The flight back is oppressive. Never before have I freaked out on an airplane, but riding home to San Bravado makes me feel I’m about to come dangerously close. The whole time, I keep to myself, trying to ignore the suffocating feeling overwhelming me.

“I don’t want to go home,” Mia whines when we’re halfway between Aspen and San Bravado. “I wanna keep snowboarding.”

“We'll come back next year,” Benjamin says, all of his attention on his phone.

Mia makes a grumpy face and slumps forward in her seat.

“Hey, Mia,” I say. “Would you like to go ice skating when we get home?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Benjamin peek at me. It's been at least an hour since I've said anything.

“Yeah!” Mia shouts.

“That okay?” I coolly ask Benjamin.

He gives me the briefest glance ever before going back to his phone. For a second, I want to take the phone and smash it on the cabin floor. Is he really checking his email on Christmas Eve?

“Sure,” he answers. “I'll wait at home for you guys.”

I cautiously look at Mia, worried Benjamin's announcement will upset her, but she doesn't seem to care at all. She's kicking her feet against her seat and smiling my way.

“I love ice skating,” she tells me. “How did you know I do, Jayne?”

I give her a wink. “Because I know you're a little snow bunny.”

Mia giggles, and my heart aches. I'm going to have to enjoy today, because in another week, it will be no nanny job, no Mia…no Benjamin.

I stay quiet for the rest of the flight.

Benjamin has the driver drop me and Mia off at the ice rink, which is just fine with me. With Amy out of town, and my welcome in Benjamin's house overstayed, I'm not exactly rushing to get anywhere.

It's mid-afternoon, and the outdoor rink is full of people. As Mia and I hold hands and skate around, I can't help but think that Benjamin should be here right now. It's Christmas. It's his daughter's hand that I'm holding.

And I know that he's a doting father, that he loves her more than anything else. I've seen this myself many times. He's not here because I'm here. It's just like he said. I'm getting in between the two of them.

I sniffle, and Mia looks over at me.

“What's wrong, Jayne?” she asks.

Damn, this kid is sharp. Aren't six-year-olds supposed to be living in their own world and all that jazz?

“Nothing,” I lie. “I'm just really happy to be here with you.”

We skate around the rink as night falls over the city. The multi-colored lights strung around us sparkle to life. Mia and I skate apart, then together again, our hands always finding each other once more.

“I'm tired,” she finally says, two hours, several breaks, and a hot chocolate from the nearby concession stand later. “Can we go home?”

I'm exhausted as well, and my whole body aches. I could skate all night, though, because leaving this rink means facing cold, hard reality.

It's time to drop Mia off, and then…what?

Benjamin will dismiss me for the night, probably. I'll go home to an empty apartment where the only tree on display is the one-foot-tall plastic one on the kitchen table.

We’re turning our skates in when I catch sight of a familiar car. It's parked across the street, and at first, I don't know why it's caught my attention.

And then it hits me. I know this car. I also know the face looking out the window.

My entire body tenses, and adrenaline pumps through my veins. It's him. The man who was watching Mia's school weeks ago.

And now, he's watching us.

I look away quickly, having stared at the car for not more than one second. I don't know if the man caught me looking or not. Thankfully, I was only raking my gaze across the street.

“I'm so tired,” Mia complains.

I hold her hand tightly.

“I know.” There's a slight shake to my voice, and when I speak again, I control it. “Let's get in the car.”

As I buckle Mia into her car seat, the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. I climb behind the wheel and surreptitiously survey the area. The man is parked right around the corner, on the other side of the rental stand for ice skates.

I could call the cops. That seems like the logical thing to do. The thing is, I don't have any proof that he's following us. I need to see real evidence before I make that call.

I take my time pulling out and go down the side road toward Benjamin’s. We’re still in a residential area, but if that guy follows us, I'll be able to tell right away.

A block into the drive I glance into my rearview mirror. It's as I thought. He's there, trailing us, not even a buffer car between me and him.

My heart jumps into my throat, and I resist the urge to slam my foot on the gas and burn rubber out of there. I take a left going onto the main road. I look in the mirror, watching for the guy to turn.

