Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
The all stared at me with questioning looks.
“What?” I shrugged. “Brax asked for help, and I’m taking my part seriously. I made a board of who I thought it might be, and who Brax thought it might be. Hopefully Ms. Seaside will be one of our suspects.”
Brax nodded. “It is a rather impressive board, if I do say so.”
Turning to him, I smiled. “Thank you, Brax.”
He tipped his head, then winked. “That’s your one compliment for the day.”
Exhaling in annoyance, I looked back at my three best friends. It was hard to lie to them, but it was something I needed to do. If I kept quiet, everyone would start to suspect something, so I had to play along. “Kelsey seems like the perfect fit. She’s well liked in the community. She volunteers in different places, and she’s pretty enough to talk to both men and women and get information without them even realizing it. Plus, she’s smart enough to pull off something like Ms. Seaside.”
They all let my words settle in. Then Palmer said, “One could say all the same things about you, Harlee.”
I nodded. “I guess they could.”
Sutton laughed. “Like Harlee could be Ms. Seaside.”
Palmer rolled her eyes. “I think we really need to take a hard look at everyone.”
“I don’t know,” Addie said. “I’m starting to think maybe we should leave well enough alone.”
“And not find out who she is?” Sutton asked.
“What if she turns out to be someone we know? And by that, I mean someone close to us? A friend…or hell, even a relative? In that case, do we really, honestly, want to know who she is?” Addie asked.
It took less than five seconds for Addie and Sutton to both shout at the same time. “Yes!”
My heart started to beat hard in my chest. What in the hell had I gotten myself into? I could actually lose these friendships with this stupid column. Addie, Palmer, and Sutton were like sisters to me.
“What do you think, Harlee?” Palmer asked, causing me to jerk my head up and force a smile. I gave a noncommittal half shrug.
Addie sighed. “Okay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you guys. This might blow up in our faces.”
We all looked around the table at each other before Brax said, “I’m too close to stop now. I’m all in.”
Palmer clapped her hands in excitement. “Good! Now—are you really going fly fishing?”
“I am. And Harlee’s coming with me.”
All eyes were suddenly on me as I looked over at Brax and his shit-eating grin. “I am?”
Brax
The second we stepped into the small cabin, Harlee froze. It was a one-room cabin with a queen bed and small dresser on one side, and a kitchenette and two-person table on the other. A large fireplace sat in the middle of the cabin, with a sofa directly in front of it as well as a large, oversized leather chair. It was freezing inside the place, but it was clean. A fishing buddy of mine owned it and said I could use it anytime I wanted. At this point, I made more use out of it than he did.
“Welcome to our home for the next four days.”
“Four days!” Harlee shouted. “You said it was a quick trip up and back. Not four days! I have work, Brax.”
“I already talked to Sutton, and she said it was fine since things were so slow at the shop. And your dad thought it was a great idea. He said you’d be able to help me write my article for next week.”
She dropped her bag and pointed to herself. “Me? Why would my dad tell you that? I don’t know the first thing about writing an article!”
I shrugged, then walked over to the bed and set my bag down. I’d already dropped off all of our fishing gear in the fishing shack, which was actually bigger than the cabin. I’d made Harlee be ready at five in the morning, so we could get an early start. The cabin was only a little over an hour away from Seaside, but I wanted to get some fishing in both this morning and afternoon.
“Maybe because you’ve been working there for so long, he figured you’d have some advice for me.”
I watched as Harlee turned in a circle. “Where’s the other bed?”
“We’ll have to share this one.” I walked over to the kitchen area and opened the cabinet where Nick usually kept some food. It was empty. It took everything I had not to smile. Especially when Harlee started to stutter her words.
“Wha…wha…sha…sha…wha?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t speak that language. What are you trying to say?”
“Share the bed? Are you crazy, Braxton?! I’m not sharing a bed with you.”
“Why not?” I asked with an innocent smile.
“Why not? Why not?” She turned in a circle again. “Why not?”
I leaned against the counter. “Yeah, why not?”