“No, I know. I’m just . . .” She trailed off as she noticed the laundry basket beside her sofa. The clothes were clean. She’d just done a load of laundry on the night she went to meet Jason near the campground. Vanessa walked over and grabbed her favorite T-shirt from the pile. She’d been wearing Cooper’s clothes for days. He had come by here earlier, but she hadn’t wanted him to pack a bag for her out of fear that someone might notice things missing.

Vanessa unzipped Cooper’s hoodie and took it off, then pulled the T-shirt over her head. It felt soft and cozy, and just being in her favorite shirt brought tears to her eyes. She tied the hoodie around her waist, then went to the desk where Cooper was going through a stack of papers.

“You have any other cards you want to grab while we’re here?” he asked.

They’d been hard up for cash after Cooper was mugged, so he’d come here to get a credit card that Vanessa had left on her desk with a pile of bills. All her other cards had been in the purse she’d abandoned with her car.

“No, that’s it,” she said.

“What about cash?” Cooper looked at her, and she couldn’t help but notice the stress in his eyes. They’d blown through a lot of money this week, almost all of it his.

“I don’t think so. But I’ll check a few places.” She went into her bedroom, stopping suddenly at the sight of her unmade bed. It was like her life had come to a screeching halt. When she’d left her apartment last Sunday, she’d been weepy and distraught, completely distracted—which was probably why she hadn’t noticed anyone following her out to that meeting with Jason. If only she’d paid closer attention that night, everything might have turned out differently.

Vanessa’s stomach churned with a familiar combination of regret and guilt. Shoving the feelings aside, she walked to her closet and reached for an old purse on the top shelf. She rummaged through it, but only managed to turn up a few quarters and a new pack of gum. She pocketed the gum.

“Anything?” Cooper asked from the doorway.

“I’m looking.” She grabbed another purse. Poking through the pockets, she found some folded bills. “Hey, look! Twenty-two dollars.”

“Awesome. That will cover about two meals.”