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It’s nearly dusk, but still so hot that I’m sweating before I even reach the palms at the edge of the tropical forest. Cursing Sally and her stupid plan every step of the way, I follow the tree line down the beach, hoping to find some kind of path or inroad to get me out of the sun. I’ve watched too many scary movies in my life to just traipse off into the woods.
Actually, now that I think about it, this whole situation is perfectly stereotypical horror movie heroine behavior.
What the hell am I doing here?
I do find a gravel road that leads into the forest after walking for about ten minutes. I’m grateful to turn inland and get into the shade the trees provide. I only walk for about ten minutes more before a golf cart pulls up beside me.
“You look like you could use a ride.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you,” I say to the older man driving the cart.
“Hop in,” he says. “Where are you headed?”
“I’m trying to get to Ben Adams’ house.”
The man nods, not looking very surprised.
I suppose there aren’t that many places on this tiny island where a lone woman wandering down a dirt road through the jungle in flip-flops could be headed.
“But can you deliver me a little ways down from the house? So it looks like I walked the whole way?”
I catch an eyebrow raise and some side eye, but the man refrains from giving me any kind of lecture. He drops me off and points me to a massive house on the beach 500 yards away or so.
“Gate’s unlocked, just push it open.”
When I reach the front steps of the house, Ben’s standing in the open front door, arms crossed.
“How’d you know I was coming?” I ask.
“Maxwell is my employee.”
“Traitor,” I mutter under my breath.
“What are you doing here?”
I reach into my bag and pull out the DVD and some of the snacks with a pathetic smile. “Movie night?”
Ben’s features remain unmoved. Over his shoulder, however, a smiling face appears.
“Oh, company?” Avery asks, grinning at me.
“No,” Ben says.
“Yes,” I say. “I just came over to watch a movie.”
The silence stretches for a long moment.
“Great,” Avery says finally. “I got kicked out of my house because it’s girls’ night.”
“Avery was just leaving,” Ben says.
We both look at him in surprise as, in one smooth movement, he pushes Avery out onto the front porch and pulls me into the house, slamming the door behind us.
He slides the deadbolt into place.
“You know, this is my house too, and I have a key. Not to mention the fact that there’s like fifteen other doors that I could use,” Avery calls through the door.
“Go home,” Ben calls over his shoulder without taking his eyes off me.
