Page 17 of Whispers of the Lake

I grabbed it quickly, opening it. The container was half empty. No freezer burn. Sure, it could’ve been anyone else’s ice cream, but what were the odds someone would have selectedthatparticular flavor? And likely during the same week she was here, no less.

I placed it back in the freezer and went to retrieve my phone from my purse. I had to jump on this now. After several failed attempts, my text message finally went through as a green bubble to Nico.

Eve Castillo journal entry

I met someone a few nights ago. I went to Miami with Pam, and we sunbathed and took pics for our Instas. Pam is kind of annoying, but she has a big following and a lot of connections, so I deal with her. I feel bad saying that because she is very sweet. But she talks so damn loud and is so theatrical. It just totally blows my mind.

Anyway, this guy kept looking at me when we were at the pool. He had a cabana boy drop drinks off for us. Pam said he was looking at me the most. She said it loud enough for him to hear (like I said, annoying). At first, I ignored the guy. He was cute but really not my type. I can’t lie and say I didn’t like the attention though. After dealing with Lincoln, it was nice to know I was still desired, still wanted, still eye fuckable.

Men always looked at me. It wasn’t new. But lately, it seemed to be happening less often, or maybe I didn’t care enough to notice. The way this guy eyed me . . . it was as if he practically owned me already. Like he knew he would have me, no matter what it took. For some reason, I liked that. His assuredness. His confidence.

He asked me to meet him at a club and we really hit it off. We took ecstasy. I danced with him all night long. Took shots. Fucked him in his hotel room. Then fucked him again in the shower. The night was a beautiful whirlwind. No, it was magical.

We’ve been texting every day since I left. He Face-Times me when he’s free. He’s so fucking amazing. Like I literally can’t get him out of my head. He’s patient, smart, sexy, and makes really good money.

But I don’t want to jinx it. The good thing is he’s ten times better than Lincoln, but I wonder sometimes what Lincoln is up to. I wonder if he misses me as much as I miss him. If he regrets letting me slip away.

Anyway, we’ll see how things go with the new guy. If it feels right, maybe his name will be worthy enough for me to write it down.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

While I waited for Nico to respond to my text, I carried my phone with me to the sliding glass doors near the kitchen and walked outside. A massive body of water was ahead, revealing Aquilla Lake. On the other side were copious lines of pine trees. By nightfall, they’d blend in with the night. Another house was on the opposite side of the lake. It had many windows and was painted white. Their lights were on, and a boat was docked in front of it. Two people milled about but were practically specks in the distance.

I stepped farther out, the bottoms of my boots sinking into the plush grass. Just down the hill, a set of wooden stairs led to a wide dock overlooking the lake. At the end of the dock, an ivory and black speedboat bobbed on the water. I remembered the mention of it on the cottage’s listing. If tenants wanted to use it, they had to reach out to Alex and request it so he could fill it up and then charge a fifty-dollar fee.

I checked my phone again. My signal was absolute garbage. “Yeah, this isn’t going to work,” I muttered, raising my phone in the air. How the hell did Eve spend time here without a good signal? How had it not driven her crazy?

I swung my arm to the right, then the left, before finally seeing a bar appear. Just as it did, a call came in. I broke out in a smile when I saw it was Jayson. Then I cursed at myself for allowing my body to react that way.

“Hi, Jayson,” I answered, walking farther down the hill.

“Hello, my Rose.” His voice was smooth like satin, deep and delicious. It made my insides twist in a delightful way. “Been trying to call you for about an hour now. Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Everything’s fine.” I waved a hand. “I’m at this cabin in Sage Hill. The cell service is terrible.”

“Really? I didn’t know you’d be traveling. Didn’t you say you had a big article to turn in?”

“I do.” I sighed. “But I had to deviate a bit.”

“Oh.” He chuckled. “So, you just need a getaway then?”

“I wish it was a getaway,” I said, finding the stairs to the dock. “I’m looking for Eve. I booked this cottage hoping to figure out where she is or what she might be up to but—” I waved it off again. “I don’t know. It’s stupid. She’s not here. If she doesn’t want to answer her phone, then whatever, you know? I shouldn’t be putting so much effort into finding a grown woman.”

“Yeah,” he said before going quiet. For a second, I thought I’d turned him away with my mini rant. “But that’s not like you. Forgetting about your friends. That isn’t the Rose I know.”

“You’ve only known me for a couple of months.” I laughed, feeling heat coil in my belly. I cleared my throat, forcing my body to rinse the feeling away. The last time I felt like this was when I met Cole. Now look at us.

“They’ve been an amazing couple of months though,” Jayson said. “What can I say?”

I laughed again.

“I was hoping to see you today, sit at the end of your couch and rub your feet while you bang out some words on your keyboard. Maybe evenbang youafterwards.”

I threw my head back to laugh. “Smooth, Jayson. Real smooth.”

“You know me.”

I caged my bottom lip between my teeth, studying the lake. I was going to spend the next two nights here. Alone. If Eve wasn’t here, there was no point in staying in Twilight Oaks by myself. Plenty of space. Lots of counters. A plush bed. And it would probably help to be in a quiet place to get my article written up.

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