“Haven’t checked yet. Thought I’d have a look while I was eating breakfast.” He scooped the eggs he’d made onto a plate and carried it to the table. “You hungry?”

“No.” Since Tobias had driven off, she’d lost her appetite as well as her energy. “Do you mind if I check to see who left it?”

He got his phone from the counter, unlocked it and navigated to the security app before handing it to her.

The camera on the front door was motion activated, so it turned on whenever there was movement. Given the number of times the kids had gone in and out of the house, since they were out of school, she had to scroll back quite a bit. But eventually she found what she was looking for.

Tobias had brought it, all right. The day after everything had gone bad—at four thirty in the morning, when it was still cold and dark and no one would be around—he’d come to the front doorstep and slipped the watch behind the pillar. Then he’d turned around and left as if he couldn’t get away fast enough.

Harper felt fresh tears well up watching that short clip but blinked them back as she returned her brother-in-law’s phone.

“Was it Tobias?” he asked when he saw her reaction.

She nodded.

“Thought it might be. Did you give him that watch for Christmas?”

Again she nodded and, to avoid his sympathetic gaze, went over to get the glass of water that’d driven her to the kitchen in the first place. She didn’t want to see the watch, didn’t want to be reminded of how happy buying it had made her. “I wish he’d kept it,” she mumbled.

“I’m surprised he didn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“Being such a terrible guy and all. You know, an ex-con.”

“He probably didn’t want Axel or anyone else to be able to accuse him of using me for my money.”

Terrance wore a thoughtful expression as he chewed and swallowed. “Which one do you miss more?”

Harper looked back at him for clarification.

“Axel or Tobias?”

“I’m relieved Axel is gone,” she admitted. At least meeting Tobias had helped her get over her ex. Even if she wasn’t going to be with someone else, she didn’t want to go back to Axel. They’d both changed too much. And when she thought of the stress of having Axel on the road and all the women he would encounter and the “mistakes” that would probably occur… She was done with that.

“And Tobias?” he said.

“I can’t say the same for him.” She missed Tobias far worse than she should, given how short their relationship had been.

“Maybe you two should meet up,” Terrance said. “Talk things out. Gain some closure.”

“What is there to say?” she asked.