The Darkness Beneath, page 5
‘Michael! Everything is fine.’
‘How can you be so sure? You’re in Bella’s house and you’re all alone out there. I worry.’
‘You have no need to.’
‘Is there a problem?’ Alex figured Michael’s concern was with the ex-boyfriend. In his experience, if there was trouble it was generally a husband or boyfriend.
‘No!’
‘Yes!’
Nell and Michael glared at each other.
Newt chose that moment to stick his head out of the door. ‘Who’s up for another cocktail?’
Nell shook her head at her brother, looking relieved at the chance of a subject change. ‘He’s not going to let me rest until I try one of those daiquiris,’ she said, with a hint of a smile. ‘I’ll bring you one out. Anyone else want one?’
Autumn held out her glass. ‘I’m about empty.’
Nell glanced briefly at Alex as he studied her, trying to figure her out. ‘I’m good.’
As she disappeared into the house he raised a brow at Michael. ‘Wanna tell me about it?’
His friend shook his head. ‘We’ll talk later.’
*
The last guest timed his arrival as Michael was serving up the steaks. Nell had kept herself busy by offering to help Newt in the kitchen. She was still reeling from her encounter with Sam Kent, the expression on his face and the bitter words he had spoken playing like a show reel in her head. He had been so angry at her and she didn’t blame him. What she had said to him, about wishing she could go back and take Lizzie’s place, she had meant every word.
She was also keen to stay out of everyone’s way. Michael hadn’t warned her that there would be other dinner guests. It was stupid to feel overwhelmed by such a small thing, but she had expected it to just be the three of them. Plus, of course, one of those guests was the guy – the police chief – that she’d picked a fight with before even arriving back on the island, and who, it transpired, just happened to be her brother’s best friend. It seemed Michael was intent on involving him in Nell’s private business with Caleb. Something she intended to make clear she was not happy about as soon as they had a moment alone. She understood his concerns – was already scared enough, knowing what Caleb was capable of – but she didn’t want everyone on the island knowing about her psycho ex-fiancé.
She had just finished chopping up tomatoes to go in the salad when the doorbell rang.
‘That’ll be my brother Luke, and Stacey,’ Newt told her.
Nell’s heart sank at the thought of more new people to have to deal with, but she forced a smile on her face. Newt had been nothing but welcoming to her. As he was busy getting potatoes out of the oven, Nell wiped her hands on a towel and went to get the door.
There was no couple, just one guy who stood on the front step, more smartly dressed than the rest of them in a suit and tie. He gave her a wide grin. ‘Nell, I’m guessing.’
‘Hi, yes. You must be Luke?’
‘I am.’ He held up the bottle of champagne he carried in one hand.’ I thought we could celebrate, given we’re all together and soon to be related. Well, you know. Your brother, my brother…’
‘Sure thing. Come on in. Newt said you were bringing – ’
‘My girlfriend, Stacey? She’s not coming. Long story; don’t ask.’ He stepped into the hallway and gave Nell an impromptu kiss on the cheek. ‘Anyway, nice to meet you, Nell. So, where’s that brother of mine?’
Nell followed him through into the kitchen and watched him greet his brother with a fist bump, before finding room in the already rammed refrigerator for the champagne.
‘Stacey?’ Newt questioned.
‘Not coming’ Luke told him, loosening his tie. ‘She stormed out on me.’
‘You didn’t have to dress up especially for us you know.’
‘I didn’t smartass. Some of us have to work late. Hence the fight with Stacey.’
‘Again?’
‘What can I say? She has a temper.’
Newt rolled his eyes at Nell. ‘Drama queens, the pair of them.’
‘Ha, that’s rich coming from my high-maintenance gay brother.’
Luke’s comment was met with a chuckle and a high five. ‘Touché, little brother.’
Nell watched, amused by their banter.
‘So who else is coming?’ Luke asked, picking up one of the daiquiris from the counter and taking a sip. He glanced up at Nell over the rim of the glass, his eyes a vivid light blue, framed by thick dark eyebrows. Like Newt, he was olive-skinned, though had a full head of almost black hair, which only served to accentuate the lightness of his eyes. Newt’s hair had mostly receded and what was left was almost white in colour.
