Rojas made a mental note to check on her mother and her other friends. Their safety could be a concern as well and it’d kill Elisa to suddenly find out they’d paid for her disappearance. He wasn’t sure what he could do, but at least he could look into it.
Elisa sighed. “You might think my mother helped me leave, but she didn’t. She thought Joseph was wonderful. He could do no wrong. She didn’t believe there was anything crazy about our relationship. She thought it was intense but must be a result of the pressure of his career. The couple of times I tried to talk to her about it, she thought I was being ridiculous. Then she reminded me how important it was to have someone to look after me, taking care of me so I wouldn’t have to worry every day about how to make it to my next paycheck. She didn’t want me to struggle the way she did, and I get that. But she’d have sent me right back to him with a hope that he’d help me through my momentary mental issue. So on my way I took a detour, deliberately, and never went to go meet her. I never said good-bye. She’s been angry with me every time I’ve called to check in, too. She still tries to talk me into going back, so I haven’t called in at least a month. Maybe it’s been longer. I wanted to check in with her again when I felt safe, had some sort of life built for myself.”
Her mother could be telling her ex enough for him to find her. Good intentions and whatnot. Rojas was certain Elisa had probably omitted any details of where she was to prevent exactly such an issue, but Elisa wasn’t trained not to give anything away. And mothers had a knack for finding out all the things their children wanted to keep from them.
Only way to be sure was to go find out what her mother might be up to. He’d learned the hard way with his ex-wife and her mother. They’d worked together to hide his ex-wife’s affair from him until the divorce papers were ready.
“I’ve decided not to call her while I’m here.” The tired sadness in Elisa’s voice tore at him. He wanted to do anything to ease it for her. Souze whined and stretched his neck forward until his muzzle rested on Elisa’s shoulder. Elisa tilted her head to nuzzle the big dog. “It’s better this way, until I can build a life for myself again, show her something she can be proud of. Show her I can be very happy away from Joseph.”
Well, it was good she’d made the decision to adjust her pattern, too. Not calling her mother was a good step in changing up the way things had been working out so far. It also sucked. Hard.
Elisa was hurting, and he couldn’t stand by and listen anymore. It was too much creeper and not enough real help for him, no matter how practical eavesdropping had seemed at the start of this.
He cleared his throat.
Souze pulled back and stood on all fours, looking straight in his direction. The big dog’s ears were forward and his eyes locked on his location immediately. It was possible Souze had known he’d been there but the GSD hadn’t alerted Elisa to his presence. Rojas wasn’t absolutely sure what to make of the behavior there.
He stepped toward her and stopped about arm’s length away, crouching down so he didn’t loom over her but not sitting until she invited him to join her. “Hungry?”
She considered him for a long moment. “Yes. Is there news you’re willing to share with me?”
He winced. “Yes. We can talk about it over breakfast or after. Whichever you prefer. I’ll show you everything we’ve gathered.”
“Really?” There was quiet surprise and a healthy amount of doubt loaded into her question. “All of it?”
“Everything.” Best way for him to gain her trust was to hide nothing. “We’ll tell you what we make of it all, too, but it’ll all be there for you to draw your own conclusions.”
A faint smile played on her lips. “I’d appreciate it.”
He tried smiling, too, and found he really wanted to be around her. “It’s been a hectic couple of days. Come have breakfast and maybe you can experience what passes for a routine Sunday around here.”
He straightened and held out a hand to help her up. She stared at it for a moment, then gave him her own and let him help her.
He chuckled. “And you can meet Sophie.”
Chapter Nineteen
Elisa was still caught up in her memories as Alex led her back to the main building. But he kept her hand in his as they walked, grounding her even as he left her to her thoughts. The contact was comforting, and yet every few steps he brushed his thumb over her knuckles or gently tightened his grip, kicking her heart into brief sprints and triggering a fluttery nervousness in her belly.
This thing growing between them was radically different from her relationship with her ex. That had been gradual, progressing in stages the way she’d expected it to. She’d embraced the predictability, anticipating the next step without meaning to.
But this chemistry with Alex was the opposite of predictable—from the first time they’d kissed to every intimate moment they’d shared since. She was off balance and constantly surprised, guessing and definitely excited. It was…fun.