“Coming right up.” I headed out into the sunshine, slipping on my sunglasses and starting the trek to The Catch. As soon as my feet were moving, my mind was filled with thoughts of Kenna again. The look on her face when her mother was called to the stand. How she’d turned off every emotion as I asked questions about her childhood in open court. And she’d been just a little bit distant since then.

I was sure some subconscious part of her was angry at me for my questions. Kenna was a private person. Understandably so. And I had made the childhood she was so embarrassed by a matter of public record.

I scrubbed a hand over my jaw and fought the urge to kick something. I hated any hint of distance between Kenna and me. The realization had my steps faltering. How long had it been since I’d spent the night away from her? I’d lost track. My days felt off when I didn’t check in at least once or twice to see how she was doing or vice versa. Whether my evenings were spent paddleboarding or watching mindless tv, they just weren’t as fun if I wasn’t with her. Without me knowing it, I’d somehow slipped into an actual relationship.

I waited for the panic to come. That suffocating feeling of being hemmed in by responsibility and expectation. It never took root. Kenna didn’t make me feel restrained. She made my freedom even sweeter. Hell, I was falling for the woman. The knowledge of that truth, the power of it, had a small flicker of anxiety lighting in my gut. I tamped it down, refusing to let myself go down some future trip of what-if.

I started walking towards The Catch again, a riot of emotions zinging around in my body. My eyes narrowed as I got closer. A woman was getting out of a Mustang so new it didn’t have license plates. A woman I recognized. “Good afternoon, Janet.”

Her head snapped in my direction, and her chin jutted out. “Mr. McCoy.”

“New wheels?”

Her expression faltered for the briefest of moments before she smiled. “I think she was made for me, don’t you?”

The cherry red of the car matched Janet’s talon-like nails. “I certainly see some similarities. When did you get it?”

Her lips thinned. “Today. A little present for myself after everything I was put through yesterday.”

Everything she was put through? I had the sudden urge to pull out my keys and rake them down the side of that pristine paint job. It seemed Janet never had to feel the consequences of her actions; it was always her daughter who paid the price. Janet could lie and manipulate, but still somehow walked away with a brand-new set of wheels. Meanwhile, Kenna was sent reeling and forced to relive some of the most painful moments of her past.