Page 28 of Halstead House

My head whipped around as I whispered to Ana, “How do we get out of this?”

“You tell me. Have you ever managed to tell Eliza no?” she hissed.

“Well, no, but, aaah.” I chewed my lip. “You have to tell him we changed our minds.”

“Me? Stir up trouble? Yeah, right.” She made a face and sat back in her seat.

I wanted to tell her that she’d done nothingbutstir up trouble in my life, but I settled for saying, “I will not survive trying clothing on in front of John Lucas Halstead,” I squeaked.

She waved a careless hand and looked out the window. “He’ll wait outside at the tables along the sidewalk,” she said.

“You’d better pray you’re right, Ana.”

“Again, how is this my fault?”

“If you’d been on time to meet me, then we would have been gone when he showed up riding his motorcycle,” I muttered at the last second before he reappeared.

The driver’s door clicked open, cutting off our conversation as Lucas entered the car. He was wearing some sneakers now, and it looked as though he’d run his hands through his hair to tidy it up a bit.

“So... ” He looked over at me as he took his own seat.

Be brave, Grace, I thought,just let him off the hook. “Look, you don’t have to do this,” I managed. “It won’t bother us.”

“Fair enough. Which one of you is going to tell my aunt that I’m not coming?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Ready or not, then, huh?” Ana said cheerfully from the back.

I looked straight ahead and Lucas started the car. The hum of the motor was the only sound as we cruised along, and I appreciated the silence. I needed it to get my emotions pushed back into their comfortable hidey hole. I had no idea what had happened in that courtyard today, but somehow we were being forced to have what was the equivalent of an adult play date.

I had mostly calmed down by the time we arrived at the the historic district. It helped a lot that everything around me was eye candy. I was enthralled with the century-old buildings, their worn railings, and siding speaking of the harshness of life next to the gulf. Every building was vibrant with colors. Houses in reds, blues, yellows, and greens captivated my attention. Many of the homes were on stilts, with cars parked underneath them, evidence of a community prepared for life alongside the water.

Before long we entered an area of town with cobblestone streets. Lucas guided the car into a parallel parking space and turned off the motor. It was silent for a beat.

“Where to?” I turned over my shoulder to look at Ana, studiously avoiding eye contact with Lucas.

“Um, well, I thought we could combine a little tourism with the shopping, seeing as you’re new to our island. Let’s start at one end and work our way down.” Ana opened her door.

Lucas and I followed suit, stepping out into sights and sounds that were completely foreign to me. I took a moment to look around before moving to join Ana where she was standing on the sidewalk. I was so busy looking around that when I stepped up from street level I was caught off guard by both how high I’d had to step and how tilted the cement was. I wobbled for a moment before a warm hand pressed against my upper back, steadying me.

“Careful,” Lucas said from behind as he released me.

“They’re so tall, and tilted,” I breathed out, looking down at my feet.

“For flooding. During storm season the water runs away from the stores and back down into the streets, which act as canals to take the water out of town. Turns out the old-timers knew their stuff,” Ana said. I nodded my understanding. “Let’s do this. By the end of the day phase three will be complete.”

Ana—a woman quite comfortable giving orders—didn’t wait for us but headed off up the street. Neither Lucas nor I had moved to follow her, and I looked over at him.

“Phase three?” he asked.

I sighed. “It would have been nice if she’d kept that little bit of information to herself.” I began walking.

“I don’t believe Ana keeps much to herself,” he quipped.

“I’m beginning to understand that.”

“So...phase three?” He wasn’t letting it drop.

I pulled a face. On the bright side, I wasn’t trying to impress him, so I might as well answer the question. “Ana sees me as some kind of archeological dig site. She’s working in phases to uncover the real me.”

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