A Day in a Life

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Elijah

I HEAR THE door open, and a sweet whisper-voice says, “Honey, I’m home!”

I turn to see a blinding smile coming from Saige. Happiness exudes from every pore of her skin.

I can’t help myself. I approach her, wanting nothing more than to pick her up in my arms and twirl her around in a circle. Then I’d like to kiss her breathless. A long, deep kiss where we forget about dinner and make out all night.

But I don’t dare.

Instead, I plant a soft kiss on her forehead, holding my lips in place for much longer than I should.

Her slight intake of breath tells me the forehead kiss was perhaps just as intimate, if not more so, than a heated kiss on the lips.

I agree. But I still ache to kiss her properly. And long. And then hard. Then soft again. I want to experience every nuance of a kiss there is to explore with her.

“Dinner’s almost ready. It’ll be about ten minutes. I’m not promising it will be good, but the effort will make it edible. I hope.” I’d made an oven-roasted whole chicken surrounded by potatoes, carrots, onions, and chicken broth. The chicken is covered with a roasted garlic and herb seasoning mix, making the apartment smell amazing. It’s Emersyn’s favorite one-pot dinner. Believe me, I’ve been on the phone with her a lot today. It’s already out of the oven, but evidently I’m supposed to let the chicken rest for a while before cutting into it. I forget why, but it’s taking a long nap. I’m just about to put together a salad, and then I’ll warm the rolls. We’ll be all set.

“Mind if I hop in the shower? I’ll be quick. I’m dying to get out of my work clothes. I feel grimy.”

“Not a word that describes you, my dear.” She smells just as fresh as always. She wears a flowery scent I can’t place, but the smell will forever remind me of her. One day I’ll pass by a flower, the scent will hit my senses, and I’ll think of Saige with fond memories. I’m not sure how this relationship will turn out, but I fear it won’t be good.

“You’re turning on the charm tonight, Mr. Garrett,” she says as she heads for her bedroom, a smile in her voice.

When she returns about twenty minutes later, she’s dressed in light skinny jeans with holes at the knees, and a white blouse, looking casual yet stunning. I heard the blow-dryer earlier working its magic on her long hair. It’s beautiful freshly washed and brushed. Long and straight, framing her face attractively, her eyes large and luminous. There’s another line for my cheesy unwritten love song.

“It smells amazing in here. My stomach’s grumbling, and I’ve been working around food all day.”

I smile, pleased to have made her happy. “How about some music?”

“Hang on, I forgot my phone.” She turns toward her bedroom. “This is amazing, Elijah,” she says over her shoulder.

While I’m finishing setting the table, I say, “All for you, Sydni.”

She freezes in place, her back to me.

I realize my mistake immediately, but I still set the silverware down on the table, placing each piece in perfect alignment with the others, taking my time. Then I straighten to my full height.

I know our dinner plans have just been canceled. Our entire relationship has just been canceled. I’ve been calling her Saige vocally and in my head for quite some time now. I can’t believe I just slipped.

Slowly, she turns to face me, her smile fading until it’s gone. I know I won’t see it again.

“What did you call me?” Her words are low and dangerous as her eyes bore into mine.

I knew this moment had to happen soon. I wasn’t expecting it to be tonight. There’s no use denying it or blowing it off with a joke. One word and my cover’s blown.

“Sydni.”

“How do you know that name?” Her voice is even quieter than usual.

“It’s your real name.”

“How do you know that?” she persists.

“Because I followed you here.”

“Why?”

“I was looking for you.”

“Why? Who sent you?”

“The important thing is I found you.” She’s going to want more, and I know it.

“ Who are you ?” slips from her lips as though it’s painful to say the words.

“I told you the truth. I’m a private investigator.”

“Investigating me ?” Her eyes turn liquid, but no tears fall.

“Yes.”

She seems to crumple before my very eyes. She’s still standing, but every part of her is sagging. She covers her face with her hands for a moment as everything sinks in. I long for the happy woman who walked into the apartment twenty minutes ago.

“I thought…I thought…” she repeats.

“You thought what?”

“I thought I was starting over. Fresh. No baggage from my former life. Instead, I’m a case. Nothing but a case?” The devastation in her voice slays me.

She’s waiting for me to deny it. I don’t. It’s true. She sways, making me worried she’s about to faint. “Please let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you’ve pretended to like me so you could get close to me? Is that all I am to you? Is it?”

