Page 31 of Starting Anew

They both stopped and laughed, the sound breaking some of the tension. Lynn shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. Look, I know you’ve got something you want to say, but you seem really hesitant. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Or pressured in any way.”

His words and concerned expression had Lynn’s heart melting right along with some of her worries. “I appreciate that. I’m not going to lie about being nervous. But it’s something that I need to tell you. I hope and pray you’ll be able to understand.” She swallowed hard.

Just as she was about to begin, raised voices floated to them from the front of the restaurant.

Nathan leaned a little over the table and lowered his voice. “I wonder if someone tried to skip out on their bill.”

Lynn was beginning to wonder, too, until a small group of people skirted past several of the employees and headed in her direction. Her gaze went to a window where she could see people cupping their hands by their eyes as they peered in.

“Oh, no.”Please, God, not right now. They can’t have found me. Not before I was able to tell Nathan.Her stomach rolled as her worst fears were realized.

One of the men at the front of the group had a cell phone out, seemingly recording a video. “Bethany, what have you been up to since you left the music industry?”

~*~

Jeb wished he could see through the restaurant window well enough to witness Bethany’s shock. From the moment he’d announced her presence on social media, he’d hoped people would investigate to see if he was right. This turnout? Way beyond his expectations.

And it served her right, too. What was she thinking going out with that guy again? And after everything Jeb had tried to do to show her he was back.

It was time she faced reality.

Bethany needed to return to her roots. Her music.

Return to him.

~*~

Nathan struggled to understand what was going on. Why did that man refer to Lynn as Bethany? And why wasn’t she correcting him? What did any of this have to do with the music industry?

Lynn stood from her seat as her mouth opened and closed again. When she looked at him, Nathan could see that this was way more than anything he’d imagined over the last week or two. He’d thought maybe she had extra debt she was worried about. Or a health concern. He never, in a million years, could have imagined this.

He wanted an explanation. To know exactly what was going on. But more people were pouring into the restaurant. This wasn’t the place.

Nathan pulled some money out of his wallet, placed it on the table to pay for their meal, and then put a protective arm around Lynn’s shoulders.

There was no ignoring the warning blaring in his head or the way his stomach was twisting into knots. All he knew right now was that they needed to talk, and they certainly couldn’t do so here.

Lynn’s jaw was clenched so tightly, he could see the tension in her neck.

He pushed their way through the crowd, refusing to say a word, and thankful that Lynn said nothing as well. The last thing they needed to do was encourage this crowd of people.

Thankfully, Nathan had found a parking spot very close to the restaurant. They were able to get into his Jeep and on the road quickly. He kept an eye on his rearview mirror, but never did see anyone that seemed to be following them.

Even still, he took his time winding his way through town until he pulled up in front of Lynn’s place.

She still hadn’t spoken about what happened, and he didn’t ask for an explanation. Not yet. Instead, he walked around to her door and opened it for her. “I think it’d be better to go inside and talk.”

Lynn nodded, took the hand he offered, and stepped down. As soon as she had her balance, she let go of his hand.

Nathan tried not to take the fact she didn’t continue to hold his hand as a bad sign of their conversation to come.

He followed them inside where she got them both a glass of ice water and they settled on the couch in the living room.

Nathan replayed what happened at the restaurant in his mind. Surely the guy had been mistaken. But why hadn’t Lynn corrected him? Had she been lying to him about who she is? If so, what else could she be holding back?

Those old insecurities he thought he’d put behind him shoved their way back to the surface again. Nearly everyone he’d counted on lied to him in a big way: His birth parents, his adoptive parents, and even Mia’s mother. He didn’t know how to handle it if Lynn had been doing the same.

---