Thankfully, Lucas is lightning fast. He shoots out a hand and seizes my arm just in time to save me from an embarrassing tumble.
Once I’m steady on my feet, he lowers his sunglasses, peering at me over the rims. His emerald-green eyes mesmerize me. Have I ever seen someone with eyes that color? They’re flecked with gold,and the longer I stare at them, the more I can understand how Fiona crossed a line she maybe shouldn’t have.
I’m here on a fact-finding mission,I remind myself. It’s possible that Lucas has done something awful. Until I know more, I can’t let myself get distracted.
“Are you okay?” he asks gently.
I stare at him, unable to find the words. It’s those damn eyes, or maybe it’s just all of him. Does the forest smell like sandalwood, or is it Lucas? Whatever it is, it’s earthy, slightly sweet, and fully enticing. “You’ve got to keep your eyes open out here,” he tells me. “You don’t want to be chasing after those twins on crutches. Your job is hard enough.”
I offer an uncertain laugh. “They’re all right,” I say. “I’m enjoying it much more than I expected.”
I bite my bottom lip to stop from saying more. An experienced nanny would know what she was getting into, but Lucas doesn’t seem to give it any thought.
“Your dad is kind of intense,” I whisper, even though Rick is a good twenty feet ahead of us.
“Yeah. Try being his disappointing son.”
“Are you two close?” I ask. This might be the icebreaker I need.
“Not especially. He threatened to send me home if I didn’t come on this hike, not that I even care about being at the lake. I’d rather be playing gigs with my band.”
“I’ll have to check out your music,” I say. “Are you on Spotify or anything?”
“Not yet. We’re going to the recording studio soon, though. We just need a little more money. But my dad’s acting like my life is basically over. He’s pissed I’m not going to college next year, and he’s taking it out on me every chance he gets—thinks I’m demonstrating poor judgment.”
I try to suppress a laugh and fail.
“What?” he asks.
“I mean, I watched you kiss thevery drunkthirty-year-oldgirlfriend of your next-door neighbor, so I think your dad might have a valid reason for questioning your judgment.”
He throws up his hands. “Yeah, that wasnotwhat it looked like.”
I raise my eyebrows at him.
“Okay, itiswhat it looked like,” he confesses. “But I didn’t kiss her back. I realized it was a bad idea and I pulled away. She took off. I don’t know where she went after that.”
He sounds convincing, got to give him credit. But I stuck around long enough to know he kissed her as much as she kissed him.Right?
Suddenly, I’m not so sure. At the time, I was overcome with surprise. I search my memory, but two scenes play out in my head: one with Lucas pulling Fiona close to him, and another where Lucas pushes her away. I can’t say which is true. If I had stayed longer to watch, I would have known.
“I promise I’m telling the truth,” he says, like I’m his girlfriend, and he’s pleading his case. “She was drunk, and I’m not into her. She just caught me by surprise. If you talk to Taylor, you can tell her that.”
My memory comes into sharper focus. Now I’m sure that I saw him kiss her back—with intensity. I can’t say what happened after that, but I’m certain that Lucas is lying.
Chapter 19
Julia
Julia inhaled the scent of sunscreen, but it didn’t evoke the nostalgic memories of vacation it usually did. It had been over twenty-four hours since they reported Fiona missing, and despite the efforts of the professional search and rescue teams scouring the woods and water, there’d been no sign of her.
She was heartsick. It didn’t matter if Fiona was a close friend or not—she was a human being with loved ones who cared about her. The police promised to get in touch with her family, assuming they could find them. It wasn’t sitting well with Julia that after several months of dating, David had no clue about her close friends or relatives. Either he was exceedingly self-involved, or he wasn’t being honest.
Julia planned to go kayaking, attempting to infuse some normality into the day, though she knew she’d be scanning the shoreline for a body half the time. But to her surprise, Detective Baker had returned. This time, instead of one uniformed officer, four accompanied her. They arrived in several cop cars, all parked in front of David’s glass house, their cruiser lights spinning but the sirens off.
They talked in a cluster, like a football team huddling to decide the next play. Julia heard Taylor and the kids frolicking out back, with Nutmeg barking excitedly. She guessed they were playing ball, one of Nutmeg’s favorite games. The police, however, had no time for frivolity.
Had they come to collect David so he could identify Fiona’s body at the morgue? That couldn’t be right, because he was relaxing in his living room, sipping green juice from a tall glass. Julia could see him as clearly as if he were standing outside.