It hits me with full force that her main concern is whether or not our relationship is fake. Her first question is not why I’m investigating her. It’s “Is our relationship real?”

Whatever I say, she won’t believe me. Not after this huge betrayal. I try anyway. “No, you’re not just a case to me.” I don’t dare say more. We haven’t known each other long, but this is the most I’ve ever felt for a woman. Even my ex-wife. I think that makes everything a little too real.

“What do you want from me?” she asks, her sweet face looking as though it’s about to shatter into a million pieces like a broken mirror. I fear for her mental state.

“The truth.”

“About what?”

“About the night you disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” A confused frown covers her face.

“Yes. You were labeled as a missing person. Now that it’s been seven years, you’re about to be declared legally dead.”

The only thing that moves on her body is the blinking of her eyes. “Missing? I’m not missing. I’m not dead. I’m right here. Case solved.”

“Cole’s about to collect your life insurance money. Eight hundred grand. He’s going to go through the roof if he doesn’t receive it. He’s waited seven years, and he feels he’s been wronged.” Just wait until he finds out he only had to wait five years. He’ll explode.

“Cole?” she questions. Her eyes wander downward as her brain ticks away, absorbing this new information and all that it means. “He…what? I don’t understand. How am I a missing person?” Her confusion is sincere.

“You really don’t know?”

“I really don’t know.”

Suddenly the smoke alarm goes off. The rolls. They’re burning. I turn off the oven and pull the charred pieces of bread out, placing the cookie sheet in the sink and turning on the water. A sizzling sound meets our ears.

Sydni waves a towel under the smoke alarm until it stops its ear-piercing shriek while I turn on the fan above the oven.

Once the crisis is averted, Sydni leans her back against the refrigerator. I’m not sure if she sits on purpose or if she slides down the fridge in shock. But before I know it, she’s on the floor, sitting with her knees up, her arms hugging her legs.

I painfully lower myself to sit across from her, leaning against a dining room chair. We face each other with solemn expressions.

Sydni’s racing thoughts catch up with her. “So me and you, nothing has been real.” It’s not a question. “I’m such a sucker.”

I remain quiet, wondering if she’ll believe anything I say.

“You’re here to investigate me . The way we met, everything was carefully orchestrated. I see that now. It’s all fake. You work in insurance fraud. You believe I’m in on it, don’t you?” She’s scary calm and quiet in the face of betrayal.

“I wasn’t sure at first. I knew it was possible. Now? No, I don’t believe you’re in on it. It’s obvious you want nothing to do with Cole.”

“I want nothing from him except his signature on divorce papers.” Sydni takes a deep breath. “You know what? I don’t care if you believe me or not. If you think I’m in on it, prove it.”

There’s that backbone she’s known for. I just devastated her, and she’s already fighting back. I’m secretly proud of her. She’s so much stronger than everyone thinks.

“You’re very good at your job, Mr. Garrett. Do you often charm your suspects?” She’s turning her damaged emotions into anger. “How relieved you must’ve been when I announced that I planned to keep my marriage vows. No need to fake physical attraction. I made it easy for you.”

This is the girl who told Cole’s lover to shut up while crying her eyes out. This is the girl who left Cole and said adios to her old life, her family, her friends. I see her now.

“I’ve never once charmed a suspect…and meant it. Until now.” Not once. Sydni is a first for me.

“A suspect? Is that what I am? I don’t think I can believe anything you say.” Then she adds, “Ever again.”

It feels like she stabbed me, then dug the knife in deeper and wiggled it around for effect. Can’t say I don’t deserve it. I haven’t been honest with her.

Her eyes wander as she flips through the files in her brain. She closes her eyes as a fake laugh leaves her lips. “Oh my gosh. You bumped into me on purpose.” It’s a statement, not a question. “You dropped your books on purpose. Do you even need a cane? Ah, of course not. You were faking. Everything was a lie. You were trying to get me to notice you.” She takes a deep breath. “It worked. Well played, Mr. Garrett.”

“I wasn’t playing.” I wish she’d call me Elijah.

“Weren’t you? You think you know everything. You know nothing about me. Absolutely nothing ,” she says, her eyes fierce. “Do you hear me? You know nothing .”

“I know that eight hundred grand in life insurance money is about to be disbursed to a man whose wife isn’t actually dead.”

“What does that have to do with me?” she asks, her whisper intense.

