Page 49 of Three Steps Behind

She blinked, then nodded.

He extended his hand, slipped the silky strand of hair between his fingers and tucked it behind her ear.

A shy smile kissed her lips. “Thank you.”

“Any . . .” He cleared his throat. “Anytime.” He pulled his arm back to his side, ignoring how much he wanted to wrap it around her and pull her into his arms. “Anything telling in the journal?”

“A lot,” she said, shifting her attention back to the pages.

“Oh?” He cast his gaze on the plethora of lime sticky notes surrounding her. He arched a brow. “Looks like you’re onto something. . . . I think.”

“Ignore my version of shorthand . . . and my horrible handwriting.”

He picked up a note and examined it. “I do have to say, it is horrible.” He laughed, and she joined him for a second.

“Yeah, neat handwriting has never been my forte.”

“Well, you’re very talented in other ways.”

She stared at him. “Thank you.”

She said it like she’d been reminded of it for the first time in a long while, which was a shame. She was one of the smartest women he knew, and between Ri and Andi, he was surrounded by them. “You’re brilliant,” he added.

She shrugged her bruised shoulder. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now, what are you are finding?” he asked, leaning closer without thinking.

She didn’t seem to mind, only scooted a bit closer to him, which warmed his chest—adrenaline at her closeness thumping through him.

“Taylor noted when Nick started having an affair or, rather, when she started figuring out he was having an affair—earlier this fall.”

“So not long before she changed her will?”

“According to Lindsay Collins, correct.”

“How’d she figure it out?”

“Nick started coming home late from the office and taking weekend business trips. One time that really hit the fan when he came home smelling like another woman’s perfume . . . which reminds me, that’s another thing,” she said, heading in a totally different direction. “Taylor said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Around the same time, she said her sense of smell was off. The perfume she always wore smelled different to her.”

“Maybe something was wrong with the perfume.”

“I think there was.”

He loved watching her mind at work. “Such as?”

“The other symptoms she listed over the following months included dizziness, headache, then over the last week before she died . . .” Harper’s lip quivered. “Before her death, her vision blurred, and colors looked off to her.”

“Did she go to a doctor?”

“Yes, she’s had the same family doctor since she was born. He said dizziness and headaches can come from anything.”

He rested his arm over the back of the sofa. “Helpful.”

“I know, right?”