Free In the Shadows (The Outsiders Book 1) by Susan Finlay

the chair and tried to focus on looking for her map while she fought the urge to check out the bed. Maurelle couldn’t let herself be tempted. She needed to leave tonight while everyone was sleeping. But then she did look at the bed and thought about lying on a mattress, swaddled in a soft blanket. She moved forward and stroked the bed’s chenille bedspread and its puffy pink pillows, imagining her head cradled on them. Her spirits lifted briefly. Perhaps she could lay her fears to rest for one night. She would wait until dawn to escape—before everyone awakened but after she had slept.
    There was a quiet knock on the door.
    Through the closed door, Dave said, “Sorry to bother you, but I need to tell you something. I hope you don’t mind. I’m going to leave you here for a while. I won’t be gone long. You can get settled and then go downstairs for lunch. Grand-mère is making lunch for both of you.”
    A wave of panic hit her at the thought o f facing that woman alone. “I—I’m not hungry,” she lied. “Please tell her she doesn’t need to fix anything for me.”
    He opened the door and peeked inside. “She won’t bite. And besides, you’ll love her cooking. She can even make sandwiches that are out of this world.”
    Her stomach groaned, betraying her, and she reluctantly nodded her head. “Okay, thank you.”
    “Grand-mère wanted me to tell you to come down for lunch in twenty minutes. I’ll be back in a couple of hours —maybe sooner. Okay?”
    She nodded again and attempted to smile, though hearing that she’d be alone with a woman who didn’t really want her here was already resurrecting her sense of danger, tensing her muscles, and giving her a knot in her stomach. “Yes, fine, thank you.”
    Later, as Maurelle descended the stairs, she caught the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen and thought Dave must have decided not to leave after all.
    She walked into the kitchen, expecting to see Dave and Fabienne. Instead, there was another elderly woman, with obviously dyed red hair. They sat across from each other at the table, and when they saw her Fabienne said, “Here she is. Come in and sit, Maurelle. Please join us for lunch.”
    She motioned to the chair beside her, where a plate with a baguette, another with salad niçoise, and a bowl of steaming soup were already set out.
    Maurelle smiled politely and sat down, very much aware that the two women were staring at her.
    “Bon appetit,” Fabienne said. As Maura took her first bite of bread, Fabienne added, “Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my best friend, Jeannette Devlin.”
    “I’m pleased to meet you,” Maurelle said.
    Fabienne smiled smugly. “Jeannette is the grandmother of Dave’s girlfriend, Simone.”
    Maurelle picked up her spoon and carefully put it into her soup, taking a small mouthful.
    “Dave and Simone are leaving tomorrow on a sightseeing trip through France,” Fabienne said. “Unless, of course, Dave has to postpone the trip because of you.” She turned to Jeannette.
    “Oui,” Jeannette said. “That would be such a shame. They’ve been looking forward to it. The lovebirds will enjoy the sights, certainly, but we suspect that they’ll enjoy being alone together more.”
    “Oui. C’est vrai!” Fabienne said. The two old ladies chuckled.
    Through the rest of the luncheon, Maurelle listened only intermittently, digesting new information along with her meal. Of course Dave would have a girlfriend. He was a good-looking man. Didn’t he know it was a mistake for a man in a relationship to invite another woman into the home where he was staying? What kind of man would do that?
    She finished her soup and salad and began nibbling the crusty bread on her plate. During a rare pause in the older women’s chatter, she complimented Fabienne on the food. And then, when conversation resumed, Maurelle retreated into her own mind again, this time going back to the day she’d caught her own boyfriend cheating on her.