Silver Lake (14 page)

“Studying for calc? We have a big test in two days!”

Brandy rolled her eyes and leaned back on one of her large red pillows. “No. Kissing Jason,” she said patiently, stretching her long legs out on the bed.

Rain was momentarily stunned. She should have assumed A.J. would tell Brandy, they told each other everything. Still, since no one had spoken of it in the weeks since New Year’s Eve, she was trying her best to pretend it hadn’t happened.

Hot blood burned her cheeks as she struggled for a response. “That was a mistake. It won’t happen again,” she mumbled, staring down at her textbook.

“Does Jason know that?”

The question echoed Rain’s own thoughts. But she tried to fill her voice with conviction. “I’m sure he does. We’re just friends.”

“Oh, come off it, Rain. We can all see the way he looks at you. And from what I heard, you were enjoying yourself too.”

Another blaze of fire surged beneath her skin. “The kiss was nothing. It was…an accident.”

Brandy gave her a patronizing look and shook out another cigarette. “Yeah, I hate when I accidentally kiss someone.” She lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply. Her dark eyes glittered as she turned them back to Rain. “So you’re saying you don’t have the hots for Jason?”

“Of course not.” Rain tapped her pencil nervously against her notebook, ducking her head to hide her expression. She could feel Brandy’s skeptical gaze boring into her.

“Well, then don’t encourage him. And yes, accidentally kissing him counts as encouraging him.”

“That’s not funny.”

Brandy smirked. “And don’t go crying to him when you and Rick have a fight. That’s encouraging him as well. He thinks he has a chance with you.”

Rain nodded miserably and ran a clammy hand through her hair. “You’re right, I shouldn’t do that. It’s just that Jason always makes me feel better.”

“Yeah, well,” Brandy said sleepily. “My pills always make me feel better.” Her eyes closed and she sighed. Her face relaxed and her hands rested on her stomach, her lit cigarette sending up a curl of smoke.

Rain closed her book and stuffed it into her backpack along with her notes. “All right, I get the hint, I’m leaving.” She scooted off the bed and plucked the cigarette out of Brandy’s lax grip. “For God’s sake, don’t burn the house down.” She deposited it in the empty can and added some liquid from the half-full glass by the bed.

“Yes, what a travesty that would be,” mumbled Brandy.

“Will you be okay here? Bruce is downstairs.” She hated to leave her vulnerable friend in the presence of such a creep, but she had to get home.

“Hmmmm,” was the only reply she got. She locked Brandy’s bedroom door from the inside and pulled it shut, then hurried down the stairs.

Bruce was standing in the entryway, wearing a black leather jacket and peering out the windows that framed the front door. He turned when he heard her and she stopped abruptly, her eyes searching in vain for Brandy’s mother.

“Hello there,” he said as he looked her up and down appreciatively, a small smile on his lips.

She shifted nervously in her tight jeans but stood her ground. This wasn’t the first time she had encountered Mrs. Pierce’s boyfriend or dealer or whatever he was. Rain gestured toward her winter coat, lying on the bench near the door. “I’m actually on my way out. My mom just called, she’s expecting me.”

Bruce picked up the coat, but instead of handing it to her, he held it open for her. She had no choice but to turn her back to him and push her arms into the sleeves. He guided the coat up to her shoulders and then pulled her hair out from the collar. “I’m just waiting on someone to come by,” he explained needlessly.

She scooted away from him as soon as she could and retrieved her backpack from the floor. “Well, I’ll just get out of your way,” she said, gripping her car keys inside her coat pocket.

He glanced out the window and then turned his brown eyes back to meet hers. His features were arranged in a way that could have been handsome, but hard living had taken its toll. His skin was sallow and lax, the puffiness of his face cut by deep expression lines. He shoved his hands back into his jacket pockets. “Where’s Brandy? She and I need to discuss something.”

Rain tried to stay outwardly calm, despite the stab of fear that sent her heart rate racing. “She’s busy…studying for a calculus test. She really needs to focus right now, since she’s behind.” I locked her in, she reminded herself.

That smile tugged at the corners of his mouth again. “I’ll bet she is.”

He wasn’t moving from the door, so Rain took a hesitant step forward. “Well, excuse me, I really have to get home now. My mom will freak out if I’m not there in five minutes.”

