Chapter 182
The following week was a period of blissful peace for Rebekah. There were no surprise visits from the Forresters, no tedious family drama to deal with. She holed up in her apartment for the entire week, spending her days by the window with her sketchpad, drafting new designs.
The apartment was perfect, both in its location and its orientation. Sunlight streamed in from the morning on, bathing her in a golden glow that seemed to promise a brighter future.
After sending her latest sketches to Basil, she got a call from the private investigator. He hadn’t been in touch for a while, so the sudden call filled her with a spark of hope. He must have found something.
She answered eagerly.
“Miss Fletcher, I’ve found a trace of the third person from the scene. She’s right here in The Capital p>
Rebekah’s heart leaped. “Where is she? I’ll go to her p>
“This person is a bit skittish, Miss Fletcher. We can’t risk spooking her. I’m on my way back to The Capital now. Let’s go together when I arrive p>
Rebekah considered it. The P.I. was definitely a better negotiator than she was. “Okay,” she agreed. “Thank you for all your hard work p>
The good news was so uplifting that she wasn’t even worried about the reunion tomorrow. She’d be leaving this city soon enough anyway. Seeing her old classmates one last time couldn’t hurt. It would be a final goodbye.
A knock sounded at her door.
When Rebekah opened it, Jensen was standing there with a bag of groceries. “Got off work early. Dinner together p>
She stepped aside to let him in and glanced at the time on her phone. “You got off at eleven in the morning?” she asked, surprised.
“The life of a driver. No fixed hours p>
Jensen walked to the kitchen as if he owned the place, putting vegetables in the fridge and arranging a platter of fruit, which he brought out to the living room. “Have some fruit. Dinner will be ready soon p>
Rebekah settled onto the sofa and started eating, feeling perfectly at ease. It wasn’t that she was too proud to help, it was just that every, time she offered, Jensen would gently shoo her out of the kitchen. Over time, she’d gotten used to staying away from the stove.
Over the past few days, she’d been thinking about what Daphne had said at the
medical center. Was she trying to hint that Jensen liked her?
She quickly dismissed the idea. Jensen was younger than her, and she was a woman who wasn’t even officially divorced yet. There was no way he could be interested in her.
But it was true that he was incredibly good to her. So, in their recent conversations, Rebekah had subtly tried to probe for more information, only to conclude that he really did just see her as a friend
That was a relief. Her marriage to Benjamin had already drained so much of her emotionally. She couldn’t handle another entanglement.
“I have something to do tomorrow, so I won’t be able to have dinner with you,” Jensen said as they ate.
Rebekah nodded, then asked casually, “You have to work on the weekend p>
He shook his head. “It’s personal p>
She took the hint and didn’t press further.
Seeing that she had no intention of asking more, a flicker of disappointment crossed Jensen’s dark eyes.
After dinner, Jensen left her apartment. He had just received a message from the
P.I.
‘Benjamin has found the third witness to the hit-and-run p>
Jensen’s thumb darkened the phone screen as he turned and walked toward the elevator.
The next day, Rebekah dressed in a light blue floral-collared blouse, dark flared jeans; and a pair of athletic sneakers. She had bought the outfit while shopping with Patricia a white back it was from an understated luxury brand, not cheap but not extravagantly expensive either.