Page 29 of Long Lost Winter

“I’m heading out.”

She wanted to be nice to this guy, help this guy, and Nate just… couldn’t stand it.If he stuck around, he’d say something shitty that would piss her off and he…

He didn’t want to piss her off.Didn’t want to argue with her.Didn’t want all this confusion and hurt.

Running away wasn’t an answer—he’d done that before.But they didn’t have time to face it right now.She had…this, and he had court.

Sam looked at him.Her expression was unreadable, but he thought he was starting to get it.Not trying to keep him out, exactly.No, it was deeper than that.Because Sam was not afraid to just tell someone to back off.To butt out.To let her handle things.

That blank, that silence when they disagreed about something was more… vulnerable.She expected everything to be the end.The rift that seemed to happen in all her relationships.Her dad, her aunt, Aly back in the day.She was poised for it at all times.

But she wasn’t going tochangefor it, and maybe that was why he felt about her the way he did.

“Okay.See you there,” she said in the detached way he hated.

Putting up walls.Not meant to keep people out.Meant to keep herself safe.He wasn’t sure he’d fully realized that until this moment.

Because wasn’t that why he put up his own walls?

Still, he couldn’t fix that now.Couldn’t climb her walls or his.He had a trial to suffer through.

But now that he understood fully, maybe there was a little wall climbing in his future.

*

Sam felt likecrying, but that wasn’t going to get her through the day.She scrubbed her hands over her face and tried to reorient herself to the here and now.She didn’t have much time to discuss everything with Bo.So she had to be on top of things.

He was looking at her with something like concern on his face, so she offered him a smile.

“I had some trouble here last night, Bo.Someone tried to break in.”

His eyebrows scrunched together, and he kept his hat in a death grip.“I’m real sorry to hear that.”

“I hope you’ll understand that I have to ask.You didn’t travel to Marietta with anyone, did you?”

His expression went from concern and confusion to something very,veryhard.He didn’t look quite so young now.“You think I had something to do with it?”

“No,” Sam replied evenly.“The guy on the security footage wasn’t you.But I need to be sure it doesn’t connect.”She made a gesture to encompass the office.“I’m an investigator, and I have to investigate all the angles.”

He pulled the hat onto his head with a jerk.“Yeah, sure.I know how this goes.”

“How what goes?”

“I didn’t do anything, but no one ever believes me.Thanks for nothing, Ms.Price.”He made a move for the door.

“Bo, wait.”

Sam felt pulled in two separate directions.Feeling like no one ever believed him, jumping straight to that, felt like a man who found alotof trouble.But the genuine anguish in his words pulled at an empathy she was worried would get her in trouble.

But no matter what, that gut feeling led the way.And she couldn’t let him storm out.Couldn’t let that be it.Maybe that wasn’tjusther gut.Maybe it was wanting to give the Bennets answers.Maybe they’d be more shitty ones, but better than lies.

Is the truth all you care about?her aunt had demanded of her after her father’s sentencing.The words haunted her now.Maybe.Maybe itwasall she cared about.

So that meant she had to find it.

“You can run away, Bo,” she said, keeping her voice the same kind of detached even.“Without answers.Without help.Let me think you had something to do with this.”

His scowl was softer now.He almost looked like he might cry.Her heart ached when it shouldn’t.