I can hear pelicans flying by, looking for a place to sleep.
I take a deep breath, feeling the cool breeze whistle past my hair. My eyes fly open, and I look to the sky. It's beautiful here in Whisper Cove. The sky is a dark obsidian, and the stars glitter brightly, like a thousand diamonds in the sky.
I appreciate that I can be here. I didn't grow up in Whisper Cove, but my parents always talked about visiting and how much they loved it. Every year, they thought about moving back, but my dad didn't want to be so close to my grandfather. He felt that Preston always had to tell him what to do, and my father didn't like that.
I look around and run my fingers through the sand. It's still damp from where some of the waves had hit the shore. I feel glossy shells next to me, and I stand up and walk along the shoreline.
I pull my sweatpants up, take off my shoes, and allow myself to walk through the water. I think about going for a night swim. I don't have my swimming trunks, but who cares? It's a private beach.
I quickly strip naked and dive into the water. It's probably foolhardy to go out when the current is so strong, but I'm a good swimmer, and I know what to do in a riptide if that happens. The water is immediately cold, and my body shakes, but I continue to swim.
I feel like I'm one with nature. I feel like I'm Poseidon, King of the Ocean.
I turn over onto my back and just float there, looking up at the sky.
I feel like I'm still lost.
I came to Whisper Cove to find answers. I was at a pivotal moment in my life, and unsure of where to go next. I know my grandparents have certain expectations. I know that the world has certain expectations. There is something that I need to figure out in my life. I need to figure out where I am going to go next.
I realize that I can't stay in the water much longer. It's too cold.
As I swim back to shore and step out, standing there on the beach, I suddenly feel grounded. Looking back at the house, I see the silhouette of a figure standing and looking out one of the back windows, and I almost feel like she's staring right at me.
“Gina,” I whisper under my breath, and I can't help but smile. Gina. Gina. Gina. I grab my clothes and decide to walk back to the cabin naked. There's a 99 percent chance that no one's going to see me. But hey, if that one percent chance is Gina, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Get your mind out of the gutter, Hunter.You have other things to think about, I lecture myself as I walk across the soft grass.
I know I do, I respond to myself, and wonder if I'm going crazy. I wonder if the entire ordeal of the last year has finally just made me insane.
I look back at the window and see she's still standing there. I wonder if she knows I can see her. I wonder exactly what she can see of me.
I think about offering her a wave, but I stop. I'm going to take my time getting there. I'm going to figure out just who she is, and then I'll have my fun with her. I look up to the moon in the sky and smile, because it's Gina's argumentative face that I see reflected in the bright white and gray moon.
I quite like it.
I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks.
If anything, it's going to be an adventure. Just because she’s here.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gina
I cannot believe that Hunter is a frigging Waverly. Hunter is the man that I'm here to get a story on. Hunter is possibly engaged—or getting engaged. Why? I still can't believe it. I am the worst private investigator known to man.
As I head towards the living room for the writing group, I think about all the signs that I’d missed.I walk into the living room and see Amethyst standing there, holding a cup of tea in her hands. There's no one else in the room yet. She turns to me with a gleeful look, and my heart sinks. I don’t need her delusions this morning.
“Good morning, Gina.” I'm starting to get fed up with how cheery she is every day.
“Hi, Amethyst. How are you doing today?”
“Just peachy. What about yourself? How did the dinner party go?” It's at that moment I realize that maybe I can get some information out of Amethyst.
“It went really well. Thank you. I got to meet the Waverlys' grandson, Hunter.” I look into her eyes to see if her expression will change and possibly want to divulge information.
“Oh, yes. He's a handsome young man.”
“He definitely has a look about him,” I say, agreeing. “I heard that it was going to be a celebration for him, but I never quite found out what the celebration was for.”