‘We’re all here,’ Newt told him. ‘You were the last to arrive. Michael’s out back with Alex, and Autumn Eastman is here. We found out she has a crush on Alex, so Michael suggested we invite her.’
‘He doesn’t appreciate your matchmaking attempts you know.’
Newt grinned. ‘Only because we haven’t managed to find the right girl for him yet. The night is still young. Give Autumn a chance. She might grow on him.’ He grabbed the dish of potatoes. ‘Come on, give me a hand here. It’s time to eat. Nell, salad. Luke, plates.’
Nell followed Newt outside to the large rectangular table positioned towards the edge of the decking. The evening had cooled a little with the disappearance of the sun, but it was plenty warm enough for her to sit outside in her t-shirt. Across the expanse of beach which separated the cottage from the ocean, waves lapped gently against the sand. Autumn had positioned herself close to Alex, and sat intently hanging on to his every word as he talked with Michael; Nell chose a seat on the opposite side of the table. She had assumed they were a couple, but according to Newt and Luke, Alex was single. Not for long it seemed, if Autumn was to get her way.
‘Hey, guys,’ Luke greeted them, giving Michael a warm hug and raising a hand in greeting at Alex and Autumn. He took the seat next to Nell and immediately dived into the basket of bread.
‘No Stacey?’ Autumn sounded disappointed. ‘She promised me she’d be here.’
‘Sorry.’ Luke shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. ‘She changed her mind.’
Conversation flowed easily during dinner, giving Nell opportunity to get to know the people in Michael’s life a little bit better. She learned Newt and Luke had moved to Purity when Luke was still in high school. Their parents had died when Luke was a baby and Newt was in his teens. They’d been raised by their paternal grandmother until she passed away, when Newt had taken over the role of Luke’s surrogate father. She had only met Newt once before, when Michael had brought him to Chicago, but they had instantly hit it off. There were no airs and graces with him, he just wanted to please everyone. He was principal over at the local kindergarten, while Luke shared a home near the harbour with his girlfriend, Stacey, and worked as a junior partner in a law firm in East Haven.
Alex had moved to Purity five years ago, taking over from Chief Bristow when he retired, and he lived further along the beach from Michael and Newt. He said little of his life before Purity, but Nell understood he had been a cop in Portland before moving to the island.
He had his two dogs with him: Sasha, a beautiful German Shepherd, and Teddy, a bumbling buffoon of a shaggy dog. He virtually attached himself to Nell’s leg at the table, eagerly wolfing down the bits of steak she kept sneaking him under the table.
The jury might still be out on Alex, but she was already falling for his dogs.
Then there was Autumn, the hairstylist. She was younger than the others; Nell guessed from her conversation topics that she was in her early to mid-twenties. A nice girl, but her flirtations were getting her nowhere. Alex was polite and friendly, but it was obvious he wasn’t interested in her in a romantic way. He had a dry sense of humor and, although Nell didn’t want to find him funny – still hadn’t quite forgiven him for their first encounter – she found herself smiling at a few comments he made during dinner, noting most of them went straight over Autumn’s head. She could tell he had an easy friendship with her brother and that he meant a lot to him, and for that reason she would give Alex a chance. Michael had always looked out for Nell and she could see he did the same for his friends. She watched him throwing back glasses of wine and whiskey, their father in her thoughts. Although Michael was nothing like Mick O’Connor – the drinking was just while socializing with friends – she worried about him heading down the same path.
Hypocrite she told herself, glancing down at the beer she was drinking.
Blessedly Michael had dropped talk of Caleb for the evening, so Nell was annoyed when clearing away dishes to have Alex follow her into the kitchen and broach the topic.
‘So I’m guessing the thing Michael is worried about is your ex-boyfriend, am I right?’ he asked, dumping empty glasses into the sink and turning to face her.
Nell glanced up from where she stood, scraping leftover food off the plates into the trash. ‘He’s been talking to you about me?’
