AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On Monday, Liam and Heather both had to go to work, and Eugene was called in to cover for Bailey, who was at home with a cold. He invited me to join him at the pub, but I didn’t feel like being out in public, so I organized to spend time with Blair instead. He was alone because Tyler had signed up for an adventure tour that Blair wasn’t interested in.
I dropped Liam off at the fire station and drove to the cottage. Blair was standing outside, waiting for me. The moment I got out of the car, he raced over and swept me into a crushing hug.
“It’s only been a day,” I protested as the air left my chest in a whoosh.
“Feels like a month,” he said, releasing me. “I’m glad you’re still okay.” He drew back and studied my face. “I hope the Braddocks are treating you well.”
“They are.”
“Good.”
We walked up the path to the cottages and stopped outside mine. We’d decided that it made more sense to set up there since there were security measures in place, even if they hadn’t been completely effective in the past. I unlocked the door and tapped the code into the alarm box but left the security camera running. I strode inside and flopped onto the sofa, then pulled my laptop out of the overnight bag I’d packed what felt like a lifetime ago.
“I’ve got some photos to edit,” I told Blair.
“Cool. I have a song to write.” He pulled a notepad from his pocket.
“Want a movie on in the background?” I asked. “Or will that distract you?”
He hummed thoughtfully. “Something we’ve seen before would be fine. That way it’s just background noise.”
“Sure.”
I switched the TV on and hunted through the options until I found something we agreed on—a screwball spy comedy we’d watched several times in the past. For the next hour, we worked companionably together. Me on my laptop, and him writing on his notepad—which more often than not entailed screwing up sheets of paper and tossing them aside.
After a while, Blair stood up. “I’ve got to use the bathroom.”
“Want me to pause the show for you?”
He glanced at the screen. “Nah. I know what happens and, uh, I might be a while, if you get my drift.”
I grimaced. I got it, all right.
“You’ll be okay here?” he asked.
“Of course. You’re not leaving the cottage, right? If I yell, you’ll hear me.”
He nodded and left the room. I resumed editing the photographs, lingering on one of Liam and me walking to Destiny Tarn for the midsummer dip. It had only been a couple of days ago, but the lighthearted excitement I’d felt seemed a world away. Amazing how much everything could change in a short period of time, but I guessed that was pretty much the story of my life.
I moved on to another photo. Then another. When half an hour had passed and Blair hadn’t returned, nerves started to churn in my stomach.
“Blair!” I called, pausing the TV while I waited for a response.
Nothing.
Fear tightened my gut. I tiptoed to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I could find. I was probably overreacting, but better safe than sorry.
I made my way to the bathroom and paused outside.
“Blair?”
No response.
“If you don’t say something right now, I’m coming in.”
When I didn’t hear as much as a bump from the bathroom, I reached for the handle. To my surprise, it opened. Unlocked. The door swung inward, then knocked into something and stopped.
“Blair?” My voice shook. I eased forward to peek around the door. My instincts were screaming at me that something was wrong and that I should run, but surely I’d have heard if anything had happened.
