Free Secrets and Lace: A Dark Romance Thriller (Fatal Hearts Series Book 1) by Dori Lavelle

current state. The thought of leaving her alone again made my stomach hurt. But I would visit Misty Cove as often as I could to see her.
    “Good. Have you received any more cards from the stalker?”
    The cards. I had forgotten that I didn't receive a card yesterday. My stalker must have lost me. I wasn’t being followed in Misty Cove. Maybe they had no connection to my past after all.
    “No more cards. I think it was a prank and the person got bored. It could be over.” I knew it wasn’t over. I felt it. But I couldn’t tell Miles that. I had to sort it out before I returned home. Spending my life looking over my shoulder was not an option.
    Miles was quiet again. When he spoke, his voice was low and controlled. “I have to go. I'll talk to you later.”
    When I hung up, I realized that in his rush to get off the phone, he hadn’t told me where he was flying to. I shivered. Something about him was off. He wasn’t acting like himself.
     

Chapter Fifteen
     
     
    The living room was transformed. Everything was clean and sparkling, no dust or dirt anywhere. Even though my mom still looked sick, she seemed to have a lot more energy and was humming a song when I entered the kitchen. The huge pile of dirty dishes I had seen in the sink yesterday had disappeared.
    “Good morning, honey.” She kissed my cheek. “I made breakfast, want some?”
    “Actually, I was just about to head out. I don't really have time for breakfast.”
    “Oh, that's a shame, I thought maybe we could eat together.” Her face crumpled the way it had when I'd told her about the night that changed my life.
    I brushed away our emotional conversation from yesterday and glanced at the kitchen table, recalling all the times we had sat there in silence, day after day, as we ate our food. She hadn’t been there for me emotionally, but at least there had always food on the table.
    “I'll be back by lunch, and we can eat together then. I really appreciate the effort you put in. Please don't overdo it, though. You need to rest.” I hugged her, but not too tight.
    “Don't worry, honey. I feel stronger today.” She pulled away but held my arms. “I've been thinking about what you said last night. It was a shock to hear, but I blame myself for what happened… what you did. You wouldn't be in danger now if I had been there—”
    “Stop beating yourself up. The decisions I made were all mine. You’re not to blame.”
    “But I can't help it.” My mom went to fill the kettle. I could see from her trembling shoulders that she was crying. “If only I could do something to make it all go away.”
    “Mom, really, you have nothing to do with this. It's all me.” I reached for an apple, rinsed it, and wiped it with a kitchen towel. “There is something you can do.” I leaned against the fridge. “Have you heard anything about my friends? Whatever you know will be a huge help. I need something, anything to go on.” 
    Mom wiped her eyes and turned to me. “Not much. Stacy Prammer only visited once since she went to college, and not long after that her parents divorced. Her mom moved away. Her father died about a year ago.”
    My heart sank. I wished I could talk to all of them, to find out if they were also being stalked. It had not even crossed my mind that they might not have returned to Misty Cove after college, as I had done. 
    “How about Melanie Thompson and Jane Dreer? Are they still in town?” Even though I had not planned on having breakfast, I found myself sinking into a chair and reaching for a slice of fresh bread, tearing it with my fingers. It was warm and spongy. The apple was forgotten for now.
    Mom’s face softened as she sat down as well.
    “Word around is that Jane moved to Europe, but Melanie... She's still in town.” Mom lifted a glass of juice to her lips. “Well, life has been unkind to her. Her father made some bad investments and the family lost everything.”
    “Oh, no. That's so sad.” I bit into the bread. It