Page 140 of Shadowing You

When she moved, he glanced at her, and his worries slid behind a smile. “Hey, sleepyhead. How do you feel?”

She considered the question. “A little warm,” she admitted. “But not like last night.”

He stood. “I’ll get you some ibuprofen⁠—”

She caught his hand as he walked by her. “It’s a mild fever. It won’t kill me.”

His fingers closed around hers, and he attempted another smile.

She sat up. “What’s wrong?”

He settled on the edge of the sofa beside her. “I just heard from Gavin. Still no news on Lu Feng.”

“Ah. But you have a job to get back to. I will be fine if you leave me here with…” She couldn’t remember the bodyguard’s name.

Ethan drew back. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Your job⁠—”

“Mei Lin. I’m not going back to Virginia without you.”

He looked offended that she’d thought he might. This man who’d done so much for her, and was still risking his job. He wasn’t going to leave her.

She wanted to tell him she wasn’t worth that sacrifice, but for some reason, he seemed to think she was.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s good because I think I was lying. I wouldn’t be fine if you left me.” She pushed the blanket off and rose. The floor tilted under her, and she steadied herself on the arm of the couch before crossing toward the kitchen.

He followed. “What do you need? I can⁠—”

“I’m okay.” She’d seen Gavin putting things away in a pantry, so she went that direction. “I can fend for myself.”

She opened the door, and then she stopped. There were rows and rows of food, boxes and tins and bags stacked two deep. The refrigerator hummed behind her, and she wondered if it was just as full. The sheer volume of food had her almost swaying again.

Ethan leaned against the counter. “Gavin went a little overboard. He didn’t know what we’d like, so he got a variety.”

She spotted a loaf of bread and a jar of preserves, remembering a question she’d meant to ask earlier. “Who are Brooklynn and Cici? Gavin said the bodyguard is Cici’s fiancé, yes?”

“His name is Asher.”

“That’s right. And Brooklynn—she bought me the clothes?”

“I’m guessing Gavin paid for them, but she did the shopping.” Ethan took the loaf of bread from her. “Sit down, and I’ll tell you about them.” He pulled out a stool at the island, eyebrows lifted.

“I can make my own toast.” But she sat.

“You’re in no condition to operate complicated machinery.”

“Yes, with inserting the bread and pushing down the button. How could I manage without you?” She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t move. She’d expended all her energy walking to the kitchen.

“Cici and Brooklynn are Gavin’s daughters.” Ethan searched the cabinets until he found the toaster, then plugged it in and added two slices of bread. “There are five of them.”

She remembered the photograph Ethan had told her about, the one he’d seen when he was a little boy. “These were the girls in the picture.”

“Right.” He disappeared behind the refrigerator door and came out with the butter. “I knew about them, of course.” He leaned against the counter beside the toaster. “I actually met Delaney last year. She was living in Driftwood, working as a nanny, when the little girl she was taking care of got a pretty bad rash—poison oak. Delaney brought her to the ER. As soon as she told me her name, I knew who she was.” He dropped his gaze. “It’s a little embarrassing, but I’d looked them up, Gavin’s daughters. I’d seen them on social media. But Delaney didn’t know I existed. None of them did.” He met Mei Lin’s eyes again. “It wasn’t like I could tell her. But we became friends. I mean, not great friends, but when I saw her, I would always talk to her.”

“Do the rest live in Maine?”

“I think so. I thought it was a strange coincidence that she’d moved to Virginia, but Delaney later told me that she’d gone to Driftwood because her parents had friends who lived nearby. I guess they spent some time there when she was a kid, so it was familiar. I never asked, but I think Gavin must have met my mother one time when they were visiting. Anyway, it’s a long, sordid tale, and I don’t know all the details.”