‘He’s your brother. Of course he talks about you. He’s worried.’
‘No, he’s overreacting. There’s nothing for him to worry about.’
‘You seem pretty certain about that.’
‘I am.’ Nell hesitated, unsure how much Michael had told Alex. ‘Look, I left Caleb back in Chicago and it’s not like I wrote him a note saying where I had gone.’
‘Does he know about your aunt’s house, that you inherited it?’
‘No, I never told him.’
‘But he knows your brother lives here?’
‘They only met once and it was a couple of years ago. He showed no interest in Michael at the time. I doubt he even remembers his name.’
Alex cocked a brow. ‘You sure?’
‘I am,’ Nell lied. Truth was she was terrified of Caleb finding her. Alex didn’t need to know that though. She barely knew him and didn’t want everyone seeing what had really happened in her relationship. She went for nonchalance. ‘Anyway, it’s over. I broke up with him.’
‘Well… technically you didn’t break up with him, you snuck out on him while he was at work. I’m guessing he’s gonna be pissed.’
Nell’s jaw dropped. Michael had a lot to answer for, blabbing about her personal life to his friends. ‘Don’t you dare judge me,’ she snapped, cheeks burning with anger. ‘You know nothing about my relationship or what it was like. I had no choice but to “sneak out” as you kindly put it. Caleb is not the kind of person you break up with face to face. If I had tried he wouldn’t have let me leave.’
She expected Alex to apologize for overstepping the mark, but instead he leaned back against the counter, insolently, arms folded, and gave her a pointed look, one brow cocked and a sly smile on his handsome face.
‘What?’
‘You pretty much just admitted it. He wouldn’t have let you leave. So why are you so sure he won’t figure out a way to track you down?’
She realized she had walked into a trap, revealing far more than she intended. ‘Why are you so sure he will?’ she countered.
‘Because I know this situation: possessive controlling boyfriend or husband; sometimes even wife or girlfriend. It’s my job. Don’t shut your brother out when he’s only trying to help. And keep your wits about you.’
‘I am,’ Nell insisted, but her temper was already dissipating. She was fast learning it was difficult to stay mad at Alex. He was poking his nose into her private business and being brazen about it, but the wide, almost cheeky, smile he turned on whenever he stepped too close to the mark and the teasing glint in his eyes, suggested he was too laidback to ever take himself too seriously. That said, she didn’t doubt his concern was genuine, no doubt due to both his friendship with Michael and his job.
‘Have you thought about having the locks changed on your aunt’s house?’
‘It’s on the list. Why?’
‘The place stood empty for a while and we’ve had trouble with kids breaking in. If they managed to, so could someone else.’
‘I’ll take it under advisement. Are you always this interfering?’
His smile widened into a devilish grin, dimples cutting into his cheeks. ‘It’s my job to be.’
Nell shook her head, ignoring the flutter in her belly. He might be able to charm the pants off Autumn, but she didn’t fawn so easily. ‘I don’t remember Chief Bristow poking his nose into other people’s business this much,’ she muttered wryly.
‘Well then I guess you should be glad he retired and I took over.’
There it was again, that appealing sardonic humor. He was certainly nothing like Chief Bristow; that was for sure. Of course the former police chief had seemed like an old man even when Nell had been a kid, whereas Alex was maybe in his mid-thirties. The former chief had been a kind man, if a little gruff around the edges, but he had always been a figure of authority. Alex, she guessed, would be more approachable.
‘Are you guys having some kind of private party in here?’
Nell glanced up as Luke bounded in. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle of champagne he had brought with him.
‘You planning on drinking that all yourself?’ Alex asked wryly.
Luke grinned. ‘Tempting as it is, I’m driving tonight, so a small glass for me to toast Nell’s homecoming. We need some glasses!’ Nell looked in the cupboard, pulling out one of a set of kitsch flutes with pink flamingos painted on the side of them. ‘Really, Michael?’ she muttered to herself.
Luke’s grin widened. ‘Ha, I’d like to blame your brother for those, but I have to take responsibility. They were a joke gift I bought when they moved in together. I have to say I’m touched they kept them.’
