Free What Lies Beneath: Romantic Suspense by Lila Moore

bit. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder as he helped me into the house.
    “You left your door unlocked,” he observed.
    “I wasn’t planning on being away long.”
    He frowned. “You should lock your doors. I know this is a small town, but you can’t trust anyone.”
    “Can I trust you?” I said it teasingly, but Theo didn’t seem to find it funny.
    “You’re a single mother and you live alone. You have to be careful.”
    It struck me as an odd response. Why was he so concerned? We lived in a low crime area. I can’t remember the last time I’d heard about a break-in.
    “I’m careful,” I said.
    “Are you?”
    He glanced back at the road where Jillian’s car had been.
    “You don’t like Jillian,” I said. It was more of a statement than a question. “Why?”
    “I just want you to be safe.”
    “And it’s not safe for me to talk to Jillian…?”
    “She killed her husband. Did you know that?”
    “That’s just a rumor.”
    “No, it’s not,” he said with such certainty that I was taken aback.
    I sat down heavily on the couch. My leg was killing me.
    “Could you bring me one of my pills?”
    “What did you talk about?” he said, ignoring my request.
    “Nothing. It was just… tea with a friend.” I rubbed my face. “I really need a pill.”
    “In a second. Why would you go up there today?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Sabine, you’re not being honest with me.”
    “I don’t like being interrogated.”
    Theo stepped back and sat down on the chair across from me.
    “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. You just have to be careful who you’re seen talking to.”
    “Why?”
    “Because it can look bad.”
    “To whom?”
    This night had taken a bizarre turn. Why was Theo acting like a jealous husband? And since when was he so worried about town gossip?
    “I’ll get your medicine,” he said.
    Apparently, that was the end of the discussion. He didn’t want to talk about it. He went out of his way to be nice afterwards, fixing me dinner and running a bath. It was nice, but I couldn’t understand why he’d acted so upset. Was it because he knew I was lying to him?
    I settled into the bath while Theo did the dishes. I listened to the clanking of plates as he cleaned up. It was a sound I hadn’t heard in a while. Tom always did the dishes after I cooked. Hearing the noise from the comfort of the bath was oddly reassuring. It was then I decided to be bold.
    “Theo?” I called.
    He came to the restroom door, but didn’t enter, giving me privacy.
    “I have to tell you something.”
    He took a step inside the bathroom. I wasn’t sure if he could see me naked inside the tub or not. His face betrayed nothing.
    “What is it?”
    “You’re right. I was lying to you earlier. I only met Jillian last night. Well, actually, that’s not true. I have met her before, but it was the first time I remembered meeting her.”
    Theo came closer. He sat down on the floor beside the tub.
    “Tell me,” he said.
    I launched into the whole story, not leaving out a single detail of the night before. I went over the conversation I’d had with her today. When I told him how Jillian had seen a woman in a scarf on the bridge with Tom, Theo looked away. A faraway look clouded his expression as if he was thinking hard about something.
    “It wasn’t me though,” I said. “I’m sure of it. I never wear scarves. Besides, it doesn’t make any sense. Why would we have gone to the bridge to talk? And there’s something else: Mr. Devereaux was there.”
    Now I had Theo’s full attention.
    “On the bridge?”
    “No. He was there the next night. Jillian saw him underneath the bridge with a flashlight looking for something.”
    “Why didn’t she tell the police about this?” Theo sounded angry.
    “I think maybe she was trying to protect me.”
    “Protect you from what?”
    “She found me on the bridge afterwards. I was there alone, crying and mumbling incoherently. She took me back