Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“Oh, okay. I believe she booked your rental a few days ago but—”
“I can’t share our tenants’ information with strangers over the phone. Look, I have to go. All the info you need about the place can be found online.” He hung up before I could squeeze another word in.
“The hell?” I muttered. Right. So, this Alex Reed was a stickler.
I clicked on the profile link for Alex on the bottom of the listing page and he only had one property under his name. And it was that cottage Eve booked. How would he not know her name if her stay was that fresh?
Call it the investigator in me, but that feeling in my gut was heavier now. Sure, I could’ve been overreacting. For all I knew, Eve was doing all this just so I would talk to her again. She was pretending to run off and be sad, ignoring her own sister, just so I’d reach out to her. She’d done something like this before. After an argument, she performed a disappearing act just to see if we cared enough to come looking for her.
A part of me wanted to let it go. Eve would come back. She’d call Zoey. She’d tell her that she broke her phone or accidentally dropped it in the damn lake while trying to take a selfie. Whatever the case was, I was sure she was fine.
She was fine . . . but that little voice in the back of my mind whispered otherwise.
She can use her laptop to reach out to Zoey.
Nope, spotty Wi-Fi, I thought.
She could drive somewhere else to find service and check on her sister if she needs to.
Not if she’s high, I thought.
Worst case scenario, she can bail on the trip and drive back home.
Not if something happened to her.
I drummed my fingers on the desk, telling myself over and over again she was fine. Just being Eve. Reckless, inconsiderate, selfish Eve.
Eventually, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. My coffee was cold by the time I looked up how many hours it’d take to drive to Sage Hill along with more information on the small town. Then I booked a stay for Alex Reed’s next available date, two days from now.
CHAPTER TEN
Concentrating at the office was futile, too many thoughts about Eve. I had a piece to write, and I couldn’t do that if my mind constantly resorted to what-ifs and maybes about her. I decided to go to a coffee shop and soak up the scent of ground coffee beans and baked pastries. After ordering an iced coffee with extra caramel, I found a corner, cracked my laptop open, and dove in.
I was on a roll for a while, until I heard the door of the shop open with a chime. Quickly, I glanced up, but did a double take when I saw a familiar face. My fingers paused as I spotted Lincoln Fowler walking to the counter. His voice was gravelly and deep as he placed an order.
He wore a white tank shirt and jeans. His short dark hair appeared damp, like he’d recently showered. He’d shaved since I last saw him. The baby face didn’t make him look innocent though. He looked more like a sex offender. There was a tattoo on his forearm with the name Eve. He waited in the pickup area, scrolling through his phone with his back to me. I was glad he didn’t bother looking around. I never particularly liked chatting with him.
I stared at his tattoo a moment before flicking my gaze up to his face again. He now had his phone to his ear. With a scowl, I could hear him say, “I’m getting pissed off. Fucking call me back already.” Then he slipped the phone into his pocket. The barista called his name. He snatched up his drink and slipped out of the shop.
Confusion wrapped around me. What was he doing on this side of town? And did he just call Eve? Apparently, Zoey and I weren’t the only people she was ignoring.
I had the urge to chase after him but thought it would be better not to. It was good Eve wasn’t answering him . . . but not good that neither Zoey nor I had heard from her. My concentration escaped me again. With a sigh, I packed up my things and left the shop to go home.
Eve Castillo journal entry
I used to think I wanted to be married when I was younger. I wanted to be the bride who wore the pretty dress and full face of makeup. I wanted my hair styled with pearls. To kiss my man. To toss a bouquet to women who wanted love too.
When Lincoln dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him, I didn’t hesitate.