Into the Garden (Wildflowers 5)

Misty didn't come up all night. I fell asleep waiting for her and woke up once during the night and realized she wasn't beside me in the bed. I listened for voices below, heard nothing, and concluded she might have left with Chris. However, when I went down in the morning, I found her curled up on the sofa. She had a blanket partially wrapped over her and I could see she was wearing only her bra and panties. Her dress was draped over the back of the sofa. Chris was gone. I didn't wake her. I went into the kitchen and started on breakfast. Just as I sat at the table, she appeared in the doorway with the blanket around her like a toga.

"Hi," she said after a big yawn. She shuffled to the coffeepot and poured herself a cup. After she took a sip, she smiled and said, "Great party." She paused when I didn't respond. "You had fun, didn't you? I saw how close you and Stuart were most of the night."

"Yes, I did have fun and he's very nice," I said. "Well, why are you so glum looking then? Are you mad at me for spending more time with Chris?" "No, of course not," I replied.

r /> "So?" She sat and sipped her coffee. "What is

it?"

"I think my father was out there last night,

parked across the street. It looked like his car and his

silhouette when he pulled away. He left right after

David drove off with Stuart and Jade."

"Maybe you just imagined it was him," Misty

said. "You're nervous about it since the break-in. I

mean, why would he just sit in his car across the street

and then leave when they left? That doesn't make

sense, does it?"

"I don't know. He was probably stunned by

what he had discovered in here when he broke in, and

now he is spying on the house. Seeing I had a party

surely sharpened his curiosity. He knows Geraldine

would never permit

She thought a moment and then shrugged. "What's he going to do about it?"

"I don't know."

"He's supposed to stay out of your life. He's got

to be afraid you'll call the police if he comes around,

so stop worrying so much. You'll get a wrinkled brow

and Stuart might not like that," she teased.

I blushed and she laughed.

"Guess what," she said, leaning toward me, her

eyes full of glee "Chris isn't as shy as I thought." Her

eyes brightened even more in anticipation of my

reaction.