Page 80 of Hunted

“I’m not sure. I mean, I know I’ll have to, eventually. It just feels permanent.”

“Permanent? What do you mean?”

“Like once I have that phone in my hand, I’m fully back to being Darla Danvers.”

“And that scares you?” I take a guess based on the worried look on her face.

“I just don’t know who I am anymore. Before I… left, I thought I’d go to university, get a business degree, take over Dad’s company. And I know Reece said it’s still there for me, he’ll help get it back to me, but…”

“But you’re not sure if you want it anymore,” I say, finishing her train of thought.

She nods. “Yeah. Is that bad? Would my dad be upset with me?”

“Sweetheart, of course not.” I grab her hand and hold it in between mine, as Bower wraps his arm around her shoulder in silent support. “Your dad would want you to be happy.”

“Besides,” Bower adds, “you could keep the business and just have someone else run it.”

She looks at him in surprise, like she hadn’t thought of that. I shrug as I reply, “That’s an option, too. Just remember, it’s your life, and it sounds like your dad was a great man. I’m sure he would be okay with whatever makes you happy.”

She nods, staring down at her hands in thought.

“But you don’t need to decide anything now. Or even this week, or year. Take all the time you need,” Bower adds, and I nod in agreement.

She’s quiet for a moment and I decide it’s time to bring up another sensitive topic. “Darla, I think we should book you an appointment with a doctor. You need a full check-up to make sure you’re in good health after everything that happened.”

“I thought the doctors in Madagascar did that?”

“Well, they did a lot of tests, yes. But you still need a complete scan. We want to make sure you’re good and healthy.”

“I’m fine,” she says stubbornly, her eyes glued to the TV.

“Darla, I really think you should go.”

“Can we not talk about this right now?” She turns those big beautiful green eyes on me, and I can’t help but nod, willing to agree to anything to remove the pain I see there.

The sound of the front door closing makes us all startle.

Wasn’t it locked?

I jump up, wishing I had some sort of weapon as I quickly round the couch, hoping to head off the intruder before they make in it here, but when Mrs. G walks around the corner, I let out a long breath.

Her eyebrow raises in question, an amused look on her face.

“Sorry, we’re a little jumpy right now.”

“No harm. I’m just here to get started on dinner.”

Checking my watch I frown. “It’s only three o’clock.”

“Yes, and pot roast takes time.”

“Fuck, yes, my favorite!” Bower yells from the couch.

“Language!” she chastises him, making Darla giggle. He narrows his eyes at her, then tickles her, making her squeal. The sight of her laughing eases my tension. This is how I always want to see her, happy and carefree.

The doorbell chimes through the air, cutting off their laughter, and I move quickly to see who it is. Arnold is around here somewhere, but I’m probably closer to the door.

When I pull it open, my jaw drops open in surprise. “Mom?”