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“I thought you can’t help anymore?”

“I’m not obligated to help you because we no longer have a deal. But that doesn’t mean I won’t if time becomes available.”

I appreciated his gesture. “Thank you for meeting me today.”

When he left, I stood on the sidewalk watching the fire engines and police cars arrive. The firefighters went into the stores. They returned a few minutes later and told everyone we could go back. It was a false alarm.

Suspicion percolated in my head. This was no accident, and I knew who was responsible. The idea hadn’t dawned on me until now. The perfect distraction to disrupt everything. My lips twisted in annoyance, and I decided it was time to confront him.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

VIVIAN

Kaylee askedif she could spend the weekend at Violet’s place because Violet had asked her for a girl’s weekend together. I called Grace to make sure it was all right with her. I didn’t want my sister to intrude if she already had plans.

“Of course. Kaylee is like my second daughter. And Violet loves hanging out with her. They entertain themselves. I don’t have to do anything but feed them.”

“Thanks, Grace.”

I felt bad Kaylee was always over there. Violet had also spent a few nights here, but Kaylee knew I preferred privacy, especially when I was digging into Aimee’s whereabouts. It was better to keep outsiders away from what I had to do.

After giving Kaylee some money to chip in for the food, I headed over to Arrow’s place.

My brain had been keeping track of all the places I’d bumped into him. A well-thought-out picture had formed in my head.

I had called Audri, asking for his home address on the pretense that Kaylee wanted to send him a thank-you card for letting her join Whiz Kidz.

I wanted to surprise Arrow, catch him off guard. He was a methodical guy accustomed to planning, and I wanted to unsettle him. I could’ve asked him, but he’d suspect something. I didn’t want him to know I was coming over.

Glancing in the mirror, I ensured my makeup and hair were perfect, pausing to fix the rebellious strand of hair that wouldn’t obey.

Shit.

What was I doing? I’d never cared this much about my appearance, especially when I was peeved. I didn’t like being manipulated, and he’d manipulated me. Hadn’t he? Somehow, I’d fallen into his trap.Ugh.

Snow fell slowly, and there was something peaceful about driving on the street while the gentle flakes flew around me. Maybe I shouldn’t have come all this way to give him a piece of my mind. But I was halfway there already, so I might as well get it over with.

I would’ve worn snow boots if I had known about the snowfall. The meteorologist had said something about flurries, not the increasing flakes flying around. Maybe I was at the tail end of a snow squall that would end soon?

The GPS told me to turn in five hundred feet.

As expected, he lived in a posh area with homes I could never afford.Gosh, look at thegorgeous Christmas lights everywhere.They were so beautiful. I followed the GPS to a house that was the farthest from everyone else in the neighborhood.

If I were spending that much money, I wouldn’t want to be close to my neighbors either. Unlike the other homes, he didn’t have Christmas lights. It looked dark and sad compared to everyone else. Why didn’t he put up any lights?

I pulled into his driveway and spottedfivegarages.Who needed this many cars?

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

ARROW

The hot showerafter the workout in my home gym was exactly what I needed to clear my head.

I’d received enough information about Vivian’s past to make me wantto wrap her in my arms and tuck her away someplace safe. No wonder she had built a barrier around herself, keeping one foot in the dark and one in the light.

I’d been drawn to her because of the misery she’d experienced. But I wanted more details about her life that no one else knew. I wanted an invitation to her secrets—into her heart.

I should focus on my wine competition in Monaco, but my thoughts were on Vivian. I threw on a T-shirt and cotton pants and went into the kitchen to see what I wanted for dinner. A few takeout orders had been delivered earlier today because it had been a work-from-home day for me.