by C. J. Box
Ben: Are you doing all right?
Erin: Not really. I feel weird. Everything is just weird right now.
Ben: Is there anything I can do?
Erin: The best thing you can do is stay away from me. I’m toxic. It’s for the best.
He sat back, his mind spinning in a dark swirl. He started to text “What did I do?” and deleted it before he sent it. Finally, he settled on:
Ben: I’m sorry you feel that way. I don’t think you’re toxic.
He fought the urge to say he found her wonderful and enchanting and really, really hot. But he didn’t. He wasn’t sure how she’d take it.
Erin: ♥
Ben: Really. Did something happen today?
There was a long pause. So long, he began to fear that she had moved on.
Then:
Erin: It’s best for you if you keep your distance. There are things going on that aren’t good.
In the “things I should have asked her about” department, he realized he knew absolutely next to nothing about her family situation. Erin rarely spoke of her parents and he didn’t even know if she had siblings. He assumed she didn’t. He did remember her once referring to staying with relatives, but he didn’t know if that was a temporary or permanent situation.
Ben: Is the situation bad at home?
Erin: Not really. Boring, but not bad.
Ben: Same here. Isabel is in the other room watching a doc on a band called Jefferson Airplane.
Erin: ☺
Erin found Ben’s stories about his grandmother hilarious, so he kept her updated on things Isabel did and said. Erin said she kind of admired Isabel’s strike but wasn’t sure why other than it showed she wasn’t a pushover.
Erin: I may have to go away for a while.
Ben was stunned.
Ben: Why? Where would you go?
Erin: I don’t know.
He wasn’t sure if she didn’t know about why or didn’t know about where.
Ben: How long would you be gone?
Erin: Maybe a week. Maybe forever.
He tried a different tack.
Ben: My mom is a private investigator. She used to be a cop. Do you want me to ask her to help?
Erin: God no.
