Page 120 of A Smile in a Whisper

Humoring him, she flipped over and shifted onto her elbow, peering at the spotlight cast by his phone. Sure enough, a massive, meaty spider hung from one of the wall’s large boulders. “She’s probably frightened of you.” Evie lay down again.

“But spiders can detect fear. I read it online somewhere! I won’t be able to sleep with that fucking thing near me.”

“Fine, I’ll get rid.” Evie peeled back the sleeping bag, her skin pebbling with goosebumps as she withdrew from its snuggly warmth. She threw her raincoat over her champagne-colored bra and matching underpants and collected a cup and a piece of paper from her backpack.

It took many tries, but eventually she trapped the eight-legged nightmare and set her free outside.

Shivering, Evie dropped her wet coat on the chair and dashed toward the sleeping bag. Nick held it open, welcoming her back.

“C’mere, quick!” He promptly cocooned the material around her, its warmth melting the chill from her journey outdoors. “My hero—saving me again!”

“It was nothing.” Evie looked away, knowing her fervent thirst for sex wouldn’t be mirrored in his eyes.

“Talented cook this morning, spider wrangler this evening.” He inched back, creating space between them. “You’re amazing, Evie.”

His words were familiar, a loving compliment repeated long ago, and yet her pounding heart sank as their recent conversation on Sanday rolled like a storm cloud through her memory: I no longer mix business with pleasure, no matter how tempting.

She bit back her disappointment and nudged his shoulder playfully. “Stop it. You’ll make me big-headed.” Glancing up with a resigned half-grin, she found a rueful look in his eyes.

“If anyone deserves all the flattery, it’s you.”

She held her breath, reveling in Nick’s kindness as hopeful yearning surged through her again, a rapturous yet bittersweet buzz.

“Wake me if you need anything, okay? Sweet dreams.”

Nick turned toward the wall, leaving Evie in the howling darkness with her bruised ego.

TWENTY-THREE

NICK

Then, Saturday, August 7, thirteen years ago

Sex was something Nick thought about a lot. How to do it. Who to do it with. And now all he could think about was when he and Evie would do it again.

As he lay curled around his sleeping girlfriend in a tangle of legs and rumpled bedsheets, his heart swelled with joy. He left a loving kiss on her temple. “You were incredible,” he whispered, the needy ache between his thighs growing hard and eager again. “Sorry I didn’t last. I’ll be better next time. Promise.” He caressed her shoulder with a barely there touch, silently counting out one, two…six, seven tiny freckles in a familiar pattern—like Ursa Minor, the constellation known as the Little Bear or Little Dipper. Nick grinned dreamily, pondering her cheeks and parted lips. “You’ll always be my North Star.”

Evie’s swollen appearance and recent acne weren’t a surprise, not after the countless web articles Nick had read in Greece about prednisone and Crohn’s. However, her self-doubt was. Watching her at the rave, hearing the worry in her voice regarding Rosamund, Nick wasn’t sure if their lengthy time apart or the side effects of her treatment were the cause. But whatever the reason, he would do everything possible moving forward—more kisses, more time together—to ensure Evie felt safe, supported, and loved. He would never let her feel less than ever again.