“You’re in hiding. You’ve been in hiding using an alias for almost seven years. Can you not see why that looks suspicious?”

She lets out another disdainful laugh while a few tears wander down her cheeks. She’s putting on a brave front. Inside, she’s destroyed. And I did this to her.

“Do I look like I’m in hiding?” she asks.

“You’re using an alias.”

“Like I said, you know nothing . It’s not an alias.”

“I know.”

“You know what?”

“I know what your name means to you.” I know this will bring her emotions to new heights. I hate doing it. But there can’t be any more secrets between us.

Her eyes widen. “How can you know?”

“Cole told me.”

Her chest rises and falls like she’s trying to catch her breath. “I guess the two of you are buddies now. What else did he tell you?”

“I would never be friends with that man. He’s as fake as they come, wrapped in a pretty package. Cole told me everything he wanted me to know and nothing more.”

“That sounds like Cole.”

Sydni isn’t moving, as though she’s paralyzed, but the rise and fall of her chest remains pronounced. I hate the way she’s curled in a ball, as though she’s protecting herself from me.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Do you care?”

“I do.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” Everything is sinking in, and the tears are beginning to flow. She wipes at them angrily, as though she doesn’t want me to see them.

“Now you know I’m not dead. You have your proof. Need a picture? I’ll pose. Just go away and leave me alone. You know where the door is.”

“I want more.” So much more. There are so many questions left unanswered.

“I’ve given you everything . There’s nothing left,” she says sadly, a woman who knows she’s just lost it all.

It’s true. She gave me her heart unconditionally. She doesn’t know I’ll never give up on her. I doubt she’d believe me if I declared my undying love. I will tell her. Now’s not the moment, though. “I want to know what happened the night of the accident. Did you know your case was labeled a suicide?”

“What?” The blood washes from her face, leaving her pale. “Why?”

“A distraught woman, weak from losing her baby, devastated by a cheating husband. Everyone believed it was suicide.”

Her eyes widen. “You know my life story?” she cries, her hands shaking from shock. “What do you mean by everyone? Who’s everyone?”

“The police.”

“And? My family?” Her voice breaks on the word family.

I don’t want to admit this to her, but the truth needs to be said. “Yes, your family as well. Without a body as proof, your father refused to accept you were dead. He refused to accept that you resorted to suicide. He filed a missing person report. He’s the reason Cole has had to wait to cash in on your death.”

It’s too much. She buries her head in her arms and begins to weep. I give her a moment to let it all out. It’s a lot to unpack. I want to comfort her, but I know my touch won’t be welcome. I wait for her to compose herself.

“This isn’t how I saw this night going,” she says, talking to herself.

“I didn’t want it to happen this way.”

“Was there a good way for me to learn the truth?”

I let out my breath. “No. I knew it would be difficult.”

“What do you want from me? Because I want you out of my apartment. Tell me what you want to know. I just want to get this over with.”

I didn’t expect those words to feel like a dagger to my heart. “I want the truth.”

“Okay.” Her voice is rough with emotion. “Here’s the truth, in case you don’t know already. I’m alive.”

“I got that one. I need more.”

“Okay, try this on for size. Here’s the missing piece you’re looking for. When I arrived here, I called Cole.”

I don’t even try to hide my surprise. That changes things. Drastically. “Hold up. You called him?”

“I did. I didn’t want to be with any of them. Not Cole, and not my family. But I didn’t want them to worry about me either.” Another fake laugh ensues, like she just realized not one of them would have cared. “It was brief and to the point. I told him, ‘I’m in the Keys. I’m fine, and I’m safe. Please tell my family. You won’t hear from me again. None of you.’ That’s it. Cole knows I’m alive, and he knows where I am. If you’re looking for foul play, you just found it.”

My Adam’s apple bobs up and down as I swallow. Hard. I knew that man was shady. There’s a reason why he didn’t try to pursue the life insurance money earlier. He was biding his time, trying not to call attention to Sydni’s case. “He’s never told anyone about that phone call. He likes playing the part of the grieving widower.” I pause for effect. “He’s going down. I promise you that.”

“There’s no proof I called him. It’s my word against his. He wins. He always does.”

“He’s counting on that eight hundred grand in life insurance money. He just lost. Big time. He won’t see a red cent.”

“Good. It’s his turn to know what loss feels like.” She gets to her feet. “Now leave me alone. I don’t want to see you ever again.” She turns to head toward her bedroom.