chapter 6
Tyler was terrified of dogs. When he was five, Matthew had taken him to an amusement park. He let go of Tyler’s hand midway because he ran into a friend. Tyler got separated from him and got lost in the crowd. When we finally found him, he was crouched on the sidewalk, shaking with fear because there was a stray dog nearby. Since then, dogs had been his worst nightmare.
And the very person responsible wanted to give him a toy puppy as a present.
I couldn’t tell whether my anger or disappointment was stronger. I set the box aside and said calmly, “Thank you.”
Matthew gave me a puzzled look, then seemed to remember something. “There’s a power outage at Quilla’s place. I thought she could stay at our house. You don’t have to work today. Pack your things and take Tyler out for a couple of days.”
His casual words hit me like a hammer. I stared at him in disbelief. “You mean you want to kick Tyler and me out for Quilla?”
Matthew frowned. “Don’t put it that way. It’s just temporary. Since we agreed on a secret marriage, we have to avoid suspicion in front of our colleagues.”
I laughed. How ironic. Was she really just a colleague? Did he really just want to avoid suspicion? Or did he think Tyler and I were interfering with his love life?
I didn’t want to look at him anymore. I sat back at my desk and continued working. “I understand. I’ll pack quickly and take Tyler away. I won’t disturb you.”
Since we were leaving anyway, it made no difference if we left sooner rather than later.