Page 34 of A Home for Harmony

“No,” she said. “You’ve been very clear about your feelings regarding my career, or parts of it. I understand it with your job and what you’ve seen and how teens are nowadays. I’m trying to be the opposite, but that doesn’t mean my message is always received properly.”

He watched her video and handed it back after sighing.

“All I see is a gray T-shirt and your shoulders and arms.”

“That’s right. The blanket is covering the rest of me and I make sure nothing in my videos or pictures is visible for people to figure out where I’m located.”

He paused and processed that. “Is there a reason for that other than being cautious?”

“I like having some of my life secret,” she said. “I went on a date a few months ago with someone that lives in New Haven. He came here and we met at the casino. He was posting all sorts of pictures of us there and it was frustrating for me. I never told him where I lived, but said that I had business in the area and picked the casino.”

“Smart,” he said.

“Again, I’m not stupid. I had a feeling he was going to post a lot of things. We met online and I knew he was trying to gain followers using me, but I was hopeful I might be wrong. I don’t like to be used for anything. And it’s part of the reason I like to keep things private. Even a simple date.”

It scared her when Skyler had done that, that someone who she didn’t want to know where she was could find out.

But she’d covered her butt and posted pictures after visiting the day before to make it look like she was working. Then she did the same the next day after going back again.

Anyone else would just assume it was work related and it was close enough to New York City where they knew she’d worked previously.

“So you’re not posting anything about us or me?” he asked.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “My personal life when it comes to that is off limits. I’ve always been that way and made it clear when people ask me. The fact Skyler did that only annoyed me.”

“That’s good to know,” he said. “I don’t think I want to show up in any of your videos or pictures.”

“I’d never do that without someone’s consent and I’m not asking. I post nothing about any of my family members. Not even their names. When I was younger, I had things posted about Theo and Erica, not a lot, but enough and I deleted it all. Do I know someone could recover it? Sure, I do, but it wasn’tanything horrible either. I set up all new accounts when I started working years ago anyway. I’d like to think there was nothing outrageous about my life that someone would snoop so far back into my childhood to find out my family members.”

“You’re a lot more serious about this than people give you credit for.”

“Thank you,” she said, nodding. “I don’t really care all that much about people in general. Which is horrible for me to say in my line of work. But the truth is, those playing a part in my life in person are those I put the most trust in and focus on.”

“Do I fall into that category?” he asked.

“You do,” she said, putting her chin in her hand. “What do you really think of my job and career? Be honest.”

11

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

Micah knew a trap when he saw one.

“I don’t have enough information to fully give an opinion,” he said. “Anything that I say is biased by having a teenager at home.”

“That’s a fair answer,” she said. “One I’m not surprised you’re giving.”

“I try to be fair. I know not many people think law enforcement personnel are fair, but I am.”

“I see it with you,” she said. “Even if you don’t want others to know, it’s there. The way your daughter is with you is enough testimony to it.”

He nodded. “I never looked at it that way. I try to be who I am.”

“Like my video.”

The video of her looking like the girl next door.

Where he wished it was shot in his bed and not hers.