with a pillow between us at all times.”
“Good idea,” Eric said, although I couldn’t help but detect what sounded like the shadow of disappointment in his tone.
“I’m glad your detective skills haven’t gone anywhere. I can’t believe you were able to put this all together in the span of twenty-four hours. That’s impressive.”
Sure, we were far from cracking the mystery behind my mother’s death, but this was the closest I’d felt hope ever since she died. My instincts about Eric were right. He had proven himself someone who could squeeze answers out of a rock.
“There’s still a lot more to be done, but at least we’re on the right track. I’m going to need a rundown on the rest of your family at some point. Everyone who’s going to be at the chateau and maybe even the ones that won’t. The more I know, the better prepared I can be.” Eric was clicking into detective mode right in front of my eyes, leaning forward on the table so that his thick forearms drew my attention before I forced my gaze back up to his glowing brown eyes. He had long, butterfly-like lashes that nearly barreled me over every time he blinked.