I laughed as Andie and Francoisteased each other, all the while drooling over the Watery Reflection band members. The men may have been old enough to be our parents, but they were still attractive. Still had that enticing rock star energy.
Beckett had that same dynamism that drew people to him like wildlife to the river. If he’d ever had any interest in music, it would have served him well. It was perhaps the one and only way he’d ever been like my sister.
Chelsea had the same vibrant pull.
My soul ripped a bit more, thinking of my sister.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was seeing the worst in her instead of the best.
But I hadn’t received a single text from her today, when I’d expected something. Even though I’d told her to lose my number, if she’d heard the false rumor about Dad having passed away, she would have called, right? Maybe it simply meant she hadn’t heard? But then again, she’d heard aboutmy engagement to Beckett before I’d even been able to tell Dad.
The tension that had been released momentarily as I’d spent an afternoon twined in Beckett’s arms returned, hammering into me until my shoulders felt like bricks were stacked on top of them. I desperately wanted to hear from the sheriff. To finally know where things stood.
My phone vibrated, and I swiped, hoping it was Wylee, only to see that, somehow, I’d missed a call from the county hospital.
My stomach fell…until I read the translated text of the voicemail. Dad was awake! He was awake and asking about me. He wanted to know if I was okay and if they’d caught whoever had done this to him.
Thank God… Thank God… He’d pulled through.
I wasn’t going to lose him too. Not now. Tears of relief washed over me.
I needed to leave. I needed to go see him.
My phone vibrated again, this time with a text. And when I read it, confusion bled into the relief and joy I’d felt over the news about Dad.
BECKETT: Wylee needs us up at the barn. Come right away.
I searched the dark, scanning the area by the fire truck where I’d last seen Beckett with his crew. While I couldn’t see any of his team clearly, I did catch the reflective stripes on the jacket of at least one firefighter as he strode down toward the lake.
Would Beckett really leave his crew to go to the barn? As soon as I thought it, I knew the answer was yes. If he thought I needed him, he’d go, no hesitation, no questions asked. But would he leave me to do it? Again…yes. He’d leave me with Cleaver if he thought he could end this for me. He’d do anything to make sure I was safe.
I stood, and Andie glanced up at me, brows drawing together. I wasn’t sure how much she’d heard from Fallon and Parker about what was going on, but after what had happened with my dad the day before on the ranch, she knew enough to be worried. “Where are you going?”
“The sheriff needs to talk to me. I’ll be back.”
She studied me anxiously as I made my way down the grandstands with Vader on my heels.
I expected to find Josh, expected to find him waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me, but the spot where he’d been was empty. I scanned the area, pulse rate picking up. I didn’t understand…He’d promised Beckett he’d be at my side all night. So where was he? Why would he leave?
That creepy feeling I’d had off and on since finding the very first note, crawled up my back and over my neck like a ghost walking on my grave.
ME: I can’t find Josh. Should I come alone?
BECKETT: Cleaver is handling something for the sheriff. You’re safe. It’s almost over, but Wylee needs us to hear this for ourselves.
I should have felt relief. Should have felt glad that it was nearly over. But if it was, it also meant a permanent tear in my family. What was I going to tell Dad when I saw him? That his daughter had tried to kill him? That she’d cared more about whatever she might inherit from him than his actual life?
I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back the tears.
Vader and I made our way to the dozen golf carts and the group of teens hired to drive them throughout the day. I was thankful when I saw Chuck with them, because he knew me well enough to let me take one on my own.
“Hey, I need to zip up to the barn. Is it okay if I take a golf cart?”
Chuck scratched his head and looked out at the dock where the fireworks would be going off any second. “We’ll just need it back after the show to shuttle everyone to the parking lots.”
BECKETT: Do I need to come get you? Or can you handle getting here by yourself?
Unease sifted through me again. Nerves rattling like chains on cement.