Page 86 of Savage Little Lies

“I’m sure it’s fine,” I reply before motioning for her to lead the way.

Part of me wants to be alone so that I can process everything in peace, but another part of me doesn’t want to be away from her. She helps me relax and think clearly, but she’s been eerily quiet since the bad news came this morning.

“This way,” Cara replies before taking me inside and up to her floor. She glances at me before stopping in front of her unit and fiddling with her key ring to find the right one.

“Oh! Wait, dear!”

Both Cara and I freeze as an older woman down the hall waves her hand and hurries in our direction.

“Hi,” Cara replies awkwardly, her eyes briefly flickering to mine.

The older woman stops in front of us and smiles, placing her hand against her chest as she catches her breath. “I’m Edith. I live down the hallway, and I just wanted to welcome you since you’re new!”

Cara’s shoulders grow rigid. “Oh, thank you. That’s so kind. I’ve been here a while, though,” she says too quickly.

The older woman tilts her head. “Oh, well, I knew the couple who lived in your unit before. You’ve barely been here a month! I hope you’re liking it.”

A month.

She told me in her interview that she’d been here longer.

Cara smiles stiffly. “It’s very nice here.”

“And who is this? Your boyfriend?” the older woman asks as she turns to me with an intrigued smile on her face.

“My boss,” Cara blurts out before snapping her mouth shut.

The older woman’s expression wavers in confusion for a moment, but her smile remains. “How…nice. Oh, well, I just wanted to say hello. If you need anything, I’m just down the hall on the left!”

“Thank you,” Cara tells her before turning back to her door and quickly opening it. She heads inside, not wasting a second.

“You just moved here?” I ask her as I follow her and shut the door behind me.

“I didn’t officially move here from Boston until I got the job,” Cara explains.

That makes sense. I nod and gesture to her bag, now filled with cash. “Where do you want me to put this?”

“The bedroom is fine,” Cara says as she motions for me to follow her into a nearby room. “Sorry for the mess.”

I glance around the apartment, noting how clean and simple it looks. There are barely any decorations anywhere. No pictures. No books. No random items for a unique hobby or interest.

Just the basic, necessary furniture. It looks staged.

I thought she would be the type to decorate and coordinate by color and theme, but it doesn’t seem to be that way at all. It’s actually pretty bland, which is surprising.

Then again, if she’s only been here for about the same amount of time that she’s been working with me, there hasn’t been much time to make this place feel more like a home than an apartment.

I set her bag down on her bed, my eyes trailing around her small bedroom. A dresser. A nightstand. A walk-in closet. A window.

Not even a lamp? A candle? Something that tells me something about her?

“Is something wrong?” Cara asks.

I turn to face her, seeing a nervous expression on her face. “No. My head just hurts.”

“I’ll go get you a Tylenol,” Cara offers, leaving the room before I can tell her not to worry about it.

I consider following her out, but my curiosity and lingering confusion make me remain frozen in place as I inspect the room. Something about it doesn’t fit her.