“Candace, please!” His voice is raised. I look up at him and can feel my chin quivering. Closing the space between us he places his hands on my shoulders and lowers his head so we are face to face. “What the hell is going on? Talk to me, dammit. You’re scaring the hell out of me.”
I shake my head back and forth. “I…I can’t do this anymore.” Tears fall down my face. A dark line forms between his eyes as he frowns, the confusion painted plainly on his face. “I’m sorry. I…I…have to go.” His confusion fades into fear then sadness. He’s so easy to read. Brisban always wears his emotions for all to see.
“I don’t understand. I need to understand. Please tell me what this is all about.” He’s pleading with me and I don’t have the heart to tell him. He will feel so violated knowing I know every intimate detail of his life with Dawn and their daughter. He reaches out and cups my chin with his warm hand. “You have no reason to be scared of me. Whatever it is, just tell me.” His beautiful eyes trace my face. The tiny creases at the edges grow deeper as his confusion heightens.
“Brisban,” I start. “It’s so complicated.” I pause, trying to formulate some kind, any kind, of response that will pacify the situation in this moment. “I just…it’s—”
He’s searching my eyes for answers. Before I can continue the doorbell rings.
“Dammit.” He looks toward the stairway and drops his hands to his sides.
“It’s okay. I really do need to go. Can I please just call you later?” I hope he can hear the pleading in my voice. I need him to let me go. I need to think.
“Whoever it is will go away. I’m not answering the door. And if you think I’m letting you walk out of here in the state you’re in, you’re mistaken. Something is seriously wrong and I’m not letting it go. Wasn’t I clear with you tonight? I care for you, Candace. Do you understand?” He runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head back and forth. “I feel like if you walk out the door right now that I’m losing you forever. I don’t know why, but that’s what this feels like. And I’m not losing you when I’ve only just found you.”
The doorbell chimes over and over again. Whoever it is isn’t going away.
Oh God, I hope it isn’t James. I can’t deal with him right now.
“Someone really wants you to come to the door. Please just answer it and let me go home. If it’s James I can deal with him.”
Anger instantly fuels his glare. “Surely he isn’t that forward. If that’s him at my door I will deal with it.” I’ve never seen Brisban lose his cool or act this upset. I hurriedly button the last button of the coat and step down only two stairs. I lean in toward the downstairs, listening as he opens the door.
“You can’t be here right now, Dawn. It’s a bad time.”
My stomach sinks and suddenly my coat feels like a heating blanket. My skin becomes clammy and I’m burning up. Anxiety creeps up my spine as I tip toe back up the stairs, doing all I can to not make a sound. The thumping in my head increases. This is a nightmare. Here I am with nothing but a trench coat on, freshly fucked, in the bedroom of my clients’ ex-husband while she’s merely feet away from me. Shame and gut wrenching regret swirls inside of me. This isn’t me; isn’t my life. I don’t screw up like this. Candace Greene lives an organized, calm life. None of this is right. The volume of their voices rise and I can hear every word.
“Who’s here, Brisban? I see the car outside. You took forever coming to the door and you’re in your boxers. What whore is shacked up here with you this time?”
Whore, yeah, that’s exactly what I feel like right now.
“Calm down. You don’t get to ask me questions like that. Let’s not do this. I don’t like fighting with you. Why are you here?” His voice sounds pained.
“I’m here about Willow.”
“What about…her?”
His tone softens and just hearing the sadness in his voice hurts my heart.
“You can’t even say her name, can you? Have you even said it once since we lost her?”
“Just tell me what you want to tell me.”
Words drenched in regret and defeat is what I hear. I slide down the bedroom wall and hug my knees to my chest.
“The police department called me half an hour ago. They found the remains of a young child on the east side of town in the woods. Hikers came across them. They think it might be Willow. That’s why I’m here.”
I slap my hand over my mouth, doing all I can to hold back the cries bottling up in my throat.