Page 41 of Whispers of the Lake

“He told me you’re in some place called Sage Hill and that you’re looking for Eve.”

I was going to throat punch Herbert too. “Why does it matter?” I asked, exasperated.

“Did you find her?”

“Again,whydoes it matter?”

“I’m just asking.”

“Are you pretending you don’t know where she is?” I asked. “Is she with you? Because I swear to God if she is, and I’m doing all of this, I will—”

“No, Rose.What?” Cole’s voice raised a notch. “Why the hell would I be with her? I don’t know where she is. I was going to say that I don’t think you should be in that town alone. I looked into it, and it seems kinda bigoted. I should drive there, right? Someone needs to look out for you.”

I inhaled then exhaled. Was he really trying to use this as a way to get on my good side again? Or to win me back, as he put it.

“I don’t need you looking out for me.”

“I worry about you, Rose.”

“Look, I have to go.”

“Rose?” he called.

“Bye, Cole.”

“Rose?” he called again.

The call failed.

I stood there a moment, crossing my arms and staring at the lake. The flashbacks punched me right in the gut.

Cole with his pants around his ankles.

Eve completely naked.

Cole’s face dropping. Eve’s hands going up, begging me to wait before she’d even spoken. Eve running toward me, pleading.

A slam of the door.

It took everything in me not to cry. I was so conflicted as of this moment. I wanted to hate Eve for what she’d done. I shouldn’t have been at this damn cottage looking for her. I shouldn’t have cared about her at all. Maybe it was a good thing she was missing, then she wouldn’t ruin anyone else’s life. That was a foul thought though. She shouldn’t have been missing. Her safety was still important.

Jayson had been right, before. It was impossible for menotto care about her. This was a person who’d been in my life for almost two decades. A person I shared so many of my secrets with—things about my husband that I’d never voiced to anyone else. Things about my childhood that only she knew. You can’t just write something like that off in the span of three months.

A text rolled in from Cole:Be safe Rose. Plz.

He was pathetic.

Both of them were.

Snap.

I gasped, twisting around to face a line of trees. There it was again, just like this morning.

This time the snap was louder. And it damn sure didn’t belong to a rabbit. I stepped back, keeping watch of the area. Then a foot stepped out. A black and white Converse followed by another. Jeans. A gray shirt this time.

“Rory?” I called, clutching my chest.

“I keep scaring you! Sorry!” Rory apologized as she approached. She had a Tupperware container in one hand. “I promised to bring you the brownies. I really hope you like them.”

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