AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pause with my fingers over the screen. It’s not that I don’t want to tell him what happened or how I quit. I just worry that I’ll upset him over something he doesn’t need to be bothered with. But with love comes honesty, so I type:I quit today. Larry fired me. I’m not sure. Either way, I’m no longer employed.
My phone rings.
Grinning, I answer, “You don’t have to worry, Harbor. I’m fine. Maybe it hasn’t set in yet, but I’ll survive.” The line crackles, and I dumbly look around like I can find the source of the bad connection.
He says, “That’s a big deal, baby. Are you alright?”
“I’m okay. I really am.” The sun is high in the sky, just gone noon, reflecting off the top of the water.
The day is warming up nicely, and the walk probably helped to get my blood flowing. Look at me handling being unemployed in such a healthy manner. He asks, “Where are you now?”
A shift causes my hose to snag. “Dammit.” The run takes off the length of my leg, and I know these tights are goners.
“Lark, where are you?”
“I’m taking a break to rest at Devil’s Edge.”
There’s a pause and then another crackle that has me checking the screen to make sure we’re still connected. Then he asks, “Why are you there?” Like the phone, his tone has a gravel to it. “How did you get there?”
It has the hairs on the back of my neck rising from the seriousness. “I walked from the country club.”
“Lark, Devil’s Edge has been closed for the past two years.” He sounds almost breathless as he moves about. The sound of a door squeals in the background. Knowing him, he’ll rush to my rescue. Since my feet hurt, I wouldn’t be upset.
I look around for signs but don’t see any. “No, it’s not. I’m sitting right here.”
“Get to the road. Now.” The shock of his demand has my breath stalled in my chest. “And don’t go near the cliffs. Do you hear me, Lark?”
He makes me nervous, like it’s life or death. I say, “Calm down, babe,” but I still gather my legs onto the rock beside me and start to push away to get up.
“I’m on my way.”
Not even a crackle is heard when the phone goes silent, so I bring it down to look at the screen again. This time the call is lost. Or did he hang up on me?
Rolling my eyes, I have no idea why he’s so upset. Although scoring a ride back works to my benefit. It shouldn’t take him long, maybe ten minutes max. I bend down to look at the run in my tights.Damn.These were my best ones, too.
I stand around and then lean against a tree, but my feet still hurt even after slipping my shoes back on. I’m sure Harbor’s hitting every red light, putting him in a worse mood than he already sounded like he was in. Not that Beacon has many lights, but I almost expected him to drive Cullen-style, pulling up with a skid.
I’m a little disappointed.
I laugh as I sit down with my legs dangling over the edge again. It’s far more dangerous for me to stand on the side of the road than to lie here with my arms wide and eyes closed, basking in the blue sky and warmth of the day.
It’s also more enjoyable.
“Lark!” Pebbles fly toward me as he runs in my direction.
Sitting up, I smile when I see Harbor running toward me, slowing when he gets close. “Hey there,” I say, but then terror fills my insides when I get a better look at his face. I look over my shoulder to make sure nothing’s there because it makes no sense why he looks like he just saw a ghost.
27
Lark
“Don’t move,”he says, his voice as grave as his skin.
I stay where I am, too afraid to take even a step. “Why?” I ask, my voice trembling.
His gaze keeps darting between me and the edge like someone’s standing there. “You’re scaring me, Harbor. What is it?” With my arms wide from my sides, I slowly turn my head to look behind me again. There’s nothing there. Nothing but the rocks, the lake, and the sky.
The wind picks up, causing me to wobble in the breeze. “Whoa!” I overcorrect, making it worse and sending my right leg into the air. “Oh my God, Harbor!”
