Page 58 of Day Break

Not that I’d taken the time off. Last weekend, I’d headed to the beach with George, Byron, and Lane for a picnic. The following day, I’d slept in an hour later than usual before getting up to do my own laundry and cleaning. Then I’d taken a long walk before heading in to make lunch for everyone because I was so bored.

Once I had cleaned up after breakfast, and before the rest of his family showed up, I went into the study.

Lane normally set up his laptop at his grandfather’s old desk. He’d made the room his workspace and had moved a few things around. The room looked a lot more functional now.

When I stepped in, Lane glanced up at me.

“Do you have a minute?” I asked. I didn’t know why I felt nervous. I suppose because I was asking him to do something for me again. I hated not being able to do things on my own.

“Sure.” He motioned for me to sit down. I sat in one of the high-back leather chairs across from the desk. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you’d drive me into town again this weekend,” I practically blurted out.

Lane’s eyebrows shot up. I could tell he was thinking.

“My family has said that this weekend they’re all going to be off the island. I was going to return to my place in the city to grab a few things,” he started.

I felt my shoulders sink at the thought of having to wait another weekend. But I’d waited this long, so what was another seven days?

“You haven’t really taken any time off since you started,” he continued. “What would you think of heading into the city with me? I have a spare bedroom at my place. That way you can hit different shops instead of just buying things at the general store in town.”

I thought about leaving George all alone for the weekend and was about to decline when Lane added, “It’s just one night. We can be back before noon the following day.”

“Okay,” I answered before I could back down. I hated the city, really. But the chance to go to some real clothing stores thrilled me.

Lane smiled at me. “We’ll head out later this week.”

I frowned. “My days off are Sunday and Monday.”

“I’ll ask my grandfather to move your days off so we can be back here before the family returns,” he said, just as his phone rang.

While he answered it, I left to attend to my tasks. I was practically floating all day as I dreamed of the things that I would buy myself this time. I wasn’t normally a materialistic person but having the freedom to get what I wanted was exciting.

I was upstairs changing the sheets on George’s bed when Phil stepped into the room. At first, I didn’t think he was going to bother me, but then he shut the door behind him and leaned on it, watching me.

“Can I help you?” I asked, my voice wavering slightly. When he heard the weakness, he smiled and moved closer.

“I know your secrets,” he said in a low tone.

My heart skipped, then it felt like it stopped all together.

I held still, the dirty sheets held in my arms.

How? was my first thought.

What would happen now? was my second.

Since I hadn’t said anything yet, Phil moved even closer to me until he was less than a foot away. His eyes ran over my face, down my body, as if he could see me behind the pile of sheets I held and all of my clothes. I shivered, which only caused his smile to grow.

He lifted a hand and nudged a strand of my hair out of my eyes. Then his hand snaked behind my head until he had a firm grip on my ponytail. He yanked my hair back hard, holding the chunk of it firmly in his fist as he moved closer until our bodies were pressed tight. His face was less than an inch from mine.

I dropped the bedding and moved my hands to shove him away, but they were trapped between our bodies.

“Did you think we wouldn’t find out?” he hissed, his eyes narrowing slightly. He chuckled when I didn’t say anything.

“I…” I started to say, but his fingers tightened in my hair, so I shut my mouth.

“You’re not what you want everyone to believe,” he jeered. “You can’t even open a bank account because you don’t have a license.” He laughed. “What do you think my grandfather will do once he finds out?”