“Grant can’t stay here forever. He might make a stink for a few days, but then I think he’ll head back to Seattle and lick his wounds.”

God, I hoped so. I slipped my hands into the front pockets of Crosby’s jeans, pulling him closer. “I just needed to see you. To let all of this out.”

Something flashed across Crosby’s face too quickly for me to identify. “I’ll always have your back. You know that.”

I studied him carefully. Something was off. “Are you okay?”

He released his hold on my shoulders, stepping back. My hands slipped out of his pockets. “I’m fine. Things have just been crazy busy, juggling this case and my other load. It’s more than I usually have at once.”

Guilt swamped me. Crosby was getting paid by Harriet’s estate to defend the contested will, but he still couldn’t let his other clients slide. And it didn’t help that I’d been a drama magnet lately, and he’d been sucked into helping me every step of the way. “Why don’t I make you dinner tonight? You can relax, and we can watch whatever you want. Even Star Wars for the eighty-millionth time.”

Crosby winced. “I actually told my friend, Michael, that I’d go climbing with him in a bit. We were going to grab dinner afterward.”

“That sounds like fun. Want to come over after?” I was feeling especially vulnerable after the events of the day, and there was nothing more I wanted than Crosby’s arms around me as I fell asleep.

Hesitation flickered in his eyes for the briefest of moments. “Sure. I can do that.”

He could do that. But it didn’t sound like he wanted to. “Okay. I’ll see you later, then.”

Crosby pressed a kiss to my hair. “See you tonight. Be there around eight.”

I walked out of the office, wondering when the last time was that he hadn’t kissed my lips when we parted.

I glanced at my phone again. It was well after midnight, but I couldn’t sleep. The only message was an outgoing one from around nine-thirty.

Me: Everything okay?

There had been no answer. I hugged my knees to my chest as tightly as possible, as if that pressure might stop my heart from aching. I tapped out another text, this time to Bell.

Me: Are you at The Catch?

I nibbled on my lip as I watched the three little dots on my phone appear. How had I become the girl trying to chase her boyfriend down? Hell, he wasn’t even my boyfriend. He was some undefined entity that I had no rights to.

Bell: Yup. What’s up? You okay?

I was anything but okay. I was coming apart at the seams, and I hated myself for it.

Me: I’m fine. I was just wondering if Crosby was there?