And he does…except, he goes in the other direction.

I gulp. Him not following me anymore doesn't mean anything.

Hand shaking, I pull my phone from my bag and call Benjamin.

One ring. Two. Three. It goes to voicemail.

“Shit,” I whisper under my breath.

I call Benjamin several more times, but he never answers. At his front gate, I do a thorough sweep of my surroundings. Everything seems normal. At the end of the driveway, it's the same deal. Everything looks standard.

I glance around the yard, wanting to make sure no one is lurking in it. The front porch’s flood light casts a good amount of visibility, but I'm still quick at getting a sleeping Mia out of her car seat and to the front door, where I put in the code for the security system.

“Hello?” I call, as I enter the house. “Benjamin?”

The alarm system was working as normal, so everything looks safe here.

“Hello?” Eddie’s voice calls back.

He shuffles into the hallway, wearing a Santa hat and a sweater with reindeer on it. I would probably laugh if my heart wasn’t threatening to beat its way out of my chest.

“Is Benjamin here?” I ask in a low voice, not wanting to wake Mia. She’s snoozing with her head on my shoulder, and it’s best if she stays that way.

“No.” Eddie frowns. “Has hasn’t arrived yet.”

My stomach drops. “Have you heard from him?”

“No.” He looks over my shoulder, like Benjamin might be hiding there. “He isn’t with you?”

I gulp.

“Eddie, listen. Something is going on, but I’m not sure what. This man followed us from the skating rink.”

Eddie’s eyes go wide.

“He dropped off a while back, but my guess is that he knows where we are. Here. Take Mia upstairs.” I gently pass her over to Eddie, worried the older man doesn’t have the strength to sustain her weight. He hefts her onto his shoulder, though, bypassing my expectations.

“We need to call the police,” Eddie says in a wobbling voice.

“We can’t prove anything yet. The man didn’t even follow me all the way home, but I know he was trailing us. I saw him watching Mia’s school weeks ago.”

I resist the urge to pace and instead pull my phone from my pocket and call Benjamin again. There’s still no answer.

The discomfort in my core grows. Benjamin always has his phone on him.

“Something’s wrong,” I breathe. “Make sure the alarms are all set and take Mia upstairs. If anyone shows up here, don’t even answer the door. Call the police.”

With the alarms all over the grounds and the cameras pointed at all entrances, he and Mia will be safe here.

“Where are you going?” Eddie asks. “What about Benjamin?”

“I’m going to find out where he is.” My mind is racing, and I think back to the driver who picked us up at the airport. I didn’t recognize him, but that means nothing. Benjamin uses a car service, and they’re always sending different drivers.

Is Benjamin still with the driver? What if the man behind the wheel wasn’t a driver at all? What if he was someone else?

“What’s the car service Benjamin uses?” I ask.

Eddie is bending under the weight of Mia, who, somehow, is sleeping through this whole conversation.

Lucky girl.

“Maximum Chauffeur,” he answers.

“Right.” I’m already looking them up on my phone and calling their number. A voicemail picks up, and I exhale between my teeth. “Shit.”

“Lock all the doors and windows,” I reiterate. “And call me if you hear from Benjamin.”

Rushing out the front, I lock the door behind me and jump into my car. I have no plan and don’t know where I’m going. I just know that what’s going on isn’t right.

Benjamin isn’t where he’s supposed to be, and the puzzle pieces are fitting together in a way that suggests he’s in trouble.

Tears burn in my eyes as I head down the driveway. What if something happens to him and I never see him again? We’ll have ended on the worst note possible.

He probably thinks I don’t care about him.

That’s awful, because the truth is the opposite. I love him like I’ve never loved any man.

At the end of the driveway, I pull my phone back out and open an app, the one thing that’s going to be able to help me. Benjamin is a computer whiz, so I can’t be sure that he hasn’t already discovered the tracking software I added on his phone and uninstalled it.

It was a shady move to do it without asking him, I know. But I did it with good reason.

And now I’m about to see if my move wins this game.