Deirdre’s cheeks burned. If she admitted to it—well, would it not make it seem like she cared a lot about what Kyran thought of her?

The end of Kyran’s lips curled. His sincerity bled as he typed, “I’m stoked to hear that you care about what I think.”

Deirdre lowered her head, but no amount of searching provided her any good counterargument. “So? Why didn’t you say anything, then? Unless both Mr. Engel and Mr. King were lying…”

“Maybe they were, but what about the man who flirted with you? Do you really think he was lying?” Kyran argued, his eyes nailed to the blind woman’s own. They were unfocused and glassy, but her eyes had always been so clear and transparent.

He lowered the phone’s volume. “You’ve always been beautiful, Deirdre. I didn’t react back then because—”

Silence. His phone stopped speaking for him. Deirdre had not had the time to wonder what had happened when she felt him slowly inching close.

She could feel his breath beating on her. She felt a tightening in her c