"Where are you going, young lady?" Mark asked.
Marigold turned around to see Mark leaning his shoulder up against the door frame while having his arms crossed. There was a playful smile on his lips and the tone in his voice had been light so she knew she wasn't in any trouble.
"Just out," she answered.
"And where is out?" He asked.
"Starbucks. Maybe some shopping afterwards," she answered.
"You've been doing an awful lot of shopping lately," he said. "Yet you fail to return home with any bags."
"Just window shopping," she shrugged.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" He asked. "You've been sneaking around for two weeks now and I wanna know where you're going."
Had it really already been two weeks since she first met Seth? The days flew by fast when she was with him. He still hadn't found a lead in the case but he refused to give up. She suspected he only tried this hard because he didn't want to leave town after having met her. She couldn't tell Mark all that. He and Kane were overly protective of her.
"I made a new friend. We hang out together," she said.
"Who is she?" He asked.
"Just someone from work," she answered.
"You don't work these days," he said.
"My last work. We ran into each other at Starbucks and we've been hanging out since," she said.
She stayed as close to the truth as possible. She knew a potential boyfriend scared Mark and Kane. Her troubled past was a lot to take in for anyone. They always tried their hardest not to tell people about it. They wanted it buried for good. The past should stay in the past according to them. They never wanted to talk about it.
"Alright, invite her over for dinner tomorrow," he said.
"I don't think she can make it," she said.
"I don't care. You'll invite her over for dinner so we can see what type of friend you're hanging around. I wanna make sure you're safe and that we can trust her," he said.
"We?" She sneered. "She's my friend. You're not gonna hang out with her anyway."
"Dinner! Tomorrow!" He demanded. "End of discussion."
She walked to Seth's home. He was expecting her. He greeted her with a kiss and a cup of coffee.
"You don't seem too happy today," he said.
"Mark wants you to come over for dinner," she said.
"When?" He asked.
"Tomorrow," she answered.
"What time should I be there?" He asked.
She stared at him. He was actually gonna show up for dinner.
"You can't be serious. This is still very new and you're leaving again," she said.
"What better way of stating that we're serious? I might leave again but we can travel back and forward until one of us is ready to move state," he said.
"You don't get it. He thinks you're just a friend," she said.
"So tell him the truth," he said.
"He thinks you're a woman!" She yelled. "You don't fucking get it, Seth! I'm not allowed to date. They think I'm still a virgin, for crying out loud. I've been living this secret life for so long and they don't know. I never bring anyone home. I don't even have any fucking friends!"
Her yelling didn't have the desired effect. She wanted to push him away. Instead he moved up to her and pulled her close.
"You're 29. You're allowed to date whoever you want," he said.
"Not according to them. You forget he's the sheriff. He'll hunt me down all over town. If he knows about you, he's gonna make your life a living hell," she said.
"It can't be that bad," he chuckled.
"They don't want anyone to know about my past. He even changed my surname to Calaway when I was young so that no one would make the connection to my parents. I'm not allowed to mention the fire or anything from my past," she said.
"They're just trying to protect you," he said.
He leaned down and pecked her lips a few times until he felt her relax up against him.
"I'm gonna come by tomorrow. They can throw whatever they want at me. I'm used to that in my line of work. They're not gonna scare me away," he said.
"Why couldn't you just be like the others?" She asked lowly.
"What did they do?" He asked.
"I didn't fall for them," she answered.
"Tough shit, goldie," he chuckled. "You're mine now."