Taking a small step aside, he nodded knowingly and opened the door for her. “Drive carefully now,” he called, as she hurried through the cold darkness toward the safety of her car.

Chapter 15

Perfect July 4th weather, thought Rain as she walked briskly along the beach. The sun shone down brilliantly from a cloudless sky, and a small breeze coming off the lake kept the bugs away. The air was dry and the water was warming up; at least according to Jason, who had spent the morning sailing with some other early-risers from a neighboring cottage. He’d returned from the excursion shortly before Allie had arrived at the house, and they had all enjoyed lunch together on the beach.

“How was your walk?” Allie asked, as Rain dropped into a chair beside her friend.

“Good,” Rain replied, closing her eyes and lifting her face toward the afternoon sun. “Where are the guys?”

“Watching a baseball game on TV. They said they were just going to check the score, but I have my doubts. Anyway, fill me in before they get back! Any love connections? Ghostly messages?”

Rain laughed, glancing toward the house. She turned her chair so that she could keep her eye on the door. “Sorry, nothing to report in the romance department. But a few weird things have happened around the house. Mostly doors opening and slamming, stuff like that. I’ve been having this new dream every night as well.”

“Is there any chance you’re going to tell me it’s a steamy dream about a certain karate guy with a killer body and piercing green eyes?”

“No!” She pulled her brows together and gave Allie a playful glare. “The one I had before you left last time, about the train station. There’s someone there that I can’t see, and I think it’s important.”

“Hmmm. That’s not as fun as what I was thinking, but okay. So what about the train station? It was the last place we know she was.”

“Do we know that? We don’t, really. All we know is that her backpack was there.”

Allie shuddered. “You think she never left town?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore. I’m hoping now that we’re all four here again, she’ll have the strength to tell us what we need to know.”

Jason and A.J. emerged from the porch, and Rain shot Allie a warning glance. “Behave,” she whispered. She waved to the guys, but they were looking past her, out toward the lake. The expression on Jason’s face made her turn to follow his gaze.

“Is that our boat?” Rain asked as Jason and A.J. approached their circle of chairs.

“I think so,” said Jason with a frown. The little rowboat was drifting toward the middle of the shimmering lake, somehow free of its ties to the dock.

“That’s weird,” said Rain. “How did it come undone?”

“We haven’t used it at all this time. Unless you did before we got here, Rain.” A.J. looked at Rain reproachfully. “You weren’t supposed to go out on the lake alone.”

“I didn’t!” she insisted. “As far as I know, no one has touched it since Jason and Allie took it out last time we were all here.”

“What’s really weird is that the wind is blowing off the lake. It should be pushing the boat toward us,” Jason said as he walked to the water’s edge, one hand shielding his eyes from the glare. “Well, I’ll go get it.”

Chills raced up Rain’s back despite the warm sun. “No! Jason, please don’t go in there. Remember what happened before?” She caught up to him and grabbed his arm.

“I’ll be fine, honey. I was fine last time, just out of sorts. Besides, I have to get the boat.” He walked into the water and did a shallow dive.

The girls turned on A.J. He handed his sunglasses to Rain, saying “All right, all right, I’m going.” He took a running start into the water and dove in as well, following Jason.

Allie grabbed Rain’s hand. “You watch them from here, and I’ll go watch from the dock. I wish the lifejackets weren’t actually in the boat right now.” They dropped hands and Allie began walking away, then stopped and glanced back at Rain quickly. “Wait. Did Jason just call you ‘honey’?”

“Keep your eyes on the swimmers, please,” responded Rain without looking at her friend. “And I suppose he did, but I’m sure it meant nothing.” She repeated that firmly to herself, trying to squelch the happiness that bloomed in her heart, and watched with relief as the guys made it to the boat and began towing it back toward the shore.

Allie rejoined Rain by the edge of the water, and together they followed Jason and A.J. as they pulled the boat up onto the sand. The four of them examined the rope, but the line wasn’t torn or frayed. Rain glanced nervously at Jason; he simply shrugged and suggested they keep the boat on the beach for the time being. He turned it over, stowing the oars and lifejackets underneath. Rain and Allie collected the towels and chairs from the beach while the guys went to shower and change.

