AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She fought the urge to smooth down is dirty blonde hair, still ruffled from her hands. And when she looked in his blue eyes, she saw genuine concern there.
He half raised himself, ready to catch her if she felt the need to fall and said, “Desi are you all right?”
She let out a soft laugh and sat beside him. “Yeah, the sun was just blinding me for a second. I’m fine...thanks.”
Brit leaned forward, “Are you sure? We can come back another time.”
“No, no. Honestly, I’m good! So, tell me, how’s staying at the Inn working out for you. I haven’t seen you two while I’ve been at work. Has Kim got you cleaning cobwebs in the basement or something?”
Both ladies had decided to stay on in Pearl Lake.
At first CAS had been called in for Jasmine after the drama as no one knew where her father had ended up nor did she care, but there was nothing CAS could do as she was of age. And Brit, well she was her own woman. She had no family to speak of and was more than happy when Kim and Dean offered both of them jobs in exchange for food, lodging and a small weekly salary. They had become like sisters and Desi was elated for them. It was too bad that she couldn’t find that connection with someone other than Lane there at the lake. It would likely would have convinced her to stay.
The thought had given her a sting in her throat. Knowing that if she didn’t take swift action, her eyes would soon fill with tears. Swallowing the lump in her throat down, she took a piece of meat and cheese from the tray and sandwiched them between two crackers. As she bit it in half, she could feel Lane’s eyes on her as she chewed and listened to Jasmine talk animatedly about the comings and goings of old man Anderson’s ghost.
“And we think he has a crush on Brit,” the girl giggled.
“Really?” Desi grinned. “That’s so sweet!”
“Not really. You try waking up in the middle of the night with him hovering over you with a huge grin on his face,” Brit laughed, smacking her knee. “The first time it happened I thought he was drooling on me, turns out it was just the roof leaking.”
“Oh my god,” Desi said. “That would have been hilarious.”
Jasmine nodded, giggling, she said, “It was, she screamed so loud that Kim and Dean heard her all the way downstairs. Since then, we sleep in the same bed.”
“Okay, now on a serious note.” Brit looked at Desi, “What’s this we heard about you giving your two weeks’ notice?”
“What?” Lane turned to her and said, “Why would you do that?”
Desi wasn’t prepared for that; she should have known that Kim would say something. “She shouldn’t have told you.”
“She didn’t. I was in the solarium with the windows open airing it out and overheard you tell Kim.” Brit glanced at Lane then nodded. “I saw that you were upset and didn’t want to intrude so I went into the other room...”
The look that Brit shot Lane and then at her, Desi knew she heard everything. She turned to look at Lane and said, “My old boss asked me to come back. After the wedding I’ve told Kim I would be handing in my notice. She won’t have to worry about the wedding, I’ll handle it, and she’ll have time to find a replacement after it.”
Lane sat there for thirty seconds just staring at her, finally he asked, “When did he contact you?”
Desi winced. “Umm, a couple of days ago,” she answered as she rubbed a hand over her face. She hated lying to him because he always seemed to know when she did, but he never reacted to it... until now.
A dark look crossed his face as his eyes narrowed. “I see,” he murmured. He pressed his lips together and stood. Looking down at her, he said, “I’ll be back later. You ladies have fun discussing the food for the wedding.”
Turning he walked out of the room.
Brit leaned over and touched Desi’s knee. “I hope I didn’t say anything wrong, I thought he knew.”
“No, you didn’t,” Desi said, getting up off the couch. “Eat some food. I’ll be right back.” She hurriedly waved a hand at the tray as she exited the room.
“Lane,” she called after him as he went into his bedroom.
She followed him in and saw him standing, looking out the window. “Where are you going?” she asked.
“Away from here,” he moved to the closet and pulled his bike helmet from within.
“Why?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Just going for a ride.”
She wasn’t accepting that as an answer. “To where?”
