JAMES
C
learing my throat roughly,
I rolled my shoulders to get rid of some of the tension that rested just under my skin. Nerves tightened my abdomen, stiffening my arm when I raised my fist to knock on the door.
Caroline’s home was part of a cookie cutter collection that spanned the entire neighborhood. Wrapped in light beige siding, with a two-step, tiny concrete block to stand in front of the door under a curved, white awning. The front yard was covered in green grass, but there were no flowers anywhere.
My heart thudded hard in my chest as I waited for someone to answer my knock, and I swiped my palm across my jaw. I couldn’t remember a time when I was so nervous to meet a woman. Then again, most women don’t do what she did.
Glancing back at my car, I pursed my lips together at
