Kate walked over to him, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. She was the one who was winded, yet he was the one who looked like he was about to pass out. “Are you okay?”
He managed a smile that didn’t quite reach his blue eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
“Oh, God. Wes, I didn’t realize. Is this the first time since the fire?”
“No,” he said, lowering himself to the ground and leaning against a tree. For a big man, he moved easily, deliberately, aware of his body and its proximity to those around him. He brushed some dirt off his hands. “The last time was when I was nineteen. I said good-bye to a lot of bad memories.”
He still didn’t want to be here. She could tell. He’d done this just for Devin. And knowing that he’d done this for her daughter, at a cost to himself, made her stomach feel strange, trembling slightly the way it did those last days at the lake all those years ago. Sometimes she thought she’d forgotten what selflessness looked like, until she ended up here again.
She sat beside him, stretching her legs out and leaning back on her hands, trying to cool the places where sweat collected, in the crooks of her elbows and the bends of her knees. “Who owns this property now?” she asked.
“I do.”
“You kept it all these years? Why?”
“I don’t know.” They watched as Devin kicked around in the dirt and looked under rocks. “Is Devin looking for something specific?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. She’s not talking to me about it.” Kate stared at her daughter for a few more moments, then turned back to Wes. “Thank you for bringing her here.”
“The trail wasn’t as hard to find as I thought it would be. Some guests from the lake probably found it and walked it over the years. Not lately, though.”
Kate frowned. “When did the camp start going downhill? When did people stop coming?”
He shrugged. “The hotel by the water park was built about fifteen years ago. That, combined with the economy, Eby’s aging guests, and the fact that Eby doesn’t advertise, just started taking its toll, I guess. I hadn’t been out to the lake in a while, so I didn’t know how bad it had gotten. If I had known, I could’ve helped. Repair work is what I do. When George was alive, he used to take care of all that.”
“What was he like?”
“George?” Wes smiled. “He wasn’t tall, but he was big shouldered. You could hear his laugh across the lake. He liked steaks and liquor. He loved entertaining. And he loved Eby. He would pull her into his lap when he was sitting at a picnic table, and she would kiss him before insisting he let her pass. He called it a toll.”
“Why do you think Eby didn’t sell after he died?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know. She was devastated when it happened. But there were a lot of people around her during that time. It kept her busy. She liked that. She’s always liked that. She and George were very social.”
“When was the last time she left Lost Lake? I mean for a trip or a vacation?”
“It’s been years.” Wes raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I think Eby wants to leave. But the more I think about, the more I’m convinced she doesn’t want to sell.” There. She said it out loud, and it didn’t sound as outlandish as she thought. There was something more going on with her great-aunt. Eby’s decision to sell wasn’t as straightforward as she was letting on.
Wes shook his head. “I think it’s too late.”
“She hasn’t signed anything. She told me.”
“What I mean is, it’s not just a matter of wanting to stay. There’s a matter of capital, too,” Wes said tactfully.
“Oh. I see.” She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. It never occurred to her that Eby couldn’t afford to stay.
Several quiet minutes passed. The thought had been immediate. She kept pushing it away, but it kept rolling back to her. Could she? Would she? Was it possible? Would Eby even let her?
“I know that look. You always got that look on your face before you jumped out of a tree or poked a snake and ran. What are you going to do now?” Wes asked suspiciously.
That made her laugh—that he knew her on such a level. “I’m thinking, what if I offer to buy Lost Lake, or at least buy into it? That way Eby won’t lose it. She can come back to it. Everyone can come back to it.” She turned to him and asked earnestly, “Does that sound crazy?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
That made her laugh again. “Good. Because if it made sense, I’m not sure she would agree to it.”
“Kate…”
“I haven’t said anything about it to her,” she said quickly. “Maybe I won’t. I don’t know. When I think about it, it makes me happy. That’s a good sign, right?”
“What about your life in Atlanta?” Wes asked, giving her the strangest look.
“What about it?”
“Your friends. Devin’s friends. Family. Job. You’re just going to leave it all?”
She finally understood. “Oh, you thought I meant I’d buy into Lost Lake and move here.”
“That’s not what you meant?”
“No. But…” Kate allowed herself to enjoy the thought. “Maybe I could. That doesn’t sound any more crazy than just giving Eby the money and leaving.”
He looked away. “Giving up everything isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
“Only if you have a lot to give up. The only thing that matters is Devin. And I think she’d be happy to stay here forever.”
“It’s getting late,” Wes said, suddenly standing. “We should get back.”
Kate stood and called to Devin. When Devin ran over to them, Kate asked, “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“No. This would be so much easier if I was told what I’m supposed to find instead of just being given stupid clues.”
They followed Wes, who had already started off back down the road, running away from whatever ghosts he had here.
“You just said a mouthful, kiddo.”