“Yeah, sounds good.” My voice sounds distant, my thoughts scrambled.
I wish I could just understand what was going on in Luke’s mind.
We return to the B&B close to nine. I scoop Sunny up from his bed on my way past the desk and nearly step on the manila envelope lying on the floor just inside the doorway to my room. It’s from Jerry—according to the address label—the PI I contacted weeks ago.
This arrived for you while you were out.
-Holly
Heart racing, I slip my finger inside the flap of the envelope and rip it open.
Twenty-Five
EVENTUALLY, SHE LEFT ME, TOO
Luke
“You know, Liv couldn’t reach a mug yesterday. So, I think it’s about time you fixed those shelves.” I side-eye Josh. He’s up extra early to take the tractor to be serviced, so I have the pleasure of his company as I head to the main house for the coffee. I should just smuggle a bag of coffee grounds to keep at my house, but Ma would murder me. I can’t even take a roll of toilet paper when I run low at my house. “You wanna use the house’s stuff? Then come to the house and use it,” Ma says.
“The shelves are perfect, man. Let. it. Go.” Josh grumbles.
“If they were perfect, most guests would be able to reach the mugs, asshole.”
“I can reach them just fine. If anyone needs a damn mug, they can come find me.”
We break through the tree line, and my eyes catch on a figure sitting on the dock.
Liv.
Josh sees her too, checks his watch, and jerks his head in her direction.
“Maybe you should go check on her?”
“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you later.”
The boards of the dock creak and groan under my sneakers. I assume she’s out here to be alone, but something about the way she’s sitting, staring off into the distance like I’ve done so many times, makes me think she might not want to be alone at all. I guess there's only one way to find out.
She twists her body to look at me as my steps grow closer. I stop, waiting for her to tell me to leave, but the demand never comes. Instead, she returns to staring off into the distance.
One bare foot dangles just above the water, the other tucked into her body with both arms hugging the other knee, chin resting on top. She looks so small curled into herself like that. I’m not sure what I’m walking into, but I’m ready to find out.
“Hey, Trip.” I hedge. Liv doesn’t respond, so I untie my sneakers, slip them off, and stuff my socks inside. Then I sit beside her, dipping my feet into the lake.
There’s a fog hovering above the surface of the lake this morning. The sun, shielded by overcast clouds, shrouds the world around us in a pink hue. On mornings when I have a lot on my mind, I come out here before anyone else wakes up and sit in the silence. The lake has a way of taking hold of the things that weigh you down and lifting them off your shoulders so you feel like you can breathe again.
“I spent a lot of my life looking out at the lake just like this, the way you are now.”
She turns her head toward me, not saying anything, but the motion makes me think she wants me to continue, so I do.
“Whether I had a fight with a friend, broke up with a girl, or lost someone close to me, for as long as I can remember, I’d come sit out here. I can’t explain what it is, but… this lake cleanses the soul somehow. Sounds cheesy now that I’m saying it out loud.” I chuckle, fully expecting her to make a comment about how it is, but nothing comes.
“Hm.” She grunts and then turns her face back toward the water.
The quiet stretches on. A kingfisher in the distance dives into the water, creating endless ripples that eventually make their way to where we sit.
“Can I ask you something?” Liv’s voice is soft and unsure.
“Anything.”
