Sirens wailed, two cop cars sped past Lauren, moving up the mountain as she
drove down. Reaching for her bag, Lauren dug through it, groaning when she realized she’d left her phone in Santiago’s office.
She was going to call him to be nosy but she needed to get to town, get the notary to sign off on the contract she’d created, then go to the bank and place it in a safe deposit box for added security. Living in the Moors’ ancestral home imported lessons about living in this town she wasn’t going to willingly ignore.
After completing her business, she drove over to Lina’s bed and breakfast to see what was on the menu for dinner, maybe take something home to Santiago.
Not that Santiago’s home was her home, but after spending an hour in the house she’d purchased, it was painfully clear that Santi’s housefeltlike home.
She felt like she was meant to purchase the Moor home, initially out of revenge, but now it felt like she was a respite for Deborah from all the folks rotating out of that house. But with the memories of the decapitated deer’s head, those moments of unexplainable temperature drops, of gentle touches, the childlike humming, it made her hyperaware and unable to relax there. So, until she returned to the Bay Area, she was commandeering Santi’s house. And his bed. And if he waswilling—she smiled as she pulled up to the bed and breakfast, putting her SUV in park—his very addicting body.
Pulling her bag from the passenger seat, she walked to the door and opened it without knocking.
“Lina, it’s smelling awfully good in here. I hope you’re setting up for a full house. I’ll take some to go if you have enough.”
Lina rushed into the hallway wiping her hands on a dish towel almost frantically.
“Mija, I’ve been calling you for the last hour. Did you get my messages?”
“No I...I forgot my phone at Santiago’s place.”
“I know you’re not using Ricky’s cheating as an excuse to hoe around, Lauren Gael Green.”
Lauren’s body jerked violently, heart lodging in her throat.
“I tried to call,” Ms. Lina said urgently. “She’s been here for hours.”
“Doing what? Being judgmental and hard to please, no doubt?”
Lauren couldn’t comprehend her mother being in Shrouded Lake. Did she come to tell her about all the ways she was being selfish for not prioritizing her pregnant sister and her cheating fucking ex?
“Why are you here, Ma!”
And why did she suddenly feel like bursting into tears?
“You abandon your family, not calling us back to tell us if you were alive or dead. You’d think she’d be happy I made an effort to find her, instead she’s over here carrying on like I’ve caused some great offense in wanting to make sure my only born daughter isn’t dead or worse.” Ma Mable crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Ms. Lina. “I bet she painted me as the worst mother in the world, didn’t she? All I have ever done was try to…”
Ms. Lina shrugged apologetically. “Until you arrived, Mrs. Green, I wasn’t sure Lauren had family. I’d assumed she had no one to turn to. Because why would she come all the way to Shrouded Lake, carrying so much pain, versus being with a family who could’ve help her through it.” At any other time Lauren would’ve smiled at that delicate southern rebuking. “But I am no mother, eh, what do I know.”
The way Ma Mable looked away in shame… She had never seen her mother look away in shame. But which behaviors was she ashamed of? Lauren frowned.
“How did you even find me?”
Because she knew Reese would stitch her lips together before she told anyone where Lauren was.
“He owed me. He owed you. So, I told him to use his fancy government job to find you or I would tell his superiors about what he did. You know how much he likes being seen as such an ethical upright citizen.”
“Derrick! You had freaking Derrick, of all people, find me?”
“I’m gonna need that drink you offered earlier Lina. And I’m gonna need it to be stronger than wine.”
As if she had the authority to boss Lina around, Lauren fumed.
“I have just the thing,” Lina smiled before leaving them alone together.
Lauren walked into the salon and sat. Ma Mable sat in the chair across from her, eyes roving over Lauren, searching for answers without providing any.
“Again, why are you here, Ma? If you had Derrick track me, you knew very well that I wasn’t dead.”
