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“Think it’s an osprey,” Ava answered. “Huge wingspan.”
Her eyes met mine over the back of her seat, and for the briefest of seconds, I let myself take her in. She wasn’t dressed for business today—in fact, she wore an outfit that reminded me more of how she’d looked when she’d beenLily. A mid-length, brown, flowing skirt and a cropped white sweater covered her slim frame, and her long auburn hair hung around her in waves. Her makeup was subtle, and as she looked at me, I wondered if it was possible to count how many freckles dotted her skin. How long would it take me, how many pieces of clothing would I need to remove?—
“You okay?” Ava asked, her voice low as she leaned over the seat.
I pulled my lips taut and nodded to her. “I’m fine. Thank you for entertaining Lucas.”
“Of course, it’s no problem.”
But it was a problem. It was a massive fucking problem.
————
The car pulled into the driveway of the estate, stopping only for the driver to input the code for the gate to open. We rounded theneatly trimmed hedges, and the expanse of the property opened up wide, with the house halfway between the ocean and the road. Greenery climbed the outside walls of the brick building, and for a moment, I wondered if I should call out the landscaper and have them removed—but the longer I looked, the more it charmed me, as if it were some kind of mansion in a fairytale buried deep in the woods and covered in vines.
The sun bore down on us harshly in the cool autumn air as we got out of the van. Lucas immediately began doing laps in the freshly cut grass, and I helped the driver unload the small suitcases we’d brought with us.
Ahead, in the open front door, Mrs. Henderson stood in her apron, one hand resting on the ridge of her brow to shield her eyes from the sun. The other hand was clutching a wooden spoon. “Is that Lucas Stone I see?” she called playfully.
Ava stopped to watch as Lucas booked it across the lawn, running straight for the door. “Who’s that?” she asked, leaning toward me when I took her suitcase out. I didn’t bother giving it to her—I’d take it in.
“Mrs. Henderson,” I explained. “Don’t bother asking her for her first name, she won’t let you use it. She’s the cook.”
“Does she live here?”
I shook my head. “No, she lives on the other side of town. She comes by each day when I’m here.”
I stacked Lucas’ bag on top of mine and headed toward the house with Ava, all three of our bags in tow behind me. All the other occasions I’d come here had been happy getaways—even when Lucas and I had come out here for two months after Jan’s death to get away from the world. But this time…I just wasn’t sure.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Stone,” Mrs. Henderson said as we approached the door. Lucas’ face was buried in a flour-coated portion of her apron as he clung to her. “Who’s this?”
Ava stuck out a hand. “Ava Riley,” she said, plastering a massive grin across her face. Mrs. Henderson shook her hand, offering her a warm smile in return. “I’m working on a project with Adrian, so he brought me along.”
I snorted.A project?
“I’m sorry, I need to get through.”
I turned, and Grace climbed up the front porch steps, her face white as a sheet in the blaring sunlight. She clutched her stomach as she trailed her bag behind her, and without thinking I took it from her grasp. “Are you okay?”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she said, slipping past the four of us and practically running into the estate.
————
An hour or so later, the smell of baking bread and searing salmon filled the living room, foyer, and kitchen. I lounged on the white sofa beneath the exposed beams of the living room, the fireplace roaring with life not ten feet from me, with my laptop on my legs and a cup of coffee in my hand.
Maybe David had a point. Ididlove it here.
Ava sat on the edge of the fireplace, her attention focused wholly on Lucas’ puzzle that they were desperately trying to figure out together. They’d managed to get two of the four edges completed already, but they seemed to be running out of steam, either from hunger or exhaustion from the two-hour drive.
“Okay, look for one with another eye on it ‘cause mine only has one eye,” Lucas chirped, spreading out the available options for pieces in front of him.
“Lucas,” Ava laughed. “There are like, forty people in this puzzle. There aresomany eyes.”
Lucas giggled along with her and showed her his piece, and I watched over the top of my laptop. “Yeah, but this one hasblackhair, like me and Dad. So find one with one eye and black hair.”
“Okay, okay,” she chuckled, sorting through the pieces with him. “But let’s be honest. Your dad’s hair is like, half gray.”
“Yeah, because he’sold.”
