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Vivian took a step back, nervously fidgeting with the strap of her camera. “I actually didn't. I was just walking, and I got a little lost. When I came to the point where it said private property, I hoped it would lead me out of the woods. I’ve been out here since dawn, and I couldn’t find my way back.”
Skyla wanted to believe her, but there was something strange about this woman. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but Skyla wanted Vivian as far away from her father’s house and from her as possible. “I can show you the way out,” Skyla offered.
“That would be great. Thank you,” Vivian said with a little too much enthusiasm.
They walked through the woods in a silence that was almost comfortable, until Vivian cleared her throat.
Skyla was more than irked by the fact that the woman had not only been on private property, but on her property. Federal Agents were probably not allowed to do that unless they had a warrant. But she decided not to bring it up. Vivian worked with Blake and Caden, and they obviously trusted her. As long as she was only there to take pictures of nature, Skyla couldn’t really hold it against her. Though it occurred to her that she had no idea what Vivian had actually taken pictures of.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Vivian asked.
Skyla froze for a moment, but then said, “Sure.”
“Are you and Blake…” Her voice faded and Skyla looked up at her, waiting for her to finish that thought. “You know,” Vivian persisted. “Like, a thing?”
Skyla did her best to suppress a smirk. Vivian should’ve seen how Blake had turned on her last night. Then there would be no doubt in her mind there was absolutely not one damn thing going on between them. “We’re friends, if that’s what you mean by thing.” Barely. But just like AJ, Vivian didn’t need to know the details.
Vivian shook her head. “No. I mean, are you two like together, or do you want to be together?”
Skyla couldn’t help the laugh that came out then. Even if hell froze over, that man would never be with someone like her. As for what she wanted - well, that didn’t really matter, did it? “Of course not. We’re just friends.”
Vivian smiled. “Understood.”
At least one of them understood something, because nothing about the last few days made any sense to Skyla. Vivian being on her property. Blake turning on her last night. Her father not giving a damn about his own daughter’s wellbeing.
She sighed. Talking, or even thinking about Blake had only served to remind Skyla what AJ said last night. Get rid of him, or I will. That was the last thing she wanted. But she couldn’t just tell Blake to stay away. That would only make him suspicious, and she didn’t want him to start digging into her life or her father’s.
She’d have to find another way. The echoes of a smile flirted across her lips, thinking of the absurdity of Vivian’s words, but then, an idea formed. It was insane, and something she’d never usually do, but she’d never had someone like AJ threaten a man’s life before. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and this could easily be qualified as both.
After seeing Vivian off to her car, Skyla rushed back through the woods to her father’s house where she showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a sky-blue tank top, then left to meet Hallie for their last meeting before this weekend’s Books and Booze event. Skyla was beyond excited to be working with Hallie, and she loved all the ideas they were coming up with to make it more fun and inclusive for everyone.
As soon as she stepped into The Mystic Cow, Skyla was met with the glorious scent of some essential oil Hallie was diffusing, and the sweet cacophony of sounds coming from the array of wood and sea glass windchimes hanging just inside the front door.
“Hey,” Hallie called from behind the register. She wore a flowy summer dress and a bright smile that made her look like she was glowing from the inside. Skyla supposed being madly in love, and engaged to the man of your dreams, did that to someone. “I’m so excited you’re here. I’ve been coming up with more cool ideas and I can’t wait to run them by you.”
“I’m all ears,” Skyla smiled. “But first, can I ask you about that woman who was at your house on Sunday? You know, the one we met at Madigan’s last week.”
“Vivian?” Hallie asked, pulling a notebook out from a shelf behind the registers where she’d been taking notes about the promotional event.
“Yeah, Vivian. What do you know about her?” Skyla asked.
Hallie looked up to meet Skyla’s gaze. There was a hint of turmoil in her emerald green eyes, but then it was gone, replaced by her friend’s usual easy demeanor. “She works with Caden and Blake.” The way Hallie fidgeted with the pen in her hand was a dead giveaway there was more to that story. “Why?” Hallie’s tone softened to a near whisper as they made their way to the comfy leather chairs in the middle of the store.
Skyla sunk into one and tucked her feet under herself. She hadn’t meant to put Hallie on the spot, but her reaction was enough to raise Skyla’s hackles even more than they’d already been about the woman “I think she was snooping around my property today,” Skyla let slip as if it was no big deal.
“What?” Hallie asked, genuine surprise and concern in her tone. “Why would she do that?”
Skyla shrugged. “I don’t know.” She’d been wondering the same thing. “I mean, even if she’s FBI, I haven’t done anything illegal that I know of, and -” Skyla considered bringing this up and decided it couldn’t hurt. “You want to know the weird thing?”
“What?” Hallie asked, curled up in the other chair, mirroring Skyla’s position.
“She asked about Blake.”
“What did she want to know?”
“That’s the strangest part. She asked if he and I were a thing. As in, dating.”
Hallie laughed. “Seriously? What did you say?”
