Page 32 of Escape
Because he used to be sweet like this with me in the beginning. It was one of the things I’d loved most about our relationship. It made me fall for him, because I hadn’t ever experienced that in my life. Clearly, he still had that in him. It was a shame he’d lost the man he used to be somewhere along the way.
Whenever he had moments like this with me, it always brought me back to a better time in our relationship. I’d always wonder where it went wrong. And the reality was, if I wasn’t in the mindset I had been in this morning, I didn’t doubt I would have been sitting here feeling hopeful this conversation would be a preview of what was to come, a promise that we could and would get back to better times.
Kurt took off out of the kitchen and walked upstairs. The moment I heard the bathroom door close, I rose from my seat and sought out my phone to send another text to Huck.
Josie
He’s finished breakfast and should be out the door in the next fifteen minutes. Then I’m packing. I should easily be ready to go right around 10.
I sent off the text, confirmed it was delivered, and deleted the conversation once again. Then I got to work on cleaning up the breakfast dishes.
That’s when everything took a turn.
I was standing at the sink, washing the dishes, when I heard Kurt’s footsteps on the stairs. A few seconds later, I heard him in the kitchen, but I continued to work on the dishes.
“Hey, Josie?” he called.
“Yeah?” I replied, not recognizing the change in his tone from a matter of minutes ago.
“What’s on your agenda today?” he asked.
My brows pulled together as I rinsed off one of the plates. We’d just discussed this. Why was he asking again?
I set the plate on the rack to dry, lifted one of the mugs in my hands to clean it, and answered, “I’m going to spend the morning cleaning up the house and doing some laundry. Then I’ll do some brainstorming for ideas for a trip. Why? Did you need me to take care of something for you?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m wondering if there’s a plan for this money you’ve been hiding in the bathroom,” he fired back, his voice lethal.
Oh, God.
Oh, no.
I swallowed hard, tried not to react negatively, and put the mug in the drying rack. Then I turned off the sink, grabbed the hand towel, and dried off my hands as I slowly turned to face him.
Kurt was holding the money I’d hidden in a box of tampons under the sink. I never suspected he’d ever look inside it. Damn it.
“I’m sorry I kept some of my tip money. It’s just that your birthday is coming up soon, and I wanted to save up some money to get you something special,” I lied.
His eyes narrowed. “My birthday isn’t for another three months.”
I lifted my shoulders toward my ears. “I thought it was worth it to start planning early.”
He nodded slowly, a look on his face indicating he didn’t believe a word I said. That’s when he reached into his back pocket, pulled out a small rectangular piece of paper, and held it up between us. “Really? So, were you planning to hire this company to do something for my birthday? Or is there something you’re not telling me?”
Kurt not only found my money, but he found the Harper Security Ops business card Huck had given me. This wasn’t good.
“I… I?—”
“What, Josie? What is this? Where did you get this card?” he questioned me.
Maybe it was best to be honest. “I got it at work,” I confessed. “I saw a friend of mine for the first time since we graduated together from high school. He told me where he worked and gave me his card.”
“He? You think it’s okay to have a guy friend?” Kurt spat.
Shaking my head, my nerves built to unprecedented levels. “That’s not what I meant. He was a friend in high school, Kurt. I haven’t seen him in years.”
Kurt shoved Huck’s card and the money I’d been saving back into his pocket. Then he stepped forward, and I knew immediately what was coming. “Do you think you can leave me? Are you trying to sneak behind my back?”
“No. No, not at all,” I lied again.