“Don’t kill me, Bell,” Amy began, “but this does kind of mean he’s really committed, at least to Evan.”
“I know that. But it sucks, right? I just don’t understand why he needs a break from us to do it.”
“Yes, but break? Or break up?” Now Jenna’s teeth chattered, too.
“Break.”
“Then you’re not really broken up.” Amy swam closer to Bella. “He’ll be back. Just watch.”
“Then does that make me pathetic if I want him to come back? Desperately?” Bella held her breath, fearing a Yes.
“No,” Jenna said. “It means you love him.”
“I do, but you know what? Maybe Leanna was right about fate.” Bella cleared her throat to gain control of her emotions as she tried to spin the situation to her liking. “Maybe this happened so I can make my decision about where I live without the influence of our relationship.” And in that second, she made a decision.
“Yes, I’m sure that’s what it is,” Amy said.
Bella wished she had as much faith in that scenario as she claimed.
A light clicked on in Theresa’s house.
“Shh,” they said in unison.
“Bella, come over to the edge.” Jenna grabbed her arm and dragged her into the darkest corner of the pool. “Shh.”
They clung to one another in the cold, dark corner of the pool until the light went back out.
“We’d better get out,” Amy whispered.
They scrambled out of the pool, and Jenna’s white butt wiggled all the way up to the far end of the pool, while Bella and Amy were wrapped in towels and ready to go in seconds.
Bella snagged the wine and headed for the gate. “Jen, if a car drove in, they’d see you in all your glory, running from one end of the deck to the other.”
“Hush up,” Jenna said as she wrapped her towel around her and reached for the gate. “I always leave my stuff there.”
A flashlight shone in on them. Theresa stood at the entrance with a stern look in her eyes. She wore a pair of men’s pajamas beneath a maroon robe, tied around her middle, and on her feet were indoor-outdoor slippers.
“Are you kidding me?” Bella mumbled as she slid the bottle of wine beneath her towel.
“Ladies.” Theresa stared at Bella.
“Hey, Theresa.” Bella feigned a smile. “We were just…closing the umbrellas. We thought it was supposed to be windy tonight.” Water dripped from the ends of her hair onto her shoulder. She reached up and touched the drip. “And my shower pressure is just awful tonight, so I used the shower.”
“Yeah. We all did.” Jenna took a step behind Bella.
“Is that right?” Theresa pulled the gate open, allowing them to pass through. She shined the flashlight on Jenna’s wet footprints, which led from one end of the pool to the other. “Because I’d hate to think you were breaking the rules and swimming. That’s dangerous in the dark, and we can’t have such risks being taken in the community.”
“Oh no. Of course not.” Amy swatted the air.
“Good.” Theresa closed and locked the gate. “Because I know how enticing it can be to swim after dark.”
Jenna sidled up to Theresa and whispered, “Do you want to go skinny-dipping?”
“Jenna!” Bella pulled her away from Theresa. “She’s kidding.” She dragged Jenna up the hill toward Bella’s cottage, feeling the heat of Theresa’s stare following them up the road.
“I think she knows we were swimming,” Amy whispered. She clung to Bella’s towel.
“Gee, ya think?” Bella glared at Jenna.
“And the toilet, too. Of course she knows it was us.” Jenna’s eyes widened.
Amy gasped. “Maybe she likes this whole game as much as we do.”
“Or maybe she’s plotting her sweet revenge,” Bella suggested.
This was exactly what Bella needed. A distraction. Or many. She was either going to collapse into a pit of sorrow or sidetrack herself with her girlfriends. She tightened her grip on Jenna’s arm and reached for Amy’s hand. If only they could remain glued to her side until the pain subsided.
Or she died.
Whichever came first.
Chapter Twenty-Three
THE NEXT FEW days were a blur of merely making it from one minute to the next, each moving slower than the last. Caden did everything he could to try to ignore the emptiness that threatened to suck him under at any moment. He went for morning runs after staying up at night, fighting the urge to call Bella to try to win her back. Every time he drove by Seaside, it took all of his willpower not to pull into the development, bang on her door, and forget trying to give Evan his full attention. Each day after his shift, he spent time with Evan, and while he tried to enjoy their time together and he knew he was doing the right thing for his son, without Bella, he felt like a piece of him was missing.
“Dad. Dad!”
Evan’s frustrated voice pulled Caden from his thoughts. Evan stood on the front porch with one hand on the doorknob. His eyes were clear, and although his tone was frustrated, the old familiar ease that had once surrounded Evan with every breath had returned almost completely, confirming to Caden that he’d done the right thing. At least where Evan was concerned.
“Are you ready to leave? Should I lock the door?” Evan asked.
Today was Friday, and they were going to Boston for the day. “Sure, buddy. I’m ready.” Except he was anything but ready. He’d invited Bella on the trip, and he’d been looking forward to showing her around his old stomping grounds and introducing her to his friends and to his parents.
“I can’t wait to get there,” Evan said as he climbed into the car. He no longer had his phone, since it was turned in to the police as evidence. He was chattier without it, and while Caden usually enjoyed their talks, he was too sidetracked to hold much of a conversation. He tried to push aside his thoughts of Bella, but their sharp edges refused to be ignored.
“Me too, buddy.”
“I told Vera I would come by Sunday and clean up around her garden. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll bike over.” Evan turned on his iPod and pressed an earbud into his ear.
Caden touched his arm, and when Evan pulled out the earbud, he said, “I’m proud of you, Ev. No one forced you to apologize or offer to help Vera. That says a lot about the person you are.” He was thankful that both Jamie and Vera had accepted Evan’s apology. Evan had told them everything, just as he’d told Caden and Chief Bassett. Vera was very gracious with him, and although Caden still felt the hint of a fissure between Jamie and Evan, Jamie had said he had forgiven Evan, and Caden could tell that he was working on letting it go. He knew it had to be difficult. It was difficult for Caden at first, too, and Caden was his father. But love heals, and he knew their friendship would, too.
Evan shrugged. “I guess.”