“I found it,” Allie said, returning to the room. “The family’s home address and phone.”
Travis stood and took the slip from her hands. “Thanks, Allie. And it was good seeing you. Still beautiful as always.”
Meredith barely restrained the urge to gag.
“Will you let me know the moment you hear anything?” Allie said as Meredith started to follow Travis out. “And if there’s anything more I can do, please, let me—”
“Yes, we got it, Al,” Meredith said. “I’m sure everything will work out, and I will see you at the gala Saturday night.”
She could hope.
Unwilling to have this woman see her at her most vulnerable any longer, Meredith stepped out into the blinding sunshine to find Travis almost to his car door. Was he even going to wait for her?
She picked up her pace and reached him just as he shut the door and strapped himself in. Standing outside the driver’s side, she waited for him to roll down the window.
He stared at her through the glass, looking like the cat that ate the canary.
Because he had the address. And she didn’t.
There was no way in hell he was going without her. She glared at him and knocked on the window.
He started the engine.
That’s it.
She grabbed the handle, ready to wrench the car door open if necessary, and he smiled as he reached over and pushed a button.
Thank God he was only rolling down the window, because if he’d pressed the door lock she’d have throttled him with her own ha—
“Can I help you with anything, Meredith?”
She leaned in. “Just want to be clear that you’re going to wait for me to get to my car. And you’re not going to try and peel out of here and leave me behind the first chance you get. I’m going with you when you interview the kid.”
“Oh?” He put his sunglasses on and looked over at her. “Are you an expert at questioning hostile witnesses? At getting detailed confessions in high-tension situations? What? Are you going to glare him into talking?” He actually chuckled.
“That’s it. I’m riding with you.” She looked up to find Allie staring at them from the doorway. Was that a smug smile on her mouth, too?
Damn it. She was in control here.
“I’m going to get a ride with Travis,” she announced calmly. “Can I leave my car here for a couple of hours?”
Allie nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
Not waiting for Travis to gun the motor and leave her behind, she raced around to the passenger side, opened the door, and slid in. She smiled at him in victory as she pulled her seat belt on.#p#分页标题#e#
“Hey, it was your idea to take separate cars, if you remember.” He gave her a sideways smile.
For some reason, her victory seemed a little sour, and she wasn’t actually certain who’d won this round.
Neither of them uttered another word for a few minutes as he maneuvered out of the neighborhood. Needing to take some control of the situation, she offered, “Do you want to give me the address? I’m sure I can help direct you to the house.”
He waited ten long seconds before answering her. “No. I think I can remember how to get around.”
She started to object, and he reached his hand out and flipped on the radio.
Really?
Rude. And his musical selection wasn’t any better. She didn’t think anyone listened to eighties music anymore. But rather than argue over his poor taste in music, she sat in silence, staring out the window. Because she had to face the truth that Allie’s comments had brought home.
Darcy had a boyfriend. Someone she was spending all of her time with. Someone she might even love. And she hadn’t even told Meredith about it.
Her daughter really was a stranger to her. How had that happened?
She’d only been twenty-two when she first met Darcy. Ridiculously happy and in love with Jon, Meredith hadn’t cared that he was twice her age and had a half-grown daughter he was raising alone. She only cared that he was warm and funny and made her feel secure. That he was going to love and take care of her forever.
It hadn’t been hard to feel a connection with Darcy. A girl who, like Meredith, had been abandoned by her own mother as a kid. Then Jon died only two years after they were married from a sudden coronary, and her heart had broken from the loss. Abandoned all over again, even as, at the ripe age of twenty-four, Meredith became a single mom to a sullen thirteen-year-old.
She’d sworn then to toughen Darcy up. And herself.
Five years later, what had Meredith really accomplished? Another failed marriage. A daughter who couldn’t wait to get away from her. Sad memories and a whole lot of regrets.