Page 14 of Rescuing Erin

“Annie must’ve set them up and forgot about them.”

“Guess so. What’s going on?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to go out to lunch.”

“Go out? Like, leave the house? God, yes.”

Colin smiled, and I swear I’d never get over how the simple up tip of the lips could change his whole demeanor.

“Come on, we’ll go anywhere you want.”

“Anywhere?”

“You’re gonna pick sushi, aren’t you?”

One night, shortly after I’d first met Colin, he’d expressed his dislike for raw fish. I tried to tell him there was more to sushi than the raw stuff, but he’d refused to try it.

“Yep.” I looked at the toys in my hands and asked, “Do you think Annie would want these?”

“Probably. I’ll give them to Fletch the next time I see him.” He reached out his hand, and, for a second, I was confused. Butterflies hit my belly, and I’d stupidly thought he wanted to hold my hand. Then I remembered the Army men. “Ready?”

“So ready.”

I dropped the toys into Colin’s hand, and, much to my surprise, he used his free hand to grab mine. “Let’s go get you some uncooked fish and rice.”

I was too shocked to answer. I simply followed him into the house. He dropped the Army men on the counter, grabbed his keys, and walked us out the front door to his car. Never letting go of my hand.

What the hell is this about?

On the drive to the restaurant he told me his team was still looking into who had taken the pictures and was trying to track down the woman who I’d remembered coming into the meeting room. Unfortunately, she didn’t work for the hotel and had somehow avoided the cameras in the lobby. There was a street view of her, but she’d donned a baseball cap and most of her face was obscured. Colin explained that told them a lot. She obviously knew what she was doing, and it would help narrow down the suspects, of which there weren’t any.

We were in a holding pattern waiting for them to make the next move. I hated there wasn’t an end in sight, but Colin promised me everyone was working hard to figure out who was following me.

“What’s changed?” I asked when we exited the car.

“What do you mean?”

“Suddenly you’re freely giving me information about what’s going on.”

“I heard what you said the other night about not being in control of your own life. You were right, I’m no better than everyone else. I’ve kept you in the dark and I thought about how I’d feel if my life wasn’t my own. I’d be just as pissed and fed up as you are. I was wrong. You not only deserve to know, but you need all the information. It’s the only way you’ll take these threats seriously. I can’t protect you if you don’t trust me.”

“Trust, huh? Is this part of the whole friendship thing?”

Maybe I should’ve held on to my anger a little while longer, but holding a grudge wasn’t going to make my time with him anymore pleasant. And I was tired of walking on eggshells around him.

“I guess it is. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and when it comes to you, there’s plenty I’ve been wrong about. I’m sorry for that.”

“Apology accepted. And I’m sorry for calling you a douchebag prick.”

“You’ve never called me that.”

“Sure I did. Hundreds of times, in my head.”

“Good to know.” He chuckled.

“You know, your eyes change color when you smile, or maybe it’s when you’re happy.”

His smile faded, and I wished I could pull my stupid comment back.