“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Penn laughed. “Because of her, we’re stuck in this crappy little town.”
“Really?” Thea arched her eyebrows. “You’re trying to tell me that you’re letting the new girl boss you around? That’s your excuse for staying here?”
“No. I’m not saying that. I’m staying here because I decided that it would be easier for us until I could find a replacement for Gemma.”
Thea waited a beat before asking, “And what about Daniel?”
“What about him?”
“Once you find the replacement and Gemma’s out of the picture, we’re just going to leave?”
They’d reached their house at the top of the cliff. It was more rustic than Penn normally liked, but it was the nicest house that she could find in Capri. It was a log cabin, but the kind with high ceilings, a chandelier, and granite countertops.
Penn pulled in the driveway and turned the car off, but she stayed inside. Thea didn’t get out, either, probably because she knew better than to walk away if Penn wasn’t done with the conversation yet.
“Of course,” Penn said firmly. “Daniel has no bearing on any of my decisions. He’s simply an oddity of nature, a curiosity that’s giving me something to play with until we can get the hell out of here.”
“Say what you want, Penn, but remember that I’ve seen you in love before.”
“Like I would be in love with some dirty human like that? Gross.” Penn grimaced. “Just to prove to you that you’re wrong, when I do find a replacement and we get rid of Gemma, I’ll get rid of Daniel.”
“You’ll get rid of him?” Thea asked.
“I’ll rip out his heart and eat it in front of you. I wouldn’t be able to do that to someone I was in love with.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that.” Thea had turned away from Penn again, staring emptily out at the trees surrounding the cabin. “And you’d be surprised what you can do to the people you love.”
SIX
Fairy Dust
As soon as they got close to Bernie’s Island, an intense nostalgia washed over Harper like a wave. She’d been afraid that she’d lost the wonderful love for one of her favorite places on earth, but it was all coming back.
Daniel moving out to the island had helped her forget about the night they’d come out here and found Bernie McAllister eviscerated in the trees. She’d managed to shove that image deep down inside her, burying it beneath all the happy memories of her childhood spent out here with Bernie and her sister.
As they pulled up to the dock, which was hidden among the trees that grew out into the water, Harper breathed in deeply. The island was almost overgrown with bald cypress trees and pines towering above them.
Instead of taking The Dirty Gull into the boathouse, Daniel tied it off at the dock. He’d have to take Harper home in a few hours, and it would be easier this way.
He got off the boat, and held his hand out for Harper, helping her.
“Do you see that?” Daniel let go of her hand to point down at the dock.
“What?” Harper looked down at the warped gray boards beneath her feet. “Does it need to be replaced or something?”
“No. Well, yeah, probably, but that’s not what I meant,” Daniel said. “I mean, do you see where your feet are? You’re standing on the island now.”
“Technically I’m on the dock, and that’s not part of the island,” Harper teased.
He sighed. “It’s close enough. And you remember our agreement?”
“I do.” She smiled up at him. “Once we’re on the island, no talking about sirens or Gemma. It’s just the two of us tonight, without any distractions.”
Since moving out to the island, Daniel had been picking up more jobs to cover the cost of rent, and Harper’d been working extra shifts at the library to save up for college. And whenever the two of them did manage to get the same time off, something with Gemma or Brian or the sirens always seemed to come up. They’d hardly had a moment alone together in the past month.
So Daniel had come up with a plan in which they’d both leave the world behind for a little bit—or as much as Harper could leave it. With everything going on with her sister, she’d never really be able to let go.
“I do reserve the right to leave my phone on and accept any incoming calls, or make any, if I feel it’s necessary,” Harper said.
“I’ll allow it. But only in case of an emergency.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now come on.” Daniel stepped backward but he held out his hand to her. “It’s Friday night, and we’re going to enjoy ourselves.”
She laughed and let him take her hand, his rough skin somehow feeling so perfect against hers. They walked on the narrow path up to the cabin, with creeping Charlie threatening to overgrow the worn dirt path.