Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I didn’t even know I loved him until I faced losing him.
I have to tell him.
I have to tell him I love him. I can’t take the risk—the risk he took with Amira—of something happening to him without knowing how I feel.
Katelyn reaches down to pet Edgar. “He’s a good boy. He didn’t run off.”
“No, and I was scared shitless he might. He’s obviously well-trained.”
Katelyn nods. “Jed is great too. He never goes anywhere. We thought about putting up a fence, but we didn’t want to obscure the view of the ocean. And Jed? Sometimes he goes all the way down to the beach, to the ocean, dips his paws in, but then he comes running back.”
“Where did you get him? Is he Luke’s dog?”
“He’s both of ours. He was a stray that used to hang out behind The Glass House where Luke was a waiter. Luke would feed him scraps, and then, when Luke returned to LA and I had to come out here for my father, I brought Jed with me. I suppose it’s silly, but I felt like he was my link to Luke.”
“It’s not silly at all. I get it. Where is Jed now?”
“Probably in the office with Luke. He hardly ever leaves Luke’s side. Even though I’m the one who brought him out here, he seems to know that Luke is the one who fed him all those months back in Manhattan.”
“Dogs are loyal creatures,” I say.
“They are.” She ruffles Edgar’s ears again. “He’s going to be grieving for a while. Missing his owners.”
“I want to keep him,” I say. “I feel like I need to keep him. But…”
Katelyn nods. “You’re afraid he’ll lead the enemies to you.”
“Yes. Whoever murdered Gloria and Brian knows about Edgar. If he’s chipped…”
“He probably is chipped, but it’s not the kind of chip that can track his location. It’s just a chip that has his ID on it.”
I draw in a breath, let it out to try to relax. “Sure. Probably, anyway.”
Katelyn sighs. “You’re right to be concerned. The people we’re dealing with could’ve easily put a tracking chip inside a dog.”
“But he’s just a dog. He can’t take care of himself. I can’t abandon him.”
“I know exactly how you feel. That’s how I felt about Jed.” She smiles. “Do you want some coffee?”
“Yeah. Can I help you with anything?”
“Katina’s already up making it.”
“Who’s Katina?”
“She’s our housekeeper. She lives on the other side of the house.”
“Oh. I guess I just…”
“Didn’t realize we had a housekeeper?” She shrugs. “I know, it’s weird for me too. She stays out of the way. Plus, the evening you guys came over for dinner was her night off.”
“You certainly live in the lap of luxury here.”
“It’s all Luke’s doing. But you know what? I’d live in a shack with him. That’s how much he means to me, and that’s how much I love him.”
“I understand the feeling.”
Katelyn’s eyes widen. “Are you and Buck…”
“In love? I am. I don’t know about Buck. But I do know one thing. I’m going to tell him as soon as I see him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Are you kidding me? After everything we went through on that island, I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel any kind of emotion again.” I close my eyes for a moment and revel in the fact that I can feel anything at all. “But this is unmistakable. It hit me when I found out he was hurt. I knew that I loved him, and now I’m even more determined to find out who’s behind this because whoever it is almost took Buck away from me.”
“I understand what you mean. I fell hard for Luke just that way. It doesn’t seem possible, does it?”
“It seems impossible in fact. But I can’t deny what I’m feeling.”
“Have you ever thought…”
“What?” I ask.
“It’s just that… Aspen, you’ve been through so much. And now Buck is going to be okay. The two of you have a chance to be happy together. Is it really necessary to go searching for these ghosts?”
I harden inside. It’s instant, as if some kind of cement has cured around my heart. “They’re not ghosts. They’re real evil people who killed Gloria and Brian.”
“Gloria and Brian didn’t deserve to die in such a horrible way,” Katelyn says. “But what if they weren’t innocent in all of this?”
Katelyn’s not telling me anything I haven’t wondered a thousand times myself.
“I suppose that’s the problem,” I say. “I do think Gloria knew more than she let on, but now we’ll never know, will we? She’s gone. But tell me, Katelyn. Who the hell would want to hurt a high school teacher and volleyball coach? A former volleyball player who never did anything to anyone?”
“That’s what she told you,” Katelyn says. “But does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? You’ve already been through so much. Buck has already been through so much. Shouldn’t the two of you be allowed to have a shot at happiness?”