Aninvitation.
Apparently, my ability to read men hadn’t gotten any better.
Anger replaced my discomfort, heating me from the inside out until I wanted to scream. I wasn’t angry with Isaac. I was angry with myself.
How could I be this stupid—again?
“Well,” I said as calmly as I could manage, “I guess I’ll see you around.”
My feet took the stairs two at a time, racing to the front door before I let him see an ounce of emotion. He wasn’t that kind of guy.
Isaac stopped me with a hand on my shoulder, crowding me against the railing. “Tara, wait.”
“What?” I snapped.
The glow of the porch light shimmered in his irises. No—that wasn’t right.
They were—
Isaac looked away sharply.
“Don’t pack too quickly.” The words came out brusque and harsh.
I don’t understand. What did I do wrong?
I didn’t dare ask it out loud. Didn’t speak as he rushed down the stairs, stumbling to his truck like he was in physical pain that would end the moment he got away from me.
I stood halfway up the stairs, rain-soaked, shivering, cold seeping into my bones as the headlights of his truck disappeared into the night.
The old version of me would have gone inside to cry. Poured a glass of wine. Felt sorry for myself.
This time, I couldn’t find any tears. There was an odd emptiness in my chest, a hollow that kept expanding as I shut the door behind me.
I opened the window, watching the clouds clear to reveal the brightest, fullest moon I’d ever seen. Somewhere in the distance, I heard an animal howl.
Long, quavering—heartbreaking.
My body reacted, the hairs tingling at the back of my neck.
I had the strangest feeling like I needed to answer it. To throw open that door and stand under that moon too.
I ignored that feeling, shuffling into the bedroom and dropping my suitcase onto the bed.
Don’t pack too quickly.
Yeah, he didn’t have to worry about that. I was already packed.
Chapter 12
Lost and Found
Isaac
Sweatbeadedontheback of my neck, my shirt glued to my prickling skin. I peeled it over my head and threw it onto a nearby chair.
The air in my living room was stale. I’d been gone too long.
Eli had been here recently, his scent faint but lingering in all the places he touched. Saul was here too, his scent sharper, hanging only on the furniture near the front door.