Chapter 13
Thirteen
Ellie
Girl! Give me all the details!
Aubrey’s text message lights up my phone just as I’m climbing into bed later that night.
I smile as I type out a reply, a simple:
Not much detail to give. He was a perfect gentleman :\
Boo! Comes her reply.
I yawn and stretch, setting my phone down on the nightstand just before the screen lights up with another notification. This
time it’s an email. I navigate to my email app and frown when I find a new message in my inbox.
Elyse,
Please reply promptly with any details that may be pertinent to the situation regarding the target.
xxx K
I think over the conversation between Matt and me as we ate dinner.
The date was short, ninety minutes at most, and my date talked about himself the entire time.
I smiled, nodded, tried to play demure, but the conversation was mind-numbing at best. He asked no questions about me, which was for the best considering the situation, but if I had to be honest, I would say it was one of the worst dates I’ve ever been on.
My reply to the email is short and sweet:
No pertinent details to share. Sorry.
—E
Before I’ve even set my phone down again, the app pings with another notification.
Set up another date then. More intimate. We’ll be in touch soon. xx
I groan audibly. Nothing about spending time with Matthew Ruehlman is easy, especially when I have an agenda beyond just getting
to know him. I don’t reply to the email, but spend a moment considering if I should text Matt and thank him for a great date.
I decide to wait until morning. I don’t want to appear too eager.
I set my phone back on my nightstand, thinking about my absent husband and how our marriage has gotten to such a deteriorated state.
Then I blink away the tears forming in my eyes, thinking maybe one more glass of wine will help me sleep.
Maybe I should treat myself to a mental health day tomorrow and book an appointment at the day spa on East 22nd Street.
I could even bring lunch to Jack at the office like I did when we were first married.
But then I think that’s just another example of me overextending and him taking, taking, always taking.
I suck in a deep breath and wipe at more tears welling in my eyes. My phone chooses that moment to alert me with another text
message. I smile, thinking it’s probably Aubrey again. But when I pick up the phone something else awaits me.
You looked so beautiful today. I almost said hello.
A shiver of terror races through me as I reread the text message. Should I reply? Tell Jack? Call the police? The tears flow
then, wetting my cheeks as frustration and fear flood my system. Helplessness weighs on my shoulders and for the first time
I think I can’t trust anyone. Who is watching? Who has my number? And why?