Page 166 of Stay With Me

“What if it’s just Travis’s way of scamming you out of the money and he doesn’t even owe this guy? Or he already paid him off and he wants the cash to run off for good?”

I shrug. “Still safer to just give him what he wants. I’d pay double if it meant he left for good.”

The look on her face has me wishing I could freely kiss the sadness away.

She snarls. “I hate him so much. And I know I shouldn’t wish ill will or death on someone, but if he is in Florida, I hope an alligator eats him.”

I snort out a laugh. “Out of all the ways to die that’s what you’d pick?”

“Why not? Sounds horrifying.”

“True.”

After a beat of silence, she sits up. “Do you think I need to be worried about my dad? He didn’t mention him, but I wouldn’t put it past him to threaten him next.”

“Yeah, you should probably tell him just so he knows. The more people are aware, the better so they’re not blindsided.”

She nods.

After we go to the sheriff’s office, I’ll update my parents onwhat’s going on and then grab my handgun from their safe while I’m at their house.

“Well, what’re you hungry for?” I ask, hoping we can end the night on a better note.

“Don’t laugh.” She looks up at me through her eyelashes, a hint of pink on her cheeks.

“Okay?”

“I’m cravin’ mac ’n’ cheese and two hotdogs. Like the Kraft kind.” She purses her lips, then adds, “Well, thebabyis.”

I smirk at how cute she looks flustered over boxed pasta. Considering I have plenty in the pantry, she has nothing to be embarrassed about.

“Your secret’s safe with me.” I wink. “Just don’t tell Gramma Grace or she’ll be in here teachin’ you the family recipe.”

“She could stand next to me, hand me the ingredients all measured out, and never take her eyes off me, and I’d still manage to mess it up. It’s a miracle I can bake boxed muffins.”

I laugh at her dramatics, and each time she says something so oddly specific like this, I fall even harder for her.

“Did you decide on a movie?” I ask once I’m in the kitchen.

“The Last Song. It looks like one of those cute young teenage romances.”

I quickly revert back to the living room and swipe the remote. “Were you sheltered as a child? You cannot watch that.”

“Why the hell not?” She furrows her brows, reaching up to steal it back. “I like Miley.”

“It’s based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. You know, the author ofThe Notebook,A Walk to Remember,The Best of Me.” I arch a brow, hoping she’ll understand what I’m implying.

No happy endings.

“Oh.” Her expression drops. “Someone dies in this one?”

“Yeah.” I turn toward the TV. “Here, I’ll pick something.”

“Disney Plus?” She groans when I scroll through the ‘family-friendly’ options.

“Here we go. A classic.”

She snorts. “The Parent Trap?”