“Okay, if you think that was a sign, my question is, why would Brandy want us to lose a rowboat? That makes no sense,” Allie said, sliding onto one of the kitchen stools.

Rain put a few glasses in the dishwasher as she contemplated that. “Well, what were we talking about at the time? The train station dream.”

Allie bit her lip in thought for a moment then shook her head, sending her blonde curls bouncing. “Yeah, I still don’t get why that would make her untie a rowboat. I guess I need to read up on ghost-to-human communication.”

Rain laughed as A.J. came down the stairs dressed in madras shorts and a matching T-shirt. His dark hair was still damp, and vacation stubble shaded his already tanned face.

She lowered her voice and said to Allie, “I’ll let you borrow my books. But what I’m getting at is the possibility that Brandy was just trying to get our attention. Maybe there was something significant in what we were saying.”

“Well, that certainly narrows it down,” Allie sighed.

A.J. came into the kitchen and began mixing a drink. “Are we still talking about that? I think you girls are making too much of it. The boat tie accidentally came undone, end of story.” A.J. stirred his drink with his finger and misinterpreted Rain’s frown. “What? It’s 5:00 somewhere.”

The porch screen door slammed and Jason came in from the outdoor shower. Water was still shining in drops on his smooth, broad chest. Rain dropped her gaze to her hands, which twisted nervously. Why was she reacting this way? Jason didn’t wear a shirt half the time he was around here. There was just something different about him being wrapped from the waist down in only a towel, she decided. It was closer to naked.

“What took you so long?” questioned A.J. “Did your shower involve a happy ending?”

Allie let out a shout of laughter while Rain concentrated on looking anywhere other than Jason’s bare skin. Her cheeks were on fire. God, she was pathetic.

Jason gave A.J. a withering look. “Is that why yours was so short?” Although Rain was trying to hide her flushed face, Jason noticed. “You okay, Rainy?”

No, thought Rain. I’m going to need serious intervention soon. Maybe she should take matters into her own hands before she assaulted her friend. She wondered idly if the town general store carried vibrators. Maybe they could order one for her. Just put it on Mrs. Pierce’s tab, she thought wildly.

She realized they were all looking at her now. “What? No, I’m fine.” She kept her eyes on Jason’s face and hoped she appeared normal. “Your hair’s getting really long,” she said stupidly.

“Maybe he’s trying to look like Justin Bieber,” suggested A.J.

Jason smirked and ran his hand through the long wet pieces of hair that were falling into his eyes. “Maybe I should give myself a little trim.”

A.J. pointed at his close-cropped curls, which were drying perfectly. “This is a $100 haircut. Totally worth it.”

“Congratulations. That’s a tremendous waste of money,” Jason quipped. Allie commented that her own cut was $12.99, and perhaps A.J. could find a better deal next time. He shook his head, extolling the virtues of quality hair care as he sipped his drink. “Can I get anyone a cocktail? It’s 5:00 somewhere,” he repeated.

Rain chimed in. “Yeah, but it’s 4:00
here
. How about we go for a hike before dinner?”

Making his way toward the staircase, Jason nodded. “That’s a great idea. I went for a quick run this morning before sailing, but I feel like all I’ve done for exercise this afternoon is chase after the boat. I’ll be ready in five.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. All I’ve done today is drive here, eat a lot, and then sit around,” Allie complained, glaring at Jason as he bounded up the stairs. “Where does he get that kind of energy? I’d like to see him after two days at my house.”

****

“I can’t believe the news didn’t cover it. Or maybe it was at the beginning and we missed it,” Jason said, flipping through the television channels.

Rain looked up from the three-bean salad she was mixing. “What did we miss?”

“Here, try this,” A.J. said at the same time, handing Jason his smartphone. “The signal’s not great here, but you can probably get online.”

Jason stood up from the couch and made his way toward the front of the house. “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a meteor shower tonight as we pass through a comet’s path. It might just be a small one, but still, you would think something like that on the Fourth of July would merit a story.”

“Seriously? A meteor shower?” exclaimed Allie as she molded the last hamburger patty and added it to the plate. “Maybe they’re afraid nature will compete with someone’s expensive fireworks display.”

“Probably,” Jason replied. Gesturing with the phone, he said, “I’m going out front to see if I can find anything online. Tell A.J. to get off his ass and start the grill.”