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“Only three.”
“Good,” I answer, pulling my board out and standing it up in the sand. I look around Cooper’s body to see Dani leaning against one of the lifeguard towers. “She hungover?”
“I don’t know,” Cooper brushes me off, undressing out of his clothes and stepping into his suit. “She disappeared last night and has been ignoring my calls all day. Don’t know what I did.”
I glare at my best friend. They’ve been inseparable since she moved here, but that doesn’t mean Cooper isn’t an idiot at the best of times. “Well, have you asked her what’s wrong?”
“Only a hundred times. More than I should have given her.” He nudges his head at the camera crew walking down with their oversized bags and gear. “We can talk about this later. Hopefully, this series isn’t going to be…weird.”
“It’s about Hades Hollow. Of course it’s going to be weird…” A cool shiver breaks out over my skin as dark clouds move in front of the sun. A deep rumble shakes the back of the cliff where the beach ends, and I lean into Cooper, tilting my head and watching as the three men with pale faces look up at the change of weather.
“Damn,” the first one says as soon as he reaches us. “I could have sworn I read the weather right.” His eyes rest on mine before flying to Cooper. “I’m Trevor, and this is Manny and Rem. We’re who you will be working with during this segment.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, nodding at all of them. I still remember when Cooper pitched this idea to me. They had seen his footage on TikTok, investigated Hades Hollow, and wanted to add a segment to some new Netflix mystery TV show. I wasn’t a fan of it. In fact, it made me uncomfortable. Hades Hollow wasn’t just a tale to us. It was sacred. A town we protected. Cooper was going to do it anyway. I figured I’d make sure it’s done respectfully, and it’s one day of filming, so it doesn’t take us away from our other everyday life.
“We’re glad you both agreed to do this. Wow—look at this place.” It’s obvious Trevor is the leader here, but I like Manny. He’s around my age, with a warmth about his personality that no one in this town really shares. “It’s beautiful.”
I chuckle. “Mmhmm. When she’s not in a mood.”
His eyes come to mine, and it’s the first time I realize they’re green. “You call it ‘her’?”
“I do.” I nod, tucking my chocolate-brown hair behind my ear.
His eyes follow the movement as a shy smile touches his mouth.
“Okay! So!” Cooper claps his hands and finds his way to Trevor. They begin talking about what’s not on the cards and inaccessible. I made sure to outline the parts about this town that I wanted to protect and not talk about. Since the Netflix show has to do with small-town mysteries, I knew I didn’t have to overshare. It’s a forty-minute segment. I’m not spilling all. I lean down to my satchel to take out my GoPro and phone.
Loafers come into view, and I hold my snicker. Who wears loafers to the damn beach?
“Is this all safe here while we go out?”
“This?” I point to all our belongings. “Isn’t going anywhere, but you cannot go near the water in those.” I gesture to Manny’s shoes. “I’m sorry.”
Manny presses his hand over his heart. “That hurts. Truly.” Leaning down, he undoes his laces and kicks off his shoes, removing his socks. “How are we getting out there?”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” I gesture to Carli’s hired surfboards behind us. “You’re paddling out.”
Manny’s face pales. He’s got the whole skinny boy thing going. His chin has a little dimple indented in the middle and his hair flops over his forehead slightly. “I can’t!”
“I’m joking…” The corner of my mouth lifts in a smirk before I gesture out to the small jetty. “You’ll be taking the boat. It’s small enough for you all to fit with your equipment.”
Manny shades his eyes to look out to the jetty before going to the equipment on the sand. “And you’ll paddle?”
“Yes?” I ask, a brow raised.
“Do you mind if I capture some of that too?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, walking over to my board and taking it out of the sand. “Like of my paddling?”
Manny seems to realize how it sounded and quickly throws his hands up in defense. “No! Not like that.” He lowers his hands to his sides. “Shit. Sorry. I’m not good at this.”
“At what?” I tease. “Your job?”
“No!” His eyes widen, and I feel for the guy. He must be new. “Just for some content.”
I take the steps to him and pat his chest. “I’m playing. Of course you can.” Chuckling, I turn around to drop my phone back into my bag when I notice someone standing out on the patio of Whisper Manor. That is the master bedroom too, and someone is standing outside, watching the ocean. I can’t see who from here, but it is definitely a male.
My blood rushes through my eardrums when I notice his body shift slightly, as though he’s now looking directly at me. I swallow quickly, swiping my palms down my thighs when someone stabs me with their finger from behind.