Nell smiled to herself as she gathered up the rest of the glasses and followed the boys outside. It was easy to like Luke and she found herself glad Michael and Newt had returned home early from their vacation and decided to hold their impromptu barbecue.
*
She hadn’t planned on drinking much over the course of the evening, but Newt kept topping up her glass and before she knew it she was a little drunk. Luke offered to give both Nell and Autumn a ride home and they left before midnight, with Newt promising they would have everyone over again soon.
Autumn seemed disappointed Alex hadn’t asked to see her again. Like Nell, she’d drunk quite a few of Newt’s cocktails and she babbled incessantly about him on the journey to her apartment. Luke, ever the chivalrous gentleman, escorted her up to her door, making sure she was safely inside, before returning to the car to drive Nell home.
‘She kept asking me if I thought he liked her,’ he said, screwing up his nose, as he got back into the driver’s seat. ‘Is it bad, I said yes?’
‘Well, I guess she did put you on the spot and you didn’t want to hurt her feelings,’ Nell rationalized.
Banter with him was easy on the drive out to the house and Nell found herself telling him all about her dilemma over what to do with Bella’s guesthouse, though she stopped short of telling him the reasons behind her move back to Purity Island. Michael had already blabbed to Alex and it was likely Newt was in the loop; the fewer people who knew about Caleb and why she had left, the better.
‘Well I guess it depends on what you plan to do with the house?’ Luke reasoned. ‘Do you want to hold on to it for sentimental reasons? If so, I understand. But do you need all that space? It’s a big house and will cost a lot to maintain.’
‘My thoughts exactly, and I’m not sure I can afford the work it needs.’
‘It would make a great family home though if you could get the money together.’
‘Yeah, it would. Except I don’t have a family and it’s just me rattling around inside the place. I know it holds a lot of memories, but I’m still kind of inclined to sell it. Free up some capital and get somewhere smaller.’
‘Sounds like you’ve already reached a decision.’
‘I’ll sleep on it one more night.’
Luke dropped her outside the front of the house, killing the engine and starting to open his car door. ‘It’s okay. No need to get out,’ Nell said, stopping him. ‘Ten steps and I’m inside.’
‘Well, as long as you’re okay.’
‘I’m sure. But thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.’
‘Any time.’
On impulse she leaned across and brushed his cheek with a brief kiss. ‘Goodnight, Luke, and thanks again.’
He waited until she stepped inside before driving off. Waving goodbye, she closed and locked the door, glad she had left the hall light on. Slipping out of her sneakers, she headed down to the kitchen, fishing in the refrigerator for a bottle of water. She double-checked all the locks before heading upstairs.
It had been a good night and for the first time Nell felt confident in her decision to return to Purity. Although Caleb had never been far from her thoughts, it hadn’t stopped her enjoying herself. Closing her bedroom door behind her, she pulled her t-shirt over her head throwing it on the bed and stepped through into the bathroom, turning on the shower. As the old pipes of the house groaned and the water heated, she kicked off her jeans and looked around for the grip she needed to pile her hair up. Spying it on her dresser in front of the window, she made her way back into the bedroom. As she clipped her hair up, she glanced out into the road. A car was parked at the end of her drive. Was Luke still there?
What if it is Caleb?
She quickly stepped back from the window, conscious she was in her bra and panties, in full view of whoever it was. Clicking off the light she returned to the window.
Sam Kent sat in the driver’s seat of the car, staring up at the house.
Nell sucked in a deep breath. What the hell was he doing out there? She recalled their earlier exchange: ‘I wish I could go back and take her place.’
‘So do I, Nell. So do I.’
Momentarily she debated what to do. Should she go outside and confront him, ask him what the hell he wanted? Maybe call the police? He wasn’t breaking the law though, he was just parked in the street outside her house. As she wrestled with what next, Sam started his engine and pulled away. Nell shuddered with relief and reached for her bathrobe, deciding before she stepped into the shower that she would first go downstairs and check, for a third time, that all of the doors were locked.
