Page 14 of Ten Years Later
“I think we’re good, but thank you.” Mia opened the door. “Time to go, Emily.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Zane,” Emily said, following Mia out.
“You’re fighting a losing battle with that one,” Sharon commented when they left.
“What do you mean?”
“Just that Mia keeps a tight rein on things. She barely lets Emily breathe without monitoring.”
Keaton watched them walk along the storefronts and into a Chinese restaurant.
He untied his green apron. “All is good here. Mind if I head on out?”
“No problem,” Sharon said. “Great job today. See you tomorrow.”
Keaton made quick work of getting to his truck. In the dark, he waited, watching the restaurant. Minutes later Mia and Emily emerged carrying to-go bags. They crossed the lot and climbed into the white Lexus.
He stayed a careful distance as he drove from the lot, through a green light, down one block, and came to a stop at a gated community. Ahead of him, Mia opened the gate. He gave her time to drive through and then followed behind at a careful pace.
She curved around a drive that followed million-dollar estates, finally pulling into a stark white stucco home with dark gray trim and matching roof. He pulled over to the curb and cut his lights. Manicured bushes lined the front of the house with an expertly placed date palm in the front yard. Lawn lights trailed the gray stone driveway leading to the garage.
The garage door went down. Seconds later, Mia and Emily entered the home. Lights came on, allowing Keaton to see white leather furniture and white walls decorated with pristine silver art. Mia went straight to the kitchen decorated with its white marble counter, silver bar stools, and stainless-steel appliances.
He bet Emily hated all that white and gray. He sure as hell did.
Emily disappeared down a hall. Mia lifted a remote, pointing it at the front windows. Blinds slowly closed, cutting Keaton’s view.
No problem because he now knew where Emily lived.
8 /CURRENT DAY
Having just pickedEmily up fromPaint Away the Day!Mia walked alongside her daughter toward the Chinese restaurant. She once again got the weird sensation Zane watched them. She glanced back at the art studio, but all seemed fine. “What did that man whisper in your ear?” she asked Emily.
“Nothing. We were just joking around. He’s nice.”
“He’s also a stranger. Do we need to have another talk about pedophiles and human trafficking?”
“No.”
“You’re a beautiful young woman. Promise me you’ll be smart. Don’t trust so easily. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
In the restaurant, they picked up the order Mia already placed. It didn’t take them but a few minutes to get home.
Once inside, Mia put everything on the counter while Emily headed to her room. Mia used the remote to close the blinds and then put out all the food.
Minutes later, Emily came back dressed in an oversized Kiss band T-shirt, baggy white shorts, and mismatched knee socks—one striped and one with polka dots. They served themselves,sitting at the island to eat. Emily flipped through a magazine as she devoured her carton of beef and broccoli.
Mia picked at her steamed chicken and mixed veggies, her mind ping-ponging with an unexpected email she received earlier today—the content of which required a lot of thought and planning in a short amount of time. More importantly, it necessitated handling Emily with finesse. She wanted to talk to Emily about it but Mia didn’t have the right words yet.
“Don’t you have a showing tomorrow?” Emily asked.
“I do. I know tomorrow is Saturday and we usually go to the beach first thing. Let me do the showing and then we’ll go after that. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“You’ll be okay for an hour or so while I’m gone?”
