Page 23 of Kindred Lies
Chapter 13
Sunlight streamed through the windows and bounced across the back of Amethyst’s eyelids. Pain shot through the muscles in her shoulders and her neck felt a little stiff. She pushed her arms upward into a long stretch and sat up. Amethyst opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. She’d fallen asleep on the couch in the family quarters of the inn. The storm hadn’t lasted much longer after they’d come into the room, but the power never returned. Workers would probably sent out to do repairs to the lines.
“Good morning,” Cooper said. He’d fallen asleep too—next to her. She had in fact been using him as a pillow. His eyes still held a little sleepiness to them. His lids were drooped down low and his entire focus was on her. The intensity was both mesmerizing and addicting.
Her lips tilted upward into a sensuous smile. “Good morning.” She snuggled against him. “What should we do with our day?”
She should do some more research but for the first time in her life she wanted to spend her day doing something—frivolous. Amethyst had one goal from a very young age. Self-sufficiency. After watching her mother throw herself and man after man Amethyst had vowed never to depend on anyone. Her independence meant far more to her than love. That fleeting emotion only led to heartache and ruin. Cooper made her believe there was more to life. That maybe she could have something a little more if she dared allow it.
“Not sure when power will be back on,” he said. “You’re our only guest currently. The Millers checked out before the storm. Olivia is supposed to come in today to work the desk and clean the rooms they left behind.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead. “The only guest we are expecting over the next few days is your mother. Do you know when she’ll arrive?”
“Her flight should be landing this morning.” She sat up. “She said she should be here by dinnertime.”
“Hmmm,” he hummed the sound out. “That should give us several hours. We can go get breakfast. Maybe row out to Ghost Peak Island and take a picnic lunch with us. There’s not much to do around here and without power it’ll get stuffy in here fast.”
The room was already a little warmer than it had been when she arrived. The air conditioning would definitely be missed. If she had to be hot she might as well enjoy the out doors instead. Besides once her mother decided to show up there wouldn’t be much fun to be had. Lyoness tended to suck out the joy of the room and demanded all attention be bestowed upon her. Her mother could be narcissistic that way… “I’m game to a day on the island. I have been wanting to explore it a little bit.” Maybe she could bring the journal along with her and read some of it while on the island. “I’ll go shower quick. Let’s skip the big breakfast. Pack some fruit or snacks in the lunch for if we get hungry sooner.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Cooper said in agreement. “I could use a shower myself. Meet me down here in an hour and we can head out.” He grinned. “I don’t have a fancy speedboat like Ben. Hope you don’t mind a small but efficient craft.”
“Size isn’t everything,” she answered and then returned his smile. “As long as it does the job right it’s all I can ask for.”
“Oh it’ll definitely do that.” He kissed her briefly and caressed her hair. “Until later then…”
“You can count on it.” A flutter of tiny bolts of electricity ricocheted through her body. Would she ever get used to the affect he had on her? She doubted it.
Cooper stood and exited the room. Presumably to some other part of the family quarters where he could shower and change. Amethyst did the same and headed in the opposite direction. She rushed up the stairs and went to room number thirteen. She unlocked the door and walked straight to her suitcase and pulled out several clothing items to wear after her shower. Then went into her bathroom and turned the shower on. Once the water was heated to the desired temperature she stripped and stepped inside.
After her shower she dressed and pulled her dark, wet locks into a pragmatic French braid. She’d be out and about all day and she didn’t want any stray locks to fly in her face or get tangled in something they shouldn’t. Amethyst didn’t know what the day would hold, but she couldn’t wait to find out. Something about Ghost Peak Island spoke to her. She’d never stepped foot on the island; however, it also seemed familiar somehow.
Amethyst felt connected to Marianne. As if she should know her or did know her in some fashion… Perhaps it was a result of reading her journal. She couldn’t be certain one way or the other. She did know one thing though. It would be a day she wouldn’t ever forget. Not because she finally got to explore the island, but because she would be able to spend it there with Cooper. He hadn’t changed on her as Ben had. He remained constant and if she were being honest with herself, she’d always liked him better anyway. The problem was, she hadn’t ever been pursued by a boy before, let alone two.
Amethyst finished dressing and exited her room. She hopped down the stairs two at a time. When she reached the bottom she headed to the family quarters to meet Cooper. She hadn’t taken the entire hour to get ready and she hoped he hadn’t either. Excitement filled her and the sooner she could start her day with Cooper the better.
She entered the sitting room and glanced at the portrait of Marianne. It still bothered her how much the other woman looked exactly like her. Maybe she would discover another aspect of that mystery while she was in North Point. What was it about Marianne that made Amethyst want to tell her story? Would she be sorry she’d started this investigation? She shook those doubts away and sat on the sofa to wait for Cooper. It wasn’t a day for gloom or doom. It all could wait for another day, another time, and another person altogether if she had any say in it…
* * *
Cooper finished packingtheir lunch and placed all of the items carefully in a picnic basket. He’d done as she suggested and included some extra fruit along with some nuts, granola bars, and cheese as snacks. They were bound to get hungry earlier than when they decided to have their picnic lunch. Once he had everything secured in the basket her closed it up and left the kitchen. Amethyst would be waiting for him.
He found her lounging on the settee in the family room. She was gazing up at the portrait of Marianne. She had her head tilted to the side as she studied it. Her teeth grazed her bottom lip briefly before she sighed.
“Has she been telling you her secrets?”
She turned her head to meet his gaze. “That would be nice, but no. The only secrets she has to tell anyone these days are whispers on the wind. It’s amazing we have a brief glance into her life with her journals.”
“Have you made any progress on those?” He walked over to her and set the picnic basket on an end table. Cooper hoped the journals would be useful to her. What he really wanted was to entice her to stay in North Point.
“I read some more the other night,” she admitted. “But I woke up from some wicked nightmares and have been reluctant to read more. If you don’t mind I’m going to bring the one I’ve been reading along with us. This might sound strange but I’ll feel better going through it with you around.”
He liked that idea. A lot. Mainly because it gave him another reason to spend time with her. Cooper would gladly encourage any decision that also helped aid his cause. “We can put it in a plastic bag to help protect it. If we get it wet my dad would be pissed since its an heirloom.”
“How is it you came to have them?” She stood and came to his side. “You’ve mentioned them being heirlooms twice now. Are you related to Marianne?”
Cooper shook his head. “As you know Marianne and her husband were the original owners of the inn. Some of this you’ll learn from the journals. After her husband died she couldn’t stand the hotel. It brought her nothing but sadness. She sold it to George Marchant and was never seen from again.”
“You don’t know what happened to her?” Shock was laced through Amethyst’s voice. “I assumed she stayed in town.”
“Some think she committed suicide so she could join her husband and son in the afterlife,” he told her. “Others just think she fled town and started again somewhere that didn’t hold so much misery. I suppose we’ll never know for sure.”
