Page 17 of Summer Ride

One question plagued him now—who in the hell was after Kara?

Chapter Five

Since receiving that note, jumping at shadows had taken so much out of Kara that she didn’t have the energy to argue about going back to Carter’s place with him after work every day.

She knew it was the safe choice. She felt comfortable there, and Carter was always around to look out for her.

He hadn’t pressured her to tell him any more of her past since that night, and she didn’t willingly offer it up either.

Instead, they went to work together, drove back to his place together, and slept in the same bed just like an old married couple. Every night, she’d lay awake worrying while he slept peacefully with his arms wrapped around her tightly.

What sleep she did get was in short little bursts interrupted by nightmares about her past life. About Mary Ester’s life.

Almost a full week went by before she found another note. This time the paper was shoved between the slats in her employee locker, which sat in the back room of the pool house.

When she saw it, she felt all of her blood drain and she felt sick. At least she didn’t pass out like the last time. Instead, she glared down at the bold print words and grew angry.

“Tag, I found you. Now the fun begins.”

“What’s that?” Andrea asked behind her, and she jumped and screamed. “Sorry,” Andrea said with a frown, but when she noticed Kara’s face, the way her hands covered her heart, she rushed to her side and held onto her. “Hey, geez, are you okay?” Andrea took her shoulders in her hands.

“Yes,” she said quickly, shoving the note into the pocket of her capris. “I… you just surprised me, that’s all.” She shook off the anger and the fear that had boiled when she’d found the note.

Andrea’s eyes narrowed at her, but then she nodded. “Your first appointment is waiting in room two.” She motioned towards the front of the building.

Both of the massage rooms were situated off to one side of the old pool house, near the largest of the three pools on the grounds.

The pool sat just outside the large glass front doors of the pool house. Since most guests arrived at the pool already in their swim attire, this space had been converted into a massage space.

There was a small sitting area just inside the glass doors where guests waited for their appointed times. There was a small reception desk and two massage rooms, each equipped with showers to rinse off the oils or lotions after each session. There was a storage room that they used as a break room and a locker room in the back where employees stored their items while they enjoyed any of the water sports.

In the big main building were the rooms that housed most of the classes, such as judo or yoga, many of which she attended herself. They had a much larger locker room equipped with showers for both guests and employees to utilize.

“Oh, thanks,” Kara said with a sigh. “Give me a few minutes.”

Andrea nodded and stood up. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve looked… tired lately.”

“I’m fine,” she said with a weak smile.

She took exactly two minutes to compose herself, then shoved her things and the note back into her locker and went out to deal with her first appointment of the day.

Being a massage therapist was to her like raking one of those Zen sand gardens. Feeling the knots dissipate from a client’s body was so rewarding and relaxing, as satisfying as popping bubble wrap.

As she worked on each customer, her mind zoned out and all the worry and stress from her life just floated away. Even the bad things in her past faded into the back of her mind.

She worked through her appointments until finally it was lunchtime.

When she’d received the first note, she’d thought she’d known who had sent it, and it had scared her. Today’s note proved she had been right.

She knew that Carter was in town at the clinic working that day, so she decided to take lunch with the rest of the coworkers in the employee dining room.

She’d promised Carter she wouldn’t go off and eat lunch alone somewhere on the grounds like she often did. To be honest, she’d had zero desire to be alone since that first note had shown up.

Instead, she chose to surround herself with people she knew and, as Carter had pointed out the other night, trusted.

What she should do is leave. Find one of her bug-out bags, pack up her new car with everything she owned, and disappear. She could even change her name again if she had to.

But the thought of starting over somewhere else scared her too. There wasn’t one person that worked on the campgrounds that she didn’t get along with and like.