I hopped off the counter and tugged on the handle of the fridge, seeing bottles of Sam Adams lined along the shelf in the door. I grabbed one and popped the top, taking a swig. My body instantly relaxed, and I let my worries and guilt slip away.

“Are you coming back for Christmas?” Camille asked.

I shook my head, beginning to voice my doubts, but Tyler interrupted. “Yep. We’ll be going back to Colorado for my birthday, though. Taylor’s decided he wants to throw a party.”

“Am I invited?” I teased.

Abby’s mouth pulled to the side. “I hate that you guys live so far away. You could sell insurance here, you know.”

Tyler shifted, and I saw recognition flicker in Abby’s eyes. She was a human lie detector. She knew they weren’t being honest.

“Yeah, but what we do is good money, Abby. And we like Colorado.”

“You boys are doing well. Keep doing what you’re doing if it’s what you love,” Jim said. He and Abby traded glances.

Holy shit. Jim knew, too.

“Does anyone know the Latino gentleman who’s been parked out front in a rented Lexus for the last half hour?” Jim asked.

Abby ran to the window to see, and the boys’ expressions immediately turned severe. Chairs grated against the faded, chipped tile floor of the dining room as they stood to walk across the small house, between the sofa and television, to look out the windows. They discussed the driver for a moment, none of them recognizing who it was, but they all seemed sure their dad was correct that he was staking the house.

I wondered if it was Trex, and Tyler was feigning ignorance, but he wasn’t that good of a liar, and Abby didn’t seem to pick up on it.

I walked up behind Tyler, peeking over his shoulder, immediately cringing. “Holy fuck.”

“What?” Tyler said, turning to face me. “You know who that is?”

The Maddox family turned their attention on me, and I recoiled, sick with embarrassment. “It’s Marco.”

“Who’s Marco?” Abby asked.

I looked up at Tyler from under my lashes, humiliated to even say the words. “My sister’s lady sitter. She must have sent him to keep an eye on me.”

Tyler pointed at the window. “I’ve seen him before.”

“Yeah, he took Finley and me home from the bar once.”

“No, I’ve seen him outside the magazine … outside my apartment. He’s been watching you for a long time.”

My expression morphed from confusion to disbelief to rage in a matter of moments, and I pushed past Tyler and out the door, stomping toward the Lexus. I could see the panic in Marco’s eyes as I crossed the street and yanked open his door.

“What in the ever-loving fuck are you doing here?”

Marco tossed the tabloid magazine in his hand. “Ellie! What a surprise!”