My Fake Fling

She choked on the bite of food in her mouth. “What? Are you serious?”

“It’s the only other explanation. We don’t believe he ran away. Dad was a lot of things, but he wouldn’t do it. There is just no way.”

“Who would kidnap him?” she asked. “That’s so, so huge! Did you call the police?”

“I already did,” I reminded her. “There is just nothing more they can do. Technically, it’s going to be a United States problem because that’s the last place he was. The night Rich showed up to give his opinion about our dating, I had been at my dad’s house. Clark wanted all his bank records and business files. He thinks our father might have gotten tangled up in some bad business. He’s worried Dad got into bed with the wrong people. My dad is pretty cutthroat when it comes to business. If he sees something he wants, he takes it. Not everyone will just go kick rocks.”

“Wow,” she said. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to say. Did you find anything in the files?”

“Not a damn thing,” I muttered. “I searched. I saw nothing, but Clark is convinced he can find something. If he doesn’t, I’ve got to go back and start trying to find new threads. It truly is a needle in the haystack. This is a big-ass world. Where does one start to look for one man?”

She reached for my hand and squeezed. “I don’t know. I’m so sorry. I feel bad for dumping the Rich thing on you. I had no idea you were dealing with that.”

“It’s fine,” I assured her. “You couldn’t have known. It was a tough couple of days. When Rich showed up, I was knee deep in my dad’s bank records. I was frustrated and stressed, and I snapped. I’m sorry. I will take out a full-page ad announcing our relationship if you want me to.”

She smiled and patted my hand. “That’s okay. I’m good. I’m happy that Ally, my dad and brother know. That’s all that matters.”

“Good.”

We finished our late-night breakfast, leaving our dirty dishes in the sink. After shutting off the lights, we climbed the stairs with her hand in mine. Kona trailed behind us. Thea shrugged off the shirt and climbed into bed. I nuzzled her neck and pulled her close to me. We lay in bed with a comfort I had not felt in a long time.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered.

“Me too.”

“Tomorrow, I want to talk to you about something,” I said.

“Okay,” she murmured.

We were both fading fast. It was late and it had been one hell of a night. I was almost asleep when I felt something happening at the foot of the bed. I went up on one elbow to find Kona staring me down. I didn’t move. She looked away, turned around a few times, and flopped onto the bed with half her body lying on my legs.

“Shit, that’s a heavy dog,” I muttered.

“Goodnight.” Thea patted my chest and snuggled closer against me.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. The dog had me anchored to the bed. After a few minutes, I started to relax. It was kind of soothing, like sleeping with a weighted blanket. I closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep with her in my arms. This was what I had been missing in my life.