Chapter 3

The next morning, Evan promised to bring me coffee, then left me asleep while everyone else went on the boat trip I had booked.

He knocked on my door a little after seven.

When I opened it, he was dressed in yesterday’s T-shirt and shorts. His hair was damp, and the faint smell of coconut sunscreen clung to him.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“No.”

He glanced over my shoulder at the twin beds. “Go back to sleep. I’ll get you coffee, and then we’ll figure out the room situation.”

“Where did you sleep last night?”

“Upstairs.”

“Where upstairs?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It was late, Nat. I found a place to crash.”

Before I could ask anything else, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

“Coffee. Then we’ll talk.”

I closed the door and lay down again. I had barely slept, and the sound of the ocean through the small window finally pulled me under.

The washing machine woke me.

Someone had loaded it before leaving. The uneven drum knocked against the wall beside my bed.

It was nine seventeen.

There was no coffee on the nightstand and no message from Evan.

I walked into the kitchen. Breakfast plates filled the sink, and half the sandwiches I had made for the boat trip were gone. So were the bottled drinks from the refrigerator.

Through the front window, I saw my SUV parked in the driveway.

Paige and Luke’s rental car was missing.

I opened the confirmation email on my phone.

Private Coastal Cruise

Departure: 9:00 a.m.

The trip had been prepaid on my credit card.

I called Evan. It rang until his voicemail picked up.

Brooke’s story appeared on my screen before I could call again.

She stood at the front of the boat with the ocean behind her. Evan’s gray hoodie hung from her shoulders, and one of his hands rested against her waist while the boat tilted beneath them.

The next picture showed Paige, Luke, Nora, and Evan raising plastic cups around a table.

All five of them.

I sent Evan one message.

You left without me?

His reply came several minutes later.

You were exhausted. I didn’t want to wake you.

You woke me up to promise me coffee, I wrote.

The message changed to Read. Then another reply appeared.

Please don’t turn this into another thing and ruin the whole day.

They returned shortly after two.

I heard them laughing before the front door opened. Sand scattered across the floor as Brooke entered wearing Evan’s hoodie over her swimsuit.

She walked directly to me and held out her phone.

“Can you fix a few of these before I post them? The lighting makes my stomach look weird.”

On her screen, Evan steadied her against the side of the boat. The cooler I had packed sat behind them.

I handed the phone back.

“Edit your own pictures.”

I stepped around her and found Nora carrying towels toward the laundry room.

“What time did everyone decide to leave?”

She stopped walking. “Eight fifteen.”

“This morning?”

“No. Brooke sent the time last night.”

“Did anyone ask whether I was coming?”

Nora shifted the towels against her chest. “Brooke asked in the chat if someone should wake you. Evan replied that we should let you sleep because you needed to cool off.”

She watched my face.

“I thought Evan had told you.”

“He told me he was getting coffee. Send me those messages, too.”

Nora set down the towels and took out her phone. I waited until the screenshots arrived.

I returned to my room and opened the boat company’s cancellation policy. The charge was nonrefundable once the boat left the dock.

The beach house was also under my name. Canceling the reservation now would cost the full week and put the security deposit at risk.

I opened a hotel site instead.

A small inn twelve minutes away had one room left. Free cancellation until midnight.

I kept the reservation page open.

That evening, I stayed downstairs while everyone ordered takeout. By ten, my phone battery had dropped to twelve percent.

The long charging cable I had packed was in the side pocket of Evan’s duffel.

His duffel was still upstairs.

I left my room and climbed the steps. The hallway lights were off, but a thin line of light showed beneath the terrace door beside the ocean suite.

Brooke laughed on the other side.

“You should have seen her face when she realized we’d left.”

“Keep your voice down,” Evan said.

“How long are we supposed to keep doing this?”

“I told you, not here.”

“Then when are you going to tell her?”

I stepped closer and wrapped my hand around the terrace door handle.

Something struck the wall, followed by Brooke’s muffled laugh.

I stopped waiting for Evan to tell me the truth.

I pushed down on the handle.