Chapter Seventeen

Suddenly, not asking any questions about his business seemed like a colossal mistake on my part. What did I actually know about this man? Just because he had told me about his family and his dreams didn't mean I knew who he was. He had told me about parts of his life, but it felt like he had also left out a lot of important details. Cold dread at what he wasn't telling me started to settle in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to think about what I didn't know and how it could end up hurting me.

I left the bathroom and returned to the living room, trying not to panic.

Freddie closed the front door. He turned the lock, making the old wooden door creak. I couldn't remember the last time the door had ever been locked. It simply wasn't something we'd ever needed to do. No one locked their doors around here.

“I did forget to answer my phone. My brother called him all worried.” Freddie shook his head and smiled. The formal tone was gone entirely, and the Freddie I knew was back. “My brot