The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(48)

It was a headshot of Kate’s mother, Elizabeth. The photo was creased in the middle and worn at the edges, the color faded, but the resemblance between Kate and Elizabeth was astounding. Michael studied the photo and touched the necklace in the picture. The white gold chain was simple, but the pendant in the middle was exquisite. He didn’t know much about jewelry, but he guessed that the center diamond was, at least, two carats, and there were also small diamonds encrusting the large stone.

“That was her grandmother’s necklace—the one the killer took.” David’s brown eyes grew dark. “Where’s Kate? I need to see her.”

“Right now, she doesn’t want to see you.” He was beginning to feel sorry for the guy. Would he have done the same thing if he had been in David’s shoes? Would he have silenced the past?

“I need to protect her.”

“I have that covered.”

“I’m her father.” David slammed his hand against the dashboard as he glared at Michael.

“I’ll talk to her. I’ll see what I can do.” He opened the door and got out of his Audi. “Check into a hotel, and I’ll call you later.” Michael opened the trunk and retrieved David’s small suitcase. “Can I hang onto this photo for a bit?”

“Yes,” he answered as he met him on the sidewalk and stared at Michael, disbelief etched in the lines of his face.

“Here’s my number.” Michael handed him his business card. “I’ll call this afternoon. I promise.”

David knitted his eyebrows together as he took the card. “I have to see her. Please, tell her I’m sorry.”

Michael nodded and walked away, uneasiness building into a full storm that swirled inside him, threatening to break free.

*


“Michael met with your father earlier, and he’s at a meeting right now. He’ll fill us in when we see him later,” Connor said, peering up from his newspaper. “I made coffee. The real kind of coffee. I didn’t know how to use his fancy schmancy gadget.”

Kate tried not to feel disappointed by the fact that Michael wasn’t there. It was after nine, though. She was the one who’d asked him to meet with her dad because she was too cowardly to face him, but she wished she and Michael hadn’t left things the way they had the night before.

She wondered if he had slept with someone last night. Her stomach clenched tight, and she almost felt ill at the thought of him having sex with someone else.

But what had she expected—flowers and a proposal after they’d hooked up?

She couldn’t believe this was her life now.

“Uh, you okay, Kate?” Connor waved his hand in front of her face before handing her a cup of coffee.

She hadn’t even realized he was standing in front of her. Was she so blinded by thoughts of Michael that she couldn’t even see the hot man before her, holding her favorite beverage? “Sorry.” She smiled at him, took the coffee, and slid onto a barstool. “Thank you.” She brushed her hands over her sundress and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Connor responded with a grin that she was sure would make most women quiver with excitement. “Jake called and said he’d try and be here by two. Michael promised to be back by then, as well.” He sipped his coffee. “Would you like to get out of the house today? We could walk around the city. I assume you must feel a little claustrophobic being stuck inside.”

The man had a point. Fresh air was exactly what she needed. “I could almost kiss you for suggesting that,” she exclaimed, promptly rising to her feet.

“I would take you up on that, but Michael would kill us both,” he said before flashing her a knowing smile.

“Michael and I are just friends.”

Connor nodded. “Uh huh. Okay. So, Michael didn’t look like he wanted to snap my neck when he saw you asleep next to me on the couch last night . . .?”

Kate turned back around. “Oh. What time did he get in?”

A slow grin met his lips. “We should go,” he said instead, which deflated her a little. Did he not want to shred her with the truth? Or was he purposefully trying to get her to admit her feelings for Michael?

He tilted his head and motioned for her to follow.

“Connor, has Michael always been—”

He stepped into the elevator and cocked his head to the side. “An ass?”

Kate’s lips twitched with amusement.

“He’s a good guy, Kate. Give him a chance,” he said and then winked at her.

He waited for her to enter the elevator and crossed his arms, showing tanned biceps that bulged from beneath the sleeves of his gray T-shirt.

“Did Michael mention to you that I have a date on Friday?” she asked as they rounded the corner of the street and headed for a local coffee shop.

“Yeah, I heard about the auction.”

“The thing is, I don’t want my date to know about any of this, and it might be kind of hard to explain why I have a, um, bodyguard.” She fidgeted with her fingers as they walked.

“Well, you know that Michael will never let you go alone. If he even lets you go at all.” He opened the door to the cafe so she could enter. “I could keep some distance from you. I could be out of sight but always there. Would that work? Maybe Michael will be okay with that.”