Chapter 9
*
The next morning, Cole arrived at Tarsha’s apartment door promptly at 7:00. He had been up for hours, returning to his own apartment to shower and change. He was fairly certain that she would have a dim view of his nights spent in the apartment under hers, listening to her heartbeat.
When she opened the door, she did not have her usual cheery smile. Instead, she looked rather like death warmed over. Her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. He had known, of course, that she had spent a restless night the evening before. He had listened to her toss and turn for hours. He thought that it was because she was nervous to meet his family. Looking at her, it was clear that something else entirely was wrong.
“You look awful,” he blurted out as she retreated back in
