Zach was right. Dad was the only person to die on the Inn’s premises, and he hadn’t been anywhere near the lighthouse. He’d been found in his bed. While she hated the unfinished business between them, she wasn’t sure he’d been impacted enough to stick around and try to contact her from the other side. Now that she was here, she couldn’t ignore the facts anymore.
She stumbled forward. From a perfectly still position, knees locked, she’d been pushed to the ground. The shove was sudden and forceful. On her hands and knees, she was turned away from the windows, staring at the ground.
And then came the blast.
The single panes of glass shattered. Dust rose. The walls crumbled like a sandcastle on a windy day. The building was collapsing.How?She scrambled to her feet and raced outside. Shielding her gaze, she stared up at the building, and then came another boom, and the stones toppled in on themselves. A force pushed her backward.
She tumbled into the lake: splashing, kicking, and trying desperately to make sense of the unfolding situation. Bobbing up and down, she reached her arms out, grasping for anything. She strained her neck above the water, dragging in air. Her head spun, and she couldn’t sort up from down. A life ring hit her in the head. She grabbed onto the orange circle and waved.
“Ashley?” Steve Prim called.
She coughed and nodded, gripping the life ring tight.
“Hold on, I’ll pull you up.” He tugged the rope attached to the life ring.
The icy water chilled her like a thousand tiny needles pricking her skin. The longer she remained in the lake, the less she was in control as her body went numb. Then she felt like she was engulfed by invisible flames, her limbs scalding as she burned from the inside out.
At the swim platform, she reached for the boat with one hand. She hit the slatted wooden platform with her fist, unable to uncurl her fingers. She forced her hand flat and pulled herself onto the boat. Drenched to the bone, she curled into the fetal position.
Steve approached with a thick towel. He moved his mouth.
Why wasn’t he speaking? What was he doing?
He reached for her and lifted her over the back of the boat, wrapping her tight in the towel and rubbing her arms.
She couldn’t stop shaking. Ashley wanted him to let go of her. She was fine, but her body wasn’t delivering the message. Her chin wouldn’t stop trembling long enough for her mouth to form words. She raised her palms and gently pushed against his chest.
He stepped back.
She sank onto the bench and cleared her ears by blowing her nose. But the sounds remained distant and waterlogged. “Hi, Steve. Thank you.”
“Are you okay? What were you doing at the lighthouse?”
Heat crept up her neck. She owed him no explanation. Christopher deserved the truth of how she spent her free time. But she wouldn’t talk about her ghost to anyone else.
Her teeth chattered, the rapid-fire motion uncontrollable.Was she suffering extreme embarrassment or a fever?She hoped neither.
He stood over her, staring down.
She tucked a leg underneath her. She had never known Steve to be judgmental or opinionated. But she couldn’t help the skin-crawling feeling he was assessing her now and found her extremely lacking in character, common sense, and courage.
He took a few steps back and settled in the captain’s chair, scrubbing away whatever expression marred his typically sun-kissed, smiling face. He was a good-looking guy. Golden and glowing. But he had depths she hadn’t guessed at. “I don’t want to sound like I’m telling you what to do.”
So don’t. I have a husband for that.She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth.
“I have to discourage you from taking selfies for your social media in dangerous places. You know this lake is deep and dark. Please take care of yourself. We just got you back.”
Now she really didn’t know how to respond. Did he think she was only driven by curating her life? Until a few days ago, that had been true. She was home, and she wanted so much more. Instead of an argument, though, she’d try a different angle. “Don’t suppose you saw what happened?”
“It looked like a dynamite explosion or something. It was like a movie. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
She tested her muscles, twisting from one side to the other and extending both legs. “I think I’ll be okay.”
“That building should have been condemned years ago. It nearly collapsed on you. What if I hadn’t been going by? Why is there no lifeguard at the Inn? You could have drowned.”
She knew why the beach was closed. That was entirely her fault. Until a replacement chair arrived, the one she’d sunk was broken after its retrieval, the Inn discouraged swimming.
“Was it the ghost?”
