Page 91 of Starcrossed Colorado

“Or karate chop me. Whatever. I didn’t mean anything by it, okay?”

“You were stealing from my trash!”

Sheldon pulled the papers out of his pocket. I swiped them from his hand and looked them over. A few packing slips from deliveries I’d received. Stuff nobody could care about.

I didn’t get it.

“The hell were you doing going through my trash? Have you been following Emma around? Are you stalking her?”

“No way. Just peeked in the cart a few times. You threw the stuff away, so you didn’t want it anyway, right? The guy said it was easy money. If I found anything interesting, I could send him a picture of it, and I’d get a deposit to my Venmo.”

I grabbed his collar again, yanking him up to standing. “What guy?Who?”

“I don’t know. I swear. He sent an email to me. I never met him in person.”

“Which of us were you spying on? Emma or me?”

“Both of you, I guess. Plus, you know…your little girl.”

I saw red. Fury surged through my system. It took all my self control to keep from throttling him. “Why,” I said, low and dangerous.

“I didn’t ask. I just wanted the money. All I’ve found so far is some store receipts and a ripped-up greeting card and stuff, and he paid me like a hundred bucks.”

A greeting card. Oh, no. My stomach sank.

Please let me be wrong, I thought.

“I want this person’s email address, or I’m calling the cops right now.” I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though. If I called our local police department, there’d be no hiding my secret. Not anymore.

At least it seemed like Sheldon had no clue about Maisie’s famous aunt.

He took out his phone and opened his email app. “I didn’t do anything illegal. He told me if you throw the stuff in the trash,it’s abandoned property. But fine, whatever. He hasn’t wanted any of the stuff I’ve found lately anyway.”

Sheldon showed me the email chain. It was pretty much what he had said. Some creep had offered him money to paw through our building’s trash.

Besides, now that I thought about it, Sheldon was too tall to be the guy I had seen in the blue rain slicker.

I studied the email address of the man Sheldon had been communicating with. I didn’t recognize the name. But the website sounded familiar. A quick search on Google on my own phone confirmed it.

Sheldon had been emailing with someone from theHollywood Star Post. A sleazy gossip tabloid. But what did they want with info on me?

Unless they knew about Ayla.

TWENTY-THREE

Emma

Piper and Olliemet us at the park. The two kids played a chaotic game of fetch with Stella, who was loving every minute, while Piper and I grabbed a sunny spot on the grass to stretch our legs.

“How are things with Ashford?” Piper asked.

I smiled. “Wonderful.”

“You two are way too adorable.” She stuck out her tongue.

“Hey, you were in favor of this from the start.”

“I know, but now I’m jealous. Reminds me how cold my bed is at night.” She playfully bopped me on the arm, and I bopped her back.

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