hoping. What if someone else had killed Corinne? What if she and Tristancould prove Luke was innocent? Then they would be free to live and love in the open. That’s all she was asking for—a chance to love as they would have, if Gregory hadn’t destroyed their life together.
If this hope was real, they needed to find Luke’s enemy to protect Tristan, and Corinne’s enemy to free him. Which meant Ivy had to learn everything she could about Corinne as well as Luke. And the place to start was the third person in their unhappy love triangle—Alicia Crowley.
Thirteen
“EXCUSE ME FOR INTERRUPTING,” KELSEY SAID sharply.
Bryan quickly raised his head and Ivy turned on her stool. They had been sitting silently, their heads close together, Ivy debating whether to ask for Bryan’s help in locating Alicia.
Kelsey strode across the kitchen, bearing down on Ivy. “When Will told me you were with Bryan, he didn’t mention you were having an intimate conversation.”
“We were just talking,” Ivy replied mildly.
“That’s how it starts.”
“C’mon, Kelsey,” Bryan said in a teasing voice. “Don’t you know roommates are off limits? That’s what Ivy told me.”
Kelsey took the bait: “So you were hoping—”
“No, no.” He reached for her hands and pulled her close. “I was just waiting to see when you’d get tired of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”
Ivy slid off her stool, eager to get away before she got sucked into another round of their romantic game. “Where’s Will?”
“Trying to reach Beth,” Kelsey replied, leaning provocatively against Bryan. “He’s wasting the whole party texting. The girl he was talking to gave up and stalked off.”
To Ivy this was good news; it meant Will realized there was a reason to worry. She headed back to the party. After being sidetracked on the porch by Max and the girl who’d been lured by his expensive boats, Ivy found Will standing alone at the end of the yard. He looked at his phone, punched something in, then slipped it in his pocket. She walked toward him quickly.
“Did you hear from Beth?”
Will swung around. “No.”
“I’m worried, Will.”
“And you think I’m not?”
The thin peel of moon and stars had melted away completely. Heat lightning flashed in the distance.
“I know for a fact that you are,” she assured him. “With your car, she could be anywhere and—”
“You’re blaming me for lending my car?”
Ivy hesitated, then answered honestly. “A little. I know you meant well, but I don’t think you realize—”
“I’m not stupid! I can see she’s not acting like herself.”
Ivy remained silent in the face of his defensiveness, hoping they could get past it and really talk about Beth.
“You know,” Will continued, “when people go through rough times and act a little different than they used to, their true friends stick around and listen.”
“The problem is, Beth won’t let me,” Ivy replied, and took a step closer.
The edge of the lawn gave way to a short slope of rocks with four steps down to the beach. Will descended the steps, keeping a distance between him and Ivy.
“Beth has pulled away from me and nearly everyone else,” Ivy continued. “You saw her at the fireworks.”
“She doesn’t like Chase,” Will said as if that explained it all.
“You saw how she was yesterday, when Dhanya and I came down to the beach,” Ivy persisted, joining Will at the bottom of the steps. “And with the guests at the inn—you’ve seen how different she is from when we started the job—how cold she’s become.”
“She’s tired.”
“You’re making excuses, Will! Why can’t you face it? Something is very wrong with Beth, and simply listening to her is not going to help.” At the bottom of the steps a path led through a meadow of sea grass to the open sand. Will strode down the path. Ivy watched him for a minute, then followed slowly, trying to give him the space he needed, but determined to get to
If this hope was real, they needed to find Luke’s enemy to protect Tristan, and Corinne’s enemy to free him. Which meant Ivy had to learn everything she could about Corinne as well as Luke. And the place to start was the third person in their unhappy love triangle—Alicia Crowley.
Thirteen
“EXCUSE ME FOR INTERRUPTING,” KELSEY SAID sharply.
Bryan quickly raised his head and Ivy turned on her stool. They had been sitting silently, their heads close together, Ivy debating whether to ask for Bryan’s help in locating Alicia.
Kelsey strode across the kitchen, bearing down on Ivy. “When Will told me you were with Bryan, he didn’t mention you were having an intimate conversation.”
“We were just talking,” Ivy replied mildly.
“That’s how it starts.”
“C’mon, Kelsey,” Bryan said in a teasing voice. “Don’t you know roommates are off limits? That’s what Ivy told me.”
Kelsey took the bait: “So you were hoping—”
“No, no.” He reached for her hands and pulled her close. “I was just waiting to see when you’d get tired of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”
Ivy slid off her stool, eager to get away before she got sucked into another round of their romantic game. “Where’s Will?”
“Trying to reach Beth,” Kelsey replied, leaning provocatively against Bryan. “He’s wasting the whole party texting. The girl he was talking to gave up and stalked off.”
To Ivy this was good news; it meant Will realized there was a reason to worry. She headed back to the party. After being sidetracked on the porch by Max and the girl who’d been lured by his expensive boats, Ivy found Will standing alone at the end of the yard. He looked at his phone, punched something in, then slipped it in his pocket. She walked toward him quickly.
“Did you hear from Beth?”
Will swung around. “No.”
“I’m worried, Will.”
“And you think I’m not?”
The thin peel of moon and stars had melted away completely. Heat lightning flashed in the distance.
“I know for a fact that you are,” she assured him. “With your car, she could be anywhere and—”
“You’re blaming me for lending my car?”
Ivy hesitated, then answered honestly. “A little. I know you meant well, but I don’t think you realize—”
“I’m not stupid! I can see she’s not acting like herself.”
Ivy remained silent in the face of his defensiveness, hoping they could get past it and really talk about Beth.
“You know,” Will continued, “when people go through rough times and act a little different than they used to, their true friends stick around and listen.”
“The problem is, Beth won’t let me,” Ivy replied, and took a step closer.
The edge of the lawn gave way to a short slope of rocks with four steps down to the beach. Will descended the steps, keeping a distance between him and Ivy.
“Beth has pulled away from me and nearly everyone else,” Ivy continued. “You saw her at the fireworks.”
“She doesn’t like Chase,” Will said as if that explained it all.
“You saw how she was yesterday, when Dhanya and I came down to the beach,” Ivy persisted, joining Will at the bottom of the steps. “And with the guests at the inn—you’ve seen how different she is from when we started the job—how cold she’s become.”
“She’s tired.”
“You’re making excuses, Will! Why can’t you face it? Something is very wrong with Beth, and simply listening to her is not going to help.” At the bottom of the steps a path led through a meadow of sea grass to the open sand. Will strode down the path. Ivy watched him for a minute, then followed slowly, trying to give him the space he needed, but determined to get to
Similar Books
