Page 63 of Our Little Secret

She stared at the message in disbelief.

Gideon knew that she and Neal had made love . . . no, wait, not just knew but had seen them?

She read the damning words:and yet there you were, fucking the hell out of him.

As if he’d beenwatching, or in the room with them.

Her stomach somersaulted.

No way.

That was impossible.

Or was it?

Fear oozed through her blood.

Hadn’t the shades been open?

Hadn’t she thought she’d seen someone in the backyard?

Hadn’t she heard the roar of a motorcycle?

“Stop it!” she said aloud, jarring herself. He couldn’t have seen them. Not from any position in the yard two stories down. No way. He was only guessing and she was letting her paranoia get the better of her.

Calm down.

He’s out of your life.

Just because he buzzed you and Leah on the freeway doesn’t mean he’s stalking you. And you expected to hear from him after your showdown the other day. You knew he wouldn’t just leave you alone. So this is how he’s reacting.

Pull yourself together!

The uneasiness persisted, but she punched it down. Recriminations at this point were useless. She couldn’t change the past, only the future. She turned off the phone, stuffed it into a pocket in her purse, and reminded herself to get rid of it. Splashing water on her face, she tried to cool off.

As she dried her cheeks with a hand towel, she heard the buzz of the timer for the casserole. Snagging her purse, she walked into the bedroom.

On the way out, her eye caught the glitter of something on her dresser.What?Something out of place. She stopped short. A small, bloodred stone winked from beneath the lamp. Her breath caught as she spied the bracelet Gideon had given her, the one she’d admired, with Marilee’s birthstone and the engraved charm.

But she’d left it in the birdhouse.

Never brought it in.

Her mind spun.

Who had found it?

She snatched up the gold links and held them tight in her hand, then spun, searching the room as if she could find the perpetrator. Her heart was hammering, her breath trapped in her lungs.

Someone who knew about the bracelet, someone who had discovered it had been in her house and planted it where she would find it.

Once more she wondered if Gideon had been in her house, her home?

But he didn’t have a key.

Or did he?

She’d heard footsteps, hadn’t she?

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