24. Dana

Chapter 24

Dana

I was running too much. I knew that. Shin splints had haunted me in the past, and I needed to calm it down, but with Cole being the way he was lately and the worry I couldn't help but feel, I needed the release.

He'd changed the moment we stepped off the plane in Boulder. Part of me knew that it had to do with his parents and whatever was lurking in the shadows there, but I also wondered if Costa Rica was a paradise we'd never get back. I didn't feel any different toward him now than I did before we left but did he? Was the vacation too much for him?

And worse than that, was there a chance he'd start drinking again with the added stress of being home? He was closing up already, speaking to me less, seeing me less. I didn't ever want him to feel as if he couldn't call me if something happened again, but I was beginning to worry that he might not.

Gasping for breath, I slowed my pace until I was walking, the trail along the manmade lake making my feet sore. I hated running on gravel, but I needed something different.

"Dana!"

Out of breath and hoarse, I glance up to see a cool-as-a-cucumber Robert jogging toward me. From this far away, I couldn't tell if his hair was pulled back or if he'd cut it, but he looked a bit different than he had before. Had he dyed his hair?

"Good to see you," he huffed, grinning from ear to ear. "You look a bit better than the last time we ran into each other."

I chuckled, the sound breathless and weak as I struggled to keep air in my lungs. "Yeah, thanks. I'm feeling better too."

He came to a stop in front of me, not a single drop of sweat on him. He'd definitely cut his hair, but I wasn't certain about the color. I couldn't remember the shade it had been the last time we'd met, and although it seemed lighter, almost the shade of Cole's, I wasn't positive. Something about him, from the hair to the way he stood, reminded me so much of the way Cole had been back in Costa Rica—all smiles and calm. But he didn't have that little, barely noticeable dimple Cole had when he grinned. "Haven't seen you for a while."

"I was… on vacation," I panted, wiping the slick sheen of sweat off my forehead. "Only been back a few days."

"Oh, nice! Where?"

"Costa Rica."

"Oh, no way! I go there once a year," he said, and as I slowly began to walk in the direction he'd come from to try to cool down, he walked backward with me. "I like Peninsula Papagayo the best."

"That's… an odd coincidence," I laughed. "That's where we were."

His mouth dropped open dramatically. "That's crazy."

"Yeah," I huffed.

"Maybe we could go some time," he said, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Excuse me?"

"To Papagayo," he clarified, as if that made it any fucking less weird.

"I… no, thank you." I took a step back, and he took one forward, setting alarm bells off in my head. I was winded, exhausted, but surely I could run back to my house if I needed to… right?

"Oh," Rob said, taking another step with me, and then another. My heart pounded in my chest and it wasn't from the run anymore. "I just thought, you know, you have a kid and all, but I've never seen anyone but you and your sister around your house. I thought maybe you were single."

"I'm not."

"You sure about that?"

I needed to get out of this. Get away from him. But I knew deep down there was a chance he was faster than me, probably stronger than me, and my brain was too goddamn exhausted to come up with a way out with words alone. All I could do was breathe, watch him watch me, watch him walk with me, panic rearing up inside.

"You know where I live?" I blurted out, his words catching up to me. How the hell does he know Vee is my sister ?

"Yeah, doesn't everyone? The HOA has everyone's address on the boards," he said, shrugging as if it was fucking normal to keep one address in your head and pay attention to the goings on there.

"I-I need to get home," I stammered, nearly tripping over the loose gravel as I picked up my backward pace. "I need to feed my son."

Robert stopped, his arms crossing over his chest as he huffed out a sigh. "Alright, Dana. I'll see you around."

————

My calves screamed at me as I stretched them on the front porch. I'd run the entirety of the way home, checking over my shoulder every two seconds to make sure Robert wasn't following me. I needed to calm down before I went inside, needed to soothe my aching body and my shaking hands before I touched Drew.

Slowly, from the corner of my eye, I watched as a black Tesla approached, the windows tinted so dark I couldn't see inside. My heart thundered in my chest again, worrying that it was Robert but hoping that it was Cole.

My hope was shattered as the window rolled down.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," Rob shouted.

Oh, my god, I was going to call the fucking cops.

"Leave me alone, please," I snapped, shoving my hands into the pocket of my hoodie so he wouldn't see how badly I was shaking. If there was one thing I knew, that would only excite him more if he was trying to upset me.

He pressed on the brakes.

"I'm not interested," I shouted, the quiver in my voice giving me away.

He stared me down, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. His shoulders shook, the ringing in my ears cutting off whatever he was doing but fuck, it looked like he was laughing. "You'll want me soon enough," he grinned.

The window rolled back up, and within seconds, he was speeding down the road away from my house.

————

I hadn't decided yet whether I wanted to tell Cole what had happened by the time he'd arrived to pick me up for our date. I didn't want to add stress and fuel to his already burning fire, but I didn't exactly know what to do about Robert, either. Was it worth calling the cops? He didn't actually do anything. He said things to me that made me uncomfortable, seemed to show up out of nowhere, admitted to watching my house, followed me home…

Yeah, I should probably tell the cops.

The doorbell rang and I kissed Drew on the top of his bald little head before handing him off to the nanny; Vee was with some friends for the night.

When I opened the door, the bags under Cole's eyes made my heart drop.

He immediately took me into his arms, his lips pressing against my temple. "Hey, baby," he mumbled, his fingers tightening around my waist.

He smelled of cologne and toothpaste, and the longer I looked up at him, the worse he looked. He was still handsome, still Cole, but god, he didn't look well. "Hi," I said softly, pushing the loose tendrils of hair out of his face. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Just haven't been sleeping well."

I hated that a part of me didn't believe him. I wanted to, desperately, but being what he was—an alcoholic—I couldn't help but wonder if he was struggling. If he was trying to fight his demons alone, the stress of his parents weighing him down and making it harder.

Or worse—he'd relapsed.

I knew the signs. I knew them inside and out from my mother. Seeing as there were only a couple of them present, I didn't want to consider it as a possibility. He'd called me and asked for my help the last time he'd almost slipped. I had to believe that he'd do that again. He trusted me.

He had to trust me.