Ford’s body seemed to lock as he zeroed in on the scarf. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, looking away from the fabric and back to me. “I didn’t leave anything for you. That was on your doorstep?”

I took a minute to take him in, study his features for any sign of a lie. I saw nothing but the truth staring back at me. “Yeah. With a note that said, ‘Don’t forget her.’”

Ford took a step closer, taking inventory of the items in my hands. “I think we should call the cops. That’s not normal, Bell. For someone to come to your home and leave that? And how did they get it? It’s Vi’s, right?”

My stomach twisted in a painful squeeze. “Her favorite.”

“That’s sick. We need to call someone.”

It was sick. Sick and cruel. My jaw hardened, flashing back to my run-in with my mother that morning. She wouldn’t pull something like that, would she? I gave my head a little shake. “It’s just someone who has zero common sense. Probably thought they were doing something nice and didn’t realize how creepy it would come across.”

“Bell…”

I held up a hand. “It’s fine, Ford. Let’s go get my car.”

A muscle in his cheek ticked. “I don’t like this. Promise me you’ll at least tell the staff to keep an eye out for anyone lurking around.”

“Sure. Now, let’s go.” I couldn’t seem to help the shiver as I climbed into the truck, my gaze sweeping the street and the beach, looking for anything out of place. But everything was just as it should be.

13

FORD

I bit back a curse as Bell emerged from the hallway of The Catch. The music and din of customers eating and drinking seemed to create a fuzzy, tunnel-like effect as my eyes zeroed in on her. The woman was trying to kill me, one outfit at a time.

Every day for the past week, there was something I wasn’t able to take my eyes off of, but it was never what I expected. She didn’t doll herself up in the typical bar gear or outfits that were screaming for attention. She was simply herself, a mishmash of styles with a hint of something that was uniquely Bell.