I imagined a weekend stuffed with kayaking and bird-watching, no time for Sammi. My stomach fluttered. I reminded myself this was my priority. My gut didn't agree.
"I'll be heading out again after dinner, if that's okay. Just a few things I need to wrap up, make sure I'm clear for the weekend."
Emma studied me. "Is everything okay, Nadia?"
I forced a smile. "Sure. Why?"
Another long look that I struggled not to squirm under. Then she said, "You do whatever you have to do."
Jack and O
wen appeared before dinner reached the table. I ate like a race car stuck in a fifty-kilometer zone - wolfing a few bites, forcing myself to slow down, gulping some more, slamming on the brakes...
I told myself Jack wasn't really a guest, so I didn't need to play hostess. But it was the looks he kept shooting that slowed me down - his intense gaze swinging my way every time I gulped a mouthful or responded with one-word answers to Emma's efforts to strike up conversation.
I even had a slice of strudel... or at least cut it up and pushed pieces around on my plate. Then I cleared the table for Emma, loaded the dishwasher, and fled by way of the kitchen door.
I found Jack leaning against my truck's fender, one elbow braced on the hood, the crutch in front of him, resting against his chest. He didn't say a word, just watched my approach with that unwavering gaze.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, going for casual. Even managed a smile. "Hey. Everything going okay? All settled in?"
"Same as last time you asked."
"Right, well, if you need anything, Emma's around. She's officially on duty until ten." I pulled out my keys and had to flip through the ring twice to find the right one. "I hate to eat and run, but with no guests around, I have to take advantage of it. Got some work to do on the other side of the property."
"That where you think she's buried?"
The keys slipped and I fumbled to grab the ring before it fell. "B-buried?"
"Sammi. You're looking for her body."
I tried to laugh. "In these woods? If Sammi's out there, I don't have a hope in hell of finding - "
"Cut the shit, Nadia. We both know that cougar scream was a girl. You found out where. Now you're searching."
"No, I - "
"You're gonna tell me you're not? What's the big deal?"
He had a point. So why did my stomach clench at the thought of admitting it? I supposed I just didn't want him saying that hunting for a live girl was fine, but digging up a dead one could get me in trouble, and I couldn't afford anyone taking too close a look at my life. And if he did say that, he'd have another point. But I didn't want to hear it.
He swung the crutch under his arm and pulled open the driver's door. "You can drive."
"You aren't coming, Jack. I appreciate the offer, but you're injured and I really need to be thorough - "
"And careful. So I'm going. Make sure you are."
"Are you suggesting -?"
"Not suggesting. Saying. You aren't yourself. Haven't been since you picked me up. Quiet. Tense. Your mind's someplace else. I thought it was just me. Us. Then you run off. Come back. Inhale dinner. All you can think about is getting back. Back to her"'
The keys bit into my palm. I loosened my grip. "I'm not running off half-cocked. I'm being careful and I have my priorities straight. I need to search for Sammi now, so I don't have to run off when guests arrive tomorrow."
"So if you had guests, you'd slow down? Fuck, no. Be climbing the walls." He paused and met my gaze. "I've seen you like this before. With Wilkes."
"Don't - "
"You get single-minded. Obsess - " He cut the word off by rubbing his mouth. "Not trying to stop you. Just want to watch your back. Cover your tracks."