Page 65 of Wicked Games

“I will, but everything will be fine. No one knows we’re out here.”

“The entire Ashfield police department probably knows, and that doesn’t seem like a good thing. Goodnight, Avery. I love you too.” He kisses my forehead.

“See you tomorrow.”

He watches me cut across the stones and between the trees that separate our properties to my driveway.

It isn’t that late, and I have most of the evening stretched out in front of me. It doesn’t feel as lonely as it did, and I run a bath and light one of the candles I bought at the fair. With a glass of wine, I soak in the large clawfoot bathtub, the scent of vanilla latte mingling with the steam.

I can’t completely let go of the feeling that more bad news is coming, and after my bath, I settle in the living room with my notebook and hope it won’t be as bad as I think it will.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Seth

Ilike the balance Avery and I are finding between spending time together and giving each other space. She would have come to my place if I would’ve asked, but it’s nice she can do her own thing. I’ll miss sleeping with her though, and tomorrow after the beach, I’ll suggest we grill something for dinner and she can sleep over. We’ll take each day as it comes, and that’s fine with me. I don’t think I could handle thinking too far into the future. Knowing Avery will be there is enough for now.

I pop the top off a bottle of beer and sit on the couch with my laptop. There’s a glare against her glass doors, and I can’t see much, only that she’s not sitting at her kitchen table. She said she wanted to take a bath, and I picture her lying in the tub, her nipples a rosy pink, her flat stomach, and the soft patch of hair between her legs. Thinking about her makes me hard, but I don’t move to do anything about it. We won’t be having messy sex tonight, but she’ll still be on her period tomorrow and after going without today, there’s no way I’ll be able to keep my hands off her.

I hadn’t planned on telling her I loved her, but it felt right after talking about Theo, Brooke, and Hattie. That we can talk like adults and that she’s open to her sister’s part in my son’s death makes me respect her even more than I already did. We agreed not to bring that nightmare into our relationship, and I’m grateful she actually can. Every day I find out something new about her, validating my heart’s choice all the more.

Violet catches me on the work chat, and she asks if I’ve heard anything since I spoke to her earlier. When Avery was mowing my yard, I don’t know how she knew I was talking to Violet, and that’s another thing that I can’t wrap my mind around. How easily Avery accepted that Violet’s my friend. No hesitation, no feelings of competition. Simply, “Tell Violet I said hi” and “Buy her the painting since you know she’ll like it.”

We hashed out a statement to give to the press and decided on how to portray my involvement, what little there is. That Brooke and Vale had married was a shock to her too, and the statement included sympathy for Vale as well as implied hope and happiness for the couple’s future. It was a delicate tightrope to walk. No one wants to think the worst, but how can we not?

I glance at Avery’s house again, but her kitchen is still quiet. Winnie trots up the patio stairs and presses her nose against the French door’s glass. I trade my laptop for my phone and go outside and sit on the lounger. She hops between my legs and falls asleep. I scrub behind one of her ears and call Violet instead of messaging with her.

“No, I haven’t heard anything else, but I didn’t expect to. My eighty-year-old grandma walks faster than the cops work.” I’d like to think I’m kidding, but I’m not. My grandma speed-walks three miles through her neighborhood every morning.

Violet knows it’s true and muffles a laugh. “I’m sorry. Hopefully they’re doing more than we think.” She pauses. “How’s it going between you and Avery?”

“It’s good. We went to a crafts fair and she told me to buy you a painting I saw because I knew you’d like it. She wanted to take a bath and write, so she’s at her place right now. How are you and Walker? Things okay?”

Surprised, she lets out a laugh, not used to Avery’s easy-going nature either. “Tell her thanks. Yeah. I’m still at the office, closing that Strasser deal. I’m taking tomorrow off and letting Skyler handle things. If you need to talk, I’ll be home all day.”

“Good. You need a day off. I’ll let you finish up so you can go home. Congratulations on that. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to help you out more.”

“You need to find some balance, Seth. I didn’t expect you to work while you’re in Lakehaven Falls. Rest.” She sighs. “Spend time with Avery. Heal your heart.”

I scoff, but I smile. Yeah, I’m a lucky son of a bitch. “Thanks. I am. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yep. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

She hangs up and my phone beeps.

Winnie’s snoring, and I don’t want to bother her by getting up, so I check email, read through a few industry newsletters, and scroll social media. Brooke’s disappearance pops, the Ashfield newspaper’s online edition running the story. It’s more of the same that’s been my life for the past four months, only darker and more twisted, her disappearance adding an unexpected layer to Theo’s death.

Everyone wants to know who hated me so terribly that they’d kill my ex-wife and son. I wonder if Avery’s scared, being with me. We can’t hide in Lakehaven Falls forever. At some point we’ll have to go back to Ashfield, and if this sick fuck is doing this because he hates me, Avery won’t be safe.

I’m getting ahead of myself, but it’s really difficult not to. LaSalle may figure this out, but I think by now it would take a miracle. Still, I can’t give up hope.

Sharing my lounger with Winnie, I watch the sun sink beyond the horizon.

Slow and easy, I told Avery.

Yeah, we may keep things slow, but unfortunately, they’ll be anything but easy.