Page 59 of Lavender Lake

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“Fine,” I lied.

His gaze pinned me with a stare, as if he knew I was lying.

And that was something else that was bothering me.

It seemed Bowman and I were constantly being thrown together. And I wasn’t sure how to feel about that either.

I sat in the back of the truck and gave Bowman the front since he had longer legs. Declan and Bowman carried on a conversation while I stared out the window, lost in my own thoughts. My phone buzzed with a text from my boss.

Jack

Just checking in and seeing how you’re doing.

Me

thanks. I’m doing okay. I’ll call later.

“Salem?” Declan asked.

“Hmm?”

“I’ve got to meet the crew out at the build site. You want to go with me?”

“Sure,” I said.

When we got back to the Ridge, Declan parked the truck in front of the house and we climbed out.

“You good for a bit?” Declan asked Bowman.

“He’s not coming with us?” I asked in surprise.

“He saw the site yesterday,” Declan explained. “On our ride.”

“Oh. Right.” I nodded.

“Check on Tempest for me, yeah?” Declan asked his friend.

“She in the barn?” Bowman asked.

“Probably.”

Bowman looked at me for a second, and then he trekked in the direction of the barn and my sister’s pet goat.

“It was a mistake, letting a goat sleep in your bed,” I said with a laugh.

“Don’t I know it.” Declan grinned as we headed toward the side-by-side. “But I can’t say no to Hadley.”

“I love that for her,” I said. “I like how you treat her.”

“Thanks,” he said.

We got into the vehicle. He started the engine and it roared to life. It was loud and rendered conversation difficult.

It was a five-minute drive to the building site, and there was already a double wide and several RVs parked in an area nearby.

“When did those get here?” I asked in surprise.

“A few days before you came,” he explained. “It’s a family crew that will oversee everything, and crews of workers will rotate in and out.”

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