Chapter 61

In the darkness of the hotel bedroom, Kimberly’s role had seemed clear. In the morning she wasn’t quite so certain of where she stood with Asher – or where she wanted to stand.

She was pretending to be asleep when she felt the mattress shift. Through slit eyes, she saw him stand beside the bed, then walk rapidly to the bathroom. Through the closed door, she heard him getting dressed. Then he vacated the bathroom and exited the room – she assumed to give her some privacy while she got up.

She wanted to tell him that they should just act normally. But she was too unsettled to know what normal was. So she focused on the simple task of getting dressed.

She had just emerged from the bathroom when he came back into the room and closed the door, so she knew he must have been waiting right outside.

“Hi,” she said. “Good morning.”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Good. I’m going to