Page 64 of It Happened on the Lake

“I saw some equipment and first thought it might be a place to jam, you know, cuz I saw a guitar on the wall, but that wasn’t it.” He scratched his chin, remembering. “On one wall—the one with the window facing the lake—there was this long desk or table or whatever. Just a big sheet of plywood stretched over cinder blocks. And on top of it? All kinds of cameras and shit. I meanexpensiveshit. Cameras with zoom lenses. And . . . and . . . tape players and movie cameras and binoculars. I mean it was right out of a spy novel. Really tricked out.” He glanced at Rand. “I even wondered if someone sat up there and got off watching everyone through that window that faced the lake. But the best part?”

He grinned, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. “A mattress on the floor on the other side of the room. That’s where we got down to business and man, oh man, was she into it. Went down on me and then got on top of me with those big incredible tits in my face. I could’ve sucked on them for hours. Hours! Shit, if there’s a heaven, that’s it.”

Rand was fascinated but wondered if Chase was fantasizing or just downright lying. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true. I swear! And . . . and get this! There were holes in the attic floor with little covers, and you could remove those little covers and bingo—you were looking down at the bedroom below, kinda through the light fixture so you could see who was getting it on. Can you believe that? They were spying on each other—well, hell, maybe on everyone on the lake. Anyway, Moonbeam, she was awesome. Knew what she was doing if you know what I mean—”

“Really?” Rand cut in. This sounded like a load of BS. “It happened? Between you and this girl? For real? When there were other guys at the house?”

“I know! That’s just it! They’re all cool with it.”

“Bullshit.” Rand didn’t believe it.

“No! I swear!” He lifted his palms up to beside his head. “They share! Free love, you know? Free-fucking-love!”

Rand’s stomach turned. Not so much about Chase fucking everything that moved. Who cared? But because Harper Reed thought she was in love with him.And, he thought,she deserves better. “And Harper’s okay with this?”

“Aaah.” Chase shifted from one foot to the other on the ledge, as if he finally felt some prick of conscience. “The thing is, she doesn’t really know. If she found out, she’d go ballistic. You know about her temper, right? It’s . . . well, scary sometimes. It’s like she can’t control herself.”

“Really?”

“One time she was so mad at me, she practically ran me over with her Grandpa’s boat. I was waterskiing with another girl and Harper saw me. She was in his Chris-Craft and turned that sucker around, then headed straight for me while I was in the water waiting to be picked up. She claimed it was an accident, that she didn’t see me.” He paused, took another drag. “But she was lying.”

“Jesus.”

“I know. Nuts. Doesn’t matter anyway.”

“But you’re going to marry her?”

“Maybe. If I don’t break up with her first.”

“Shit. Seriously?” Rand couldn’t make sense of what Chase was telling him. “What the hell? I don’t get it. Either you’re in love with Harper and you want to get married, or not.”

“It’s not simple.”

“I think it is. It’s sick, that’s what it is. You’re using her . . . like some brood mare.”

“No!” Chase was suddenly angry. “I told you. I care for her.”

“And a whole lot of other girls.”

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Chase bit out. “It’s more complicated than that. The whole damned world isn’t black or white.”

“Does Harper know that?” Rand countered. But deep down, he was relieved.

“Not yet. She will.” Chase chewed on his lower lip, thinking, as a night owl hooted from a tall tree nearby, then he passed the joint back and said, “I’m gonna talk to her tonight. Explain things. She’ll get it.”

“Oh sure.” Chase was talking nonsense.

“She will.”

“Like hell she will. You’d better figure out what you’re gonna say, cuz if you tell her what you told me tonight, she’s gonna freak out.” Rand took a final toke and passed the joint back.

“She’ll understand.”

Rand didn’t think so.

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