Page 48 of Fish Out of Water

Jake dropped his hand. Now wasn’t the time, and he would be an unforgivable asshole to do it anyway. “Well,” he said, clearing his throat, “I guess we should finish up here and then head over to the bookstore. Are we taking my car?”

“To the store, if you want,” Robbie said. He pulled himself back onto his feet and began combing along the beach as if they’d just said nothing important at all. “My car’s parked there,and we’re taking that to my parents’. No offense, but if they see an unfamiliar car in that condition, they might not…”

“Like me?”

“Oh, I doubt they would like you even if you drove a Porsche. No, it’s just that first impressions matter to them. Showing up in my car will be easier on everyone.”

“Yeah, whatever. If it makes life easier for you, I don’t really care.”

Robbie glanced up at Jake, his expression a funny mix of skepticism and intrigue. It was almost as if he didn’t expect Jake to be so considerate.

“What?” Jake asked defensively. “I don’t wanna get on the wrong side of the most powerful family in Eventide, even if I am only going to be here for a few more months.”

“Get back over to the other side of the beach,” Robbie said, swinging his bag at Jake, “so we can get out of here at a reasonable time.”

Jake droveRobbie to the bookstore just as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was still light enough to see the surrounding townscape as they drove, but it was getting rapidly darker, and by the time they reached Eaton’s Book Nook, Jake had to let his eyes adjust for a moment after he shut his car off and lost the warm glow of his headlights.

Robbie’s onyx car didn’t help, but he found his way over using the shine that the nearest streetlight cast on it. Robbie got into the driver’s seat in utter silence, the large manilla envelope he’d slipped into the store to retrieve still in one hand.

“I can hang onto that if you want,” Jake offered, breaking the blissful silence.

“Oh, uh, sure.” Robbie dropped it into his lap. “Just don’t open it. Confidential business and all that. You know.”

“I mean, I don’t, but it doesn’t matter.”

Jake placed his hands firmly on top of the closed folder, just so Robbie could see that he had no intention of snooping—not while Robbie was sitting right next to him, at least.

Instead, he turned his attention to the car interior, which he could finally examine without the barrier of a window holding him back. As Robbie pushed a button to start it, a screen in the center of the dashboard lit up. Jake waited for Robbie to punch an address into the map before realizing how stupid that thought was. Of course Robbie already knew where he was going.

Jake shifted awkwardly. The seat beneath him was warm, and while it wasn’t unwelcome on a night as chilly as tonight, he was acutely aware of how little control he had in this situation.

“If you want to turn the seat heating off,” Robbie said, as though he were reading Jake’s mind, “just push that button there.” He pointed to a small button icon of a seat that was lit up orange.

“I’m good,” Jake said. He may have been out of place, but he was certainly going to make the most of it. “I’ll probably never have a chance to sit in this car again.”

Robbie nodded disinterestedly. “Right. So, how’s your aunt doing in getting her house ready to sell? Is she still going through with it? She seemed a little uncertain when I was talking to her last week.”

“We’remaking progress, yeah,” Jake replied. “I’ve got the name of the realtor she wants to use, and I’m gonna call him in the next couple of weeks. We’re just trying to get things cleaned up a little more.”

“Let me know if you need any help.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I’m happy to do whatever I can,” Robbie insisted. “Anything at all, day or night.”

“Isabel appreciates it.” The other half of that, the half where Jake gave his appreciation too, hung unspoken in the air.

Robbie turned down a quiet little road leading into the country, and a few miles later, they were passing by sprawling mansions set on acres and acres of land. Horses stood quietly in fields, immaculate designer dogs ran along slick black chain-link fence lines barking before they were called inside for the night, and porch lights automatically flicked on, revealing just enough of these mystery houses to pique Jake’s curiosity.

“That’s insane,” he said, pointing to a rectangular, three-story house as Robbie slowed his car. “Who’d ever needthat muchspace?”

“My parents,” Robbie said. “That’s my parents’ house.”

“You aren’t seriously saying thatthisis where you grew up?” Jake jerked his head toward Robbie, who continued to stare at the road.

“They remodeled a few years ago, but yes, this was the house I lived in until my grandparents died and left the original Eaton Manor in town.”

He turned onto a smooth, paved driveway, pulling up next to the fountain in the middle of the parking area. It was more akin to a plaza in the middle of a city, just without all the people milling about. He shut the car off and sat there for a moment, perhaps steeling himself for what was to come.