“Promise me you won’t tell her about that night,” he says. “It will ruin everything we’ve built together. Oh, and don’t tell Roxy about Sunny. She’ll find out soon enough.”
That’s all? “No problem. I promise,” I say.
He lets go of my hair and takes his arm away from my waist. “I always did like you, Beth. I always did, until you tricked me, seduced me, that night. You are the one. Not me. That’s why I watched your girl, that’s why I’m taking her away from you. Celeste will be a Gentry. You’ll be all alone, like you deserve.”
“Uh-huh,” I say and grab my purse from the dresser, debating whether I should try to bring my suitcase with me too.
“Let me help you with your bag,” Ryan says, grabbing my suitcase, as gallant as if the past few minutes never happened. It’s unsettling how Ryan vacillates from livid to the perfect host at the drop of a hat. His shifting emotions are troubling.
I walk quickly down the hall and reach the front door, thrilled to be getting away from this place. I open the door.
“Mom, there you are,” Celeste says. She and Zach are sitting on a bench, suitcases beside them. Despite what he thinks, Ryan will not take my girl from me. Ever.
“Here I am. Let’s get going,” I say. I look ahead down the path, but there is no sign of Ryan’sgirlfriend, thank God.
“Zach, are you leaving too?” Ryan says.
“Yeah, Dad, everyone is leaving. Mom already left with Jamie and Greer. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. I mean, there is a dead body in the living room, so there’s that,” Zach says. “Are you staying here?”
“Yes. This is my home,” Ryan says. I don’t have to look at him to know his eyes are darkening. “This is where I’m meant to be.”
“What’s wrong with you, Dad? You look weird,” Zach says. Celeste takes his hand.
“Let’s go,” she says. She looks at me, and I nod.
“Yes, let’s go,” I say. “I can handle my own suitcase.” I hope he’ll let us all leave. I hope his ghostly girlfriend doesn’t reappear.
“Safe travels,” Ryan says and hands me the suitcase handle. He leans in close and whispers, “I’ll be watching you, Beth. And Celeste too. As always. You will pay for what you did.”
A chill runs down my spine. He has been spying on us this entire weekend, I’m certain of it now. And he’s been watching me for years, too, waiting to exact his revenge. He blames me for the night we hooked up, when in reality he was the one who needed a place to sleep. Why didn’t he go to the front desk and get another key? Because the Desert Sunrise wasn’t like that, I know. The night staff was gone by eight p.m. But that doesn’t excuse what he’s done now. He had a plan to take Celeste from me, by introducing her to Zach. Oh my God. I hurry down the walkway tugging my suitcase, with Celeste and Zach close behind.
We reach my car, miraculously undamaged by the windstorm, toss our bags in the trunk, and hurry inside. We are all spooked, I realize.
Celeste is in the front seat next to me, and Zach is in back. I start the car and begin to drive away. I look in the rearview mirror and Sunny’s there, with Ryan, standing on the driveway. Zach is looking out the back window and sees them too. They’re holding hands under the palms in front of a Desert Sunrise. I mean, no, it’s not her.
I need to get away from here.
53
Beth
Zach leans forward and hits the back of my seat.
“Who’s that with my dad, Mrs. Harris?” he says.
“Not sure,” I say, which isn’t a lie. I glance at them in the mirror and get goose bumps.
“Does he have a girlfriend?” he says. “Tell me what you know, please.”
“To be honest, Zach, I’m really not certain what’s going on,” I say. I’m so glad to be leaving them in the past. Both of them.
“Well, that’s messed up,” he says. “I was blaming my mom for everything, for being so, well, herself, and he has a girlfriend? He’s been cheating on my mom, sneaking around? This sucks.”
“Mom, stop!” Celeste yells, bracing herself against the front dashboard. “A crash!”
I slam on the brakes. Off to the side of the road, a car has smashed into a tree. I recognize the car and my heart sinks.Even though I know the truth about Amelia that she is capable of many terrible things, I don’t think she deserved this type of gruesome ending. The car is a mangled mess. I hop out of the car and run to the accident scene. The front section of the red sport car is smashed in, collapsed onto itself, Amelia pancaked in the middle of it all. I stifle a scream as Celeste and Zach join me.
“Another person dead?” Zach says. “Isn’t that one of the houseguests? The redhead? Amelia?”
