Chapter 17

Carina peered at me like I’d lost my mind and it made her incredibly uncomfortable. She shifted around in her seat and looked as if she wanted to run away from the situation, like an animal ready to bolt down a hole to escape a predator. I needed to calm her down and make her feel safe in my company, let her know that whatever she said wouldn’t leave the room. I sat back and relaxed my posture, but it didn’t ease the tension. I decided that I needed to make myself more vulnerable than she felt and I had the perfect plan.

“Carina?” She glanced up at me, clearly nervous with what I was about to ask her. “Would you possibly be able to run me a bath please?”

Her eyes widened then smiled when she released the gulp of air she'd been holding in.

“Of course, Aubrey. I’ll do that right away.”

She practically jumped out of her chair and scurried off and into the bathroom. I could hear her turning on the taps and opening bottles and it made me curious to see what she w