eside me. It was just a slip of the tongue. A mistake. Martha was old, tired, and as Olivia had said, conf

from the past. The business trip to Chicago last year where she'd posted a photo online, and a friend had commented, "I didn't know your conference was in Denver!" Olivia had laughed it off, saying the friend was

for dinner. It was a good excuse to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the house, where Martha wa

sing on the list. Milk, bread, chicken, vegetables. Normal things for a normal life. I was just

m, h

rything I wasn't. He was a sales executive, loud and confident, always dressed in expensive, casual clothes. He drove a sports car

going?" I said, try

up and down, his eyes lingering on my simple t-shirt and jeans. "Looks lik

for a bit," I said, not

e. "You're a braver man than I am, Liam. A man's home

talking about. "It's jus

eye. "Just some friendly advice. You seem like a good guy, a bit too trusting maybe. You gotta keep y

sinuation I couldn't quite grasp. It fel

ollow," I said, m

ke you? I figured you'd be good at reading between the line

t was meant to seem friendly but felt more l

my stomach now feeling like a block of ice. What the hell was that about? Protect

was

checkout, I fumbled with my wallet, dropping my credit card on the floor. My mind was a mess, replaying Mark's weird comments and Martha's slip about Miami.