Page 76 of Day Break

She looked so different. So… beautiful. If I had met her on the street like this, I definitely would have hit on her. Of course, I probably would have just hooked up with her. I felt my stomach roll at the kind of person I’d become in the past few years.

“You look amazing,” I said, when she shut off the blow dryer.

“Thanks.” She smiled and then motioned to her curling iron. “I’m almost done here.”

“No rush.” I leaned on the counter and watched her finish with her hair.

“Tell me about the place we’re going,” she said as she curled her long hair.

“Six Seven. That’s the name of it,” I added when she frowned over at me.

“That’s a strange name.”

“It sits on the water. I reserved a table out on the patio so we can watch the boats and marine life.” I told her everything I knew about the place, and then she asked me about my work. I filled her in as we headed out.

The drive was short, and the roads were pretty clear heading into the city.

When we pulled up, the valet helped her out and I checked in my car. I took her hand in mine, and we walked inside and were seated. It was about half an hour before sunset. The fog from earlier had cleared up, leaving perfect conditions for a beautiful sunset.

“This is amazing,” Chloe said, her eyes trying to take it all in. Then she was handed a menu, and I saw fear cross her face. “What do you like?” she asked me.

“Wine first.” I glanced over the menu, then ordered a bottle I’d enjoyed before. When we were alone, she leaned over and whispered, “I’ve never been to a place this fancy before. What should I order?”

I ran over a few options, and we both decided to try one of their specials. I went with the salmon, and she ordered the steak. That way, we could try each other’s meals.

After ordering, we chatted about how much she enjoyed shopping. Suddenly she stilled, her glass of wine frozen halfway to her lips. A look crossed her face that I’d never seen before.

“What is it?” I asked, following her gaze. There were three tables behind us, each occupied by couples. The indoor dining area was filled with people. I had no idea what had spooked her, but it was obvious that something or someone had scared her. I turned back to her. “Chloe?” I touched her hand, which seemed to get her moving again.

“Lane, I just saw my ex-husband.” She blinked a few times as all the color left her cheeks.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chloe

I had never expected to see Elliott again, though I don’t know why. I knew it was unlikely he would leave the Seattle area.

When the police had asked me to tell them where he was, I’d told them the truth. I had no clue.

It had been days since I’d seen him last. That hadn’t been odd. After we moved to Washington, he’d often disappeared for days at a time.

I was left to fend for myself and to tend to any other families that were visiting or staying in the massive home. But most of the time we had the house all to ourselves.

I had never known who owned the home, nor had I thought to ask.

Most of the rooms had sat empty. We only used four of the rooms ourselves—the one where all of the computers were, a bedroom, a bathroom, and the kitchen.

Everything else sat empty. When there were more families there, they slept in other rooms in sleeping bags.

Of course, the police hadn’t believed me when I’d told them I didn’t know where my husband was or where he went all the time. They also didn’t believe that I had been unaware of the scams he’d been pulling. The millions and millions of dollars he’d stolen from banks, businesses, and people.

It was hard to explain just how ignorant I was to it all. How I wasn’t allowed to leave the bedroom if he wasn’t there, or how I spent most of my time in the kitchen, making meals or washing clothes in the sink, since there hadn’t been a washing machine or dryer.

“Okay,” Lane said, pulling out his phone.