Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
I waited to see if she’d provide more.
She twisted her fingers in front of her, chewing on her bottom lip instead, like she knew better than to keep talking.
“I understand.” I paused. “I have a question for you. Hopefully you can help me out.”
“Sure!”
“Did you happen to run into the person who rented the cottage before me, by any chance?”
“Oh. Um . . .” She avoided my eyes and stared at the grass. “I don’t think so.”
It was obvious she was lying.
“It’s just . . .” I lifted my phone and swiped to unlock it. I scrolled through my photos until I found the most recent image of me and Eve. “This is my friend Eve. She was staying here for a few days.”
The girl stared at the picture for a lengthy amount of time. Her face seemed go pale. After ten more seconds, I wasn’t sure if she’d gotten lost in thought or what. Finally, her eyes swooped up to mine and she shook her head. “I don’t remember seeing her.”
“Okay.” I pulled my phone away with a defeated sigh.
“I do remember seeing her name when she booked though,” she tossed in. “I help Alex clean the cottage sometimes and with the background work.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“Thanks. Anyway, I should get back. They don’t like me being gone for too long, especially on days when I have an appointment.”
“Appointment?” I repeated.
“Oh—um, yes. I had leukemia.”
“Oh . . . I’m so sorry,” I murmured.
“But I’m in remission now, so yay! You shouldn’t be sorry. It’s not your fault it happened,” she chimed, as bubbly as ever. “I guess God just hates me.”
I gasped. “No. Don’t say that. He doesn’t hate you.”
“Then why would He allow me or anyone else to be diagnosed with a disease that can end a life at any given moment?” She stared at me with her deep brown eyes, tears accumulating at the rims.
I wanted to hug her. She looked like she needed a hug, but I didn’t know her, so I kept still.
She sniffed. Blinked the tears away. “I’m Rory, by the way.” Another one of her smiles appeared, despite the sheen in her eyes. “I would shake your hand but my immune system sucks ass right now.”
Poor baby. Smiling through the heartache.
“It’s nice to meet you, Rory.”
“Hey, maybe while you’re here I can bring you some of my brownies. My brothers love them. Is it okay to bring some tonight?”
“Yeah, of course. That’s really nice of you.” And a perk for me. If she swung by, I could ask her more questions. I could get her to spill the truth. She had to know something about Eve. She had to have seen her at least once.
“Great! I can’t wait for you to taste them! See you soon!”
I smiled at her as she twisted around to walk off. As she drifted away, swallowed in mist, I couldn’t help thinking how odd the encounter was to begin with. What was a girl who’d been sick with cancer doing outside alone?
I tilted my gaze and noticed the house across from the cottage was several yards away now. It was stark white with black trimmings. Massive windows took over the back side of the home, likely giving the owners a crystal-clear view of the lake. I hadn’t realized it before, but there was another house on this side of Lake Aquilla too. It was deeper within the trees, making it much harder to see from a distance. There weren’t any lights on inside that one. It seemed so small compared to the white one.
Someone walked along the dock in front of the white house to reach a boat. I made my way in their direction and didn’t slow down until I found a set of stairs that led to the wooden platform. Leaves were scattered around, the wood slick and wet. It smelled like salt and fish.
As I moseyed along, I found where the fishy scent was coming from. An open cooler with four fish lay across ice. Fresh catch?
A man was on the boat, bent over and searching for something.
“Uh—hi! Excuse me!” I called, keeping a safe distance.
The man jerked backwards but ended up slamming his head into the seat above. “Ow. Damn it!” he yelled, wrenching himself out and clutching the back of his head.
“Oh. Yikes,” I cried, pressing a hand to my mouth.
He scowled as he looked my way. Then his face relaxed as curiosity stole its place.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I held out both hands as if apologizing with them. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” The man stood. He was a few inches taller than me, light brown skin, hazel eyes, and neatly cut hair. He wore a button-down polo shirt and jeans with a pair of Sperrys. I wanted to say he was in his late forties or so.