Page 120 of Running to You

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sam spied Eliza in the front seat and was about to slide into the back when she opened the door and hopped out.

“You’re fine where you are,” he said.

“That’s okay.” Her smile was tight, confirming the feeling he’d gotten when his brother had sent him on this errand.

That there was more to this stop than a new jacket.

He handed her the bag and opened the back door for her before settling in beside his brother.

Michael started the car moving. “Got everything she needs?”

“Yup. Eliza, you might try the jacket on, make sure it fits. It’s heavier than the one you have.” He pulled up the address for the bank, and the map showed on the screen.

The package rustled in the backseat. Then, “It’s great. Thank you.”

He turned to see and wasn’t disappointed. He’d chosen a fitted black suede jacket similar to one she’d owned when they were dating, and as he’d thought it would, it looked great on her.

She stuffed her hair in the black ball cap, then slipped on the sunglasses. “Well?”

“Like a new woman.”

Her lips curled at the corners, but her eyes darted toward Michael.

“What is it?” Sam directed the question at his brother. “What did I miss? Or, should I say, what did you make sure I missed?”

“You guys hungry?”

His stomach had been growling for an hour, but he could wait.

Michael turned into a restaurant parking lot and drove around to the back, where he squeezed the rented SUV between two trucks. “I need food.” He opened his door and stepped out.

Sam and Eliza followed. Part of him wanted to weave his fingers with hers.

More of him wanted to know what they were keeping from him.

Though Michael gave nothing away, Eliza was visibly nervous.

“Why is this place safe but the store wasn’t?” Sam asked.

In front of them, Michael’s shoulders lifted and fell. “Call it instinct.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

After they stood in line and paid for their Mexican food, they headed for a booth in the back, far from the windows fronting the place. Michael slid into one side, Eliza and Sam the other. Sam plopped the little number pedestal in the middle of the table so the servers could find them.

All the while, suspicion hummed through Sam. He knew, he knew, his brother would never betray him. Never.

And hadn’t Eliza told him she’d never stopped loving him?

So what was the big secret that had Michael sending him on errands to get alone with her? That had Eliza looking so guilty?

“I was surprised when you and Eliza broke up.” Michael scanned the area. The diners nearby were paying them no attention. “She seemed so perfect for you, and you were obviously head-over-heels. When she disappeared… Bro, you were not okay.”

“I survived. Some would say thrived.”

Beside him, Eliza shifted.