Temptation Trails - Page 156

“All right. Night, Harper.”

“Have a great evening.”

I got in my car and immediately locked the doors. Twisting around, I checked the back seat, just to make sure.

Sugar cookies, I really was being paranoid. No one was hiding in my car.

I was pretty sure I remembered the way to Paul and Marlene’s, but I missed having my GPS. Stupid lost phone. I left the bakery and drove through town, my eyes flicking to the rearview mirror over and over. Tension made the back of my neck prickle. I didn’t see anyone back there, even at a distance. Just a handful of other cars coming and going, like a normal evening in Tilikum. Nothing suss, as Owen would say.

But I was still nervous.

Had someone really broken into the house and taken a coaster? What a weird thing to do. But what if Garrett was right, and someone was taunting me?

He was overworked. Hadn’t been sleeping enough. Worried about his job, about me, the baby, Owen, probably a million other things he hadn’t shared with me. He carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.

Was it getting to him? Did he need more than a few days off?

Or was he right and something was happening to us? Something that was starting to spiral out of control?

I didn’t know what to think.

My stomach gurgled. That had been happening off and on for the past several days, as if my body couldn’t decide if it was hungry or not. At least I hadn’t been plagued with morning sickness. That was something.

A disturbing thought crept into my mind as I drove. Had I left an oven on?

I’d been so distracted looking for my phone, I hadn’t triple checked everything the way I usually did before I locked up for the night. Stan and Russell had been waiting for me, and I’d felt pressured to hurry. In my rush to leave, had I left it on?

In fact, had I left the blackberry almond thumbprints in the oven?

Sugar cookies, my entire afternoon felt like a blur. I distinctly remembered putting the batch of blackberry almond thumbprints into the oven. But I couldn’t remember if I’d taken them out.

I had to have. Maybe I’d wrapped them to save for the next day when I’d add the blackberry filling.

I found my way to the turn up Paul and Marlene’s long driveway. The log home was so cozy, even from the outside. The sight of it was comforting. I parked next to a truck, but Garrett wasn’t there yet. That was mildly disappointing. I was craving the warmth and safety of his embrace.

Feeling slightly less nervous than I’d been the first time I visited Garrett’s parents, I went to the front door and knocked. He’d just walked right in, but I didn’t feel like I had come-in-without-knocking privileges.

Owen opened the door dressed in a gray hoodie, the basketball shorts his only concession to the summer weather.

His smile warmed my heart. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“Your dad asked me to meet him here.”

“Cool.” He stepped aside so I could go in. “I was just getting a snack with Uncle Theo.”

I followed him inside. “A snack sounds good.”

He paused and glanced at me over his shoulder. “You aren’t going to tell me I’ll spoil my dinner?”

“Didn’t even occur to me. But I’m pregnant. I can snack all day and still eat a full meal.”

He chuckled. “Cool.”

“Has your dad called or anything? I lost my phone, so I don’t know if he’s tried to call me.”

“No, but I can text him and let him know you’re here.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started typing.

“Thanks.”