In the three years he’d lived there, he’d never brought anyone back to spend the night. He’d preferred to keep it private, like so much of his past. But now that he’d slept over at Charlie’s place a few times, he wanted to reciprocate. By having her over, he’d be revealing even more of himself, but he was ready to take that step.
* * *
Knox wishedhe and Charlie could have spent a leisurely morning together, but after he’d taken her out for bagels, she headed in to work. Since he had the day off, he decided to enjoy the glorious fall weather. He drove to Beacon Hill Park, a huge expanse of green space near downtown Victoria, filled with winding paths, flower gardens, stone bridges, and duck ponds.
Now that October was here, the air was crisp, the ground carpeted with scattered leaves in shades of red and gold. Squirrels darted about, gathering nuts and scrambling up and down the trees. He took his time capturing all of it with his camera—the brilliant foliage, the playful ducks, and the colorful peacocks strolling through the park.
Charlie would have loved it, particularly his visit to the park’s petting zoo, where he took photos of the baby goats. More often than not, their schedules conflicted, but they were making it work. And every time they spent the night together, they grew closer. The only thing he regretted was all the months they’d wasted pining for each other, both of them too gun-shy to make the first move.
He was passing by one of the park’s playgrounds when his phone rang and Logan’s name appeared on the screen. “Hey, man. Got any updates for me?”
“I sure do. I’ll send all the details in an email, but I can give you a quick overview. On the first day—Friday, October thirtieth—we’ll do a preliminary walk-through of the hotel’s storage room, set up our cameras, get baseline readings, and conduct our in-person interviews. The following night, three members of the team will spend four hours holed up in the room, while myself and another member monitor them from one of the third-floor guest rooms. You took care of that?”
“It’s all set. I booked your group into three rooms, right down the hall from the haunted storage area. For the interviews, we’ve got Celia and Charlie, plus an eighty-nine-year-old woman who worked for the hotel in the 1950s.”
“Perfecto. Celia sent me a bunch of photos from the archives. I didn’t realize until now that she led the ghost tour I took in September. For a Goth chick, she’s kind of hot. Do you know if she’s single?”
Knox laughed. “She’s with someone.”
“What about Charlie?”
“Also taken,” he snapped. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Aha! I knew I’d get you to admit it! What’s the story there?”
Normally, Knox would have told him to back off. Or blatantly ignored the question. But his relationship with Charlie was going so well he was willing to talk about it. “We’re dating. And I’m trying my hardest not to muck it up.”
“I don’t see how you could, given your charming personality.”
“Fuck off,” Knox growled. But he didn’t mean it. He was starting to feel the way he had back when Lila had first taken an interest in him. All mushy and hopeful.
“I’m glad for you,” Logan said. “It’s about time you got a break.”
“Thanks.” Leaving the playground area, Knox crossed a stone bridge, passing a family of four who were tossing bread at the ducks. “Gotta say, it’s a nice change being with someone who’s not connected to the industry.”
“That reminds me. There’s another reason I called. It’s aboutThe Hidden Forest.”
His somber tone made Knox uneasy. “What’s going on?”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just learned the cast and crew are coming to Victoria in a few weeks. They’re having a big gala at the Grand Duke Hotel to celebrate the show’s hundredth episode. I doubt you’ll run into any of them, but I wanted you to be prepared.”
Knox parked himself on a wooden bench, uncapped his water bottle, and took a long drink. “Well, actually…I’m working at the gala. As a bartender.”
When Logan didn’t respond, Knox checked his phone to make sure he still had a signal. “Did I lose you?”
“Nope. I’m trying to make sure I heard you correctly. Did you say you’re voluntarily working at the event?”
“Yep. But since it’s a costume ball, I’ll be going in disguise.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Logan yelled.
Knox winced. Logan wasn’t the type to raise his voice. Back when his friend had worked onThe Hidden Forest, he’d often been the calmest one on the set. “I know it sounds insane, but hear me out. A couple of weeks ago, I told Charlie all about Mac Iverson. I didn’t spare any details.”
“Damn. You must really like her.”
“I do. It helps that she’s so compassionate. Once I got it out in the open, I felt like this huge cloud had lifted. It was so freeing not to hide all that shit. Anyway, we got to talking, and I admitted I felt bad about the way I’d left things. Cutting off people. Making it impossible for them to find me.” Knox dug his fingers along a groove in the bench. “I know you told me as much, and I should have listened, but…”
“I’m sure Charlie was way more persuasive. And I think she’s right. But if you want to connect with some of the writers from the show, I could help you track them down. Going to this gala could put you in Evan’s crosshairs, and you don’t want that. Hehatesyou.”
