“She went for a run. Um, she said I could use her car, but I don’t want to leave her stuck.”
“Sure, I’ll be there in a bit.”
I brought my hand to the back of my neck and rubbed at my throbbing temples. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing, Dirk. See you soon.”
“See ya.”
I ended the call and then stood and looked around the living room. Merit’s house was nice, and I was glad she’d bought it. The great room, breakfast area, and the kitchen were all pretty much open to each other. I glanced up and saw wood beams that ran across the living room and wondered if Merit had added those, or if they came with the house. The simple farmhouse-style of the place screamed Merit. Or, at least, the Merit I used to know.
As I made my way toward the kitchen, I took a moment to look around. Everything was neat and in its place. The house was spotless. The kitchen looked like it had totally been remodeled, with brand-new white cabinets and a large island in the middle that had three stools. I walked over and started to clean up the mess I’d made so I didn’t leave Merit with it later.
After I rinsed everything off and placed it into the dishwasher, I wiped down the black countertops. I reached for an apple from the fruit bowl that was sitting in the center and tossed it into the air before catching it. Then something caught my eye on the other side of the kitchen, and I walked over to investigate. I picked up the brochure and felt my brows pull in tightly as I read the title.
“French Travel Connection,” I whispered.
Was Merit going to France? And who in the hell was she going with? I looked down and saw another French brochure, and under that was another piece of paper with French names written on it. Under all those names was one I recognized.
Chris Warren.
I looked up and then over toward the front door. Was Merit going to Paris with her ex?
Anger like I’d never known boiled up inside of me as I put the brochures down. I took out my phone and took a picture of all the towns she’d written down. I had no idea why I did it, but I did. My phone buzzed in my hand with a text from Brock, saying he was here.
After quickly looking around, I didn’t see anything to write a note to Merit with. I pulled up my texts and sent her one.
Me: Thanks for letting me crash at your place last night. I appreciate it.
The sound of a phone going off caused me to turn, and I saw Merit’s cell on the stool she’d been sitting on.
“Damn it, Merit,” I said as I walked over and picked it up. I shook my head and set the phone in the middle of the island.
Then, I headed out. She had a keyless entry on her front door, so I locked it and jogged down to Brock’s truck. I opened the passenger door and slid in.
“Why are you frowning so hard?” he asked.
“She went for a run without her damn phone. What if something happens to her?”
Brock laughed. “I’m sure Merit will be fine. She lived in New York City, after all.”
“She should still have her phone,” I grumbled.
Brock put his truck in drive and started down Merit’s driveway. “Wanna tell me how you’re actually doing today, Dirk?”
“I’m fine. I just need to keep my mind busy.”
“Your truck is still at my folks’ place. Do you want to go and pick it up?” Brock asked as I stared out the window.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I think I’m going to head back home. I shouldn’t have left Mom alone last night. It was a selfish thing to do.”
“You can’t beat yourself up for having your own grief. Your mama knows you’re there for her if she needs you, trust me.”
All I could do was nod. A lump suddenly formed in my throat, and I turned to look back out the window.
“So, how did it go last night?” Brock asked with a touch of amusement in his voice.
“What do you mean?”
Brock laughed. “You stayed the night with Merit.”
“Nothing happened. I passed out on her sofa, and then this morning I woke up and made breakfast. Everything seemed fine, and then all of sudden she couldn’t get out of her house and away from me fast enough.”
“Really? That doesn’t really sound like Merit.”
I shrugged. “Well, she’s not exactly the eighteen-year-old girl we once knew.”
“That’s true. What do you think was wrong? Did you get in an argument or something?”
“No. That’s just it. I think she got spooked. We were starting to have a moment or something, and then Kaylee called and Merit just bolted out of her seat, dumped her breakfast, and announced she was going for a run.”