Silver Lake (8 page)

She grabbed his hands and held them tightly. “I’m so proud of you for coming.”

His lips formed a smile that failed to reach his light blue eyes. “That’s nice of you to say, Rain. I’m not sure anyone has ever been proud of me before. I’m proud of you too, for being so strong, especially after all you’ve been through. You’re such a good person, you didn’t deserve what Rick did to you.”

“I’m not a good person,” she said, shaking her head to dislodge the images from last night’s fiasco.

“Yes, you are,” he said firmly, squeezing her hands. “And I am having so much fun with you guys.”

“Does that mean you’ll come back?” she asked carefully.

“Yes, I’ll come back. I think I’ll even stay an extra day and leave tomorrow. The world won’t end if I take a few more hours off from work.”

“Oh, that’s great, A.J. Really. We all need to be here as much as possible.”

He released her hands and scratched at his dark vacation stubble. “I can’t get on board with the whole ghost thing, though. Brandy is gone. We need to accept that and move on.”

Rain pressed her lips together. Please let it go, Brandy, she pleaded.

No such luck. The crash echoed from her bedroom as A.J. was pushing his chair back. “What was that?” he asked.

She recognized the sound immediately and pictured her photo album, lying open on the floor. Her tired brain scrambled to come up with something less creepy. “Oh, that happened before,” she explained as she stalled for time. “I keep leaving my hairdryer on the edge of the dresser, and it eventually topples over. I’ll be lucky if it still works.”

“Oh. Well, I have some more work to get done if I’m going to take another day off. I’ll be out on the porch.”

“Okay,” Rain said weakly. She contemplated going back to bed.

****

Rain managed to avoid being alone with Jason until he found her outside under the afternoon sun, trying to focus on her novel. He grabbed a beach chair that had fallen over and set it down right next to hers. She gave him a quick smile and tried to pretend she was too involved in her book to talk. In truth, she was berating herself once again for her pathetic performance the night before.

She had decided she couldn’t blame her behavior entirely on Allie, because there was no question that she was attracted to Jason. And she had thought that maybe he was attracted to her. He hadn’t exactly said he wasn’t, but he did make it clear that he didn’t appreciate her advances. God, she was embarrassed. But she had been reminding herself all day that this reunion summer was not about her love life, it was about Brandy and friendship.

He studied the lake for a while, and he looked almost as miserable as she felt. Whether it was because he felt sympathy or disgust she couldn’t be sure. So she continued to ignore him until he reached out and tugged on one of the braids that hung down from beneath her hat. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey, yourself.” Clever, she thought to herself, keeping her gaze on her book. Now he will probably explain how he feels violated and needs to leave immediately.

“Rain, will you please talk to me? I don’t want things to be uncomfortable between us. Please don’t think I’m not attracted to you, because I am, I always have been. It’s just that we’re both going through some stuff right now. I don’t know where my relationship with Cara is going. You’ve been betrayed by the guy you were with for seven years.”

She nodded disconsolately. When he put it that way, she sounded like an even bigger loser. Seven years she had been with that jerk. Tears pressed against the backs of her eyes and she fought to contain them. Why did she have to cry so damn much lately?

Jason leaned sideways as though to put his arm around her, but then gave her a quick squeeze on her bare shoulder instead as she stiffened. “All I’m trying to say, Rainy, is that we need to be careful. We shouldn’t do anything for the wrong reasons.”

Be strong, she told herself. “You’re right. And I want to apologize again for last night. I was feeling lonely and scared.” Not to mention drunk and horny, she admitted silently.

“Please don’t apologize. I care about you so much, and I want to be here for you.” He paused and reached for her hand. “So, are we okay?”

“Yes, of course. Did A.J. tell you he’s going to stay the night?”

“I heard. And I guess everyone is waiting for you to make a plan of action for the next get-together.”

That lightened her mood. “Excellent. Although I’m not sure I should be the one making the plan, since I’m the least busy among us.”

“Lucky,” he commented, and she laughed. He smiled back at her and extended his hand to help her up. Grabbing the chairs, he said, “Let’s go find the others, then, and look at a calendar.”

Chapter 10

The morning sun streamed in as Rain stretched in bed. An okay night’s sleep, she decided. Although she’d had a disturbing dream, she had managed to fall right back asleep. In the dream, Brandy had been trying to tell her something. Her lips were moving, but a loud, billowing fog swirled around her, making her long hair undulate and obscuring any sound. Rain had jerked awake, frustrated but not afraid. As she drifted back off to sleep, she vowed to put a notebook on the night table, just in case Brandy’s words became intelligible in the future.

Allie called out from the porch as soon as Rain emerged from the bathroom. “Come out here, Rain, I’m on lifeguard duty!”

“Hold on a sec, I need some coffee.”

Carrying her full mug carefully, she joined Allie at the little wrought iron table in the corner of the porch. She blew on the steam as her eyes scanned the lake. Jason’s form cut through the water, creating a wake parallel to the shoreline as he swam his laps.

Rain tested the temperature of her coffee, then took a big gulp. “I’m the last to get up?”

“I’ve only been up for a half hour. Apparently A.J. already left; he had to get to an important afternoon meeting or something. So Jason was very impatiently waiting for someone to wake up and watch him.”

“A.J. left? I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I can’t believe it’s Tuesday already.”

Allie nodded in agreement. “I know, the time has just flown by. And I’m going home tomorrow. That leaves just you and Jason. Will that be weird?”

“What do you mean? Did he say something?” Rain’s words spilled out as heat surged to her cheeks.

Allie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then a look of understanding came over her face and she leaned forward excitedly.

“Have you been holding out on me? Something happened, didn’t it?”

Rain dropped her head in her hands with a sigh. She should know better than to speak before she’d finished her first cup of coffee. “Nothing happened,” she mumbled.

“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Allie insisted. “Tell me!”

Slumping back in her chair, Rain described her Sunday night encounter with Jason. Her empty stomach churned with fresh anxiety as she hurried through the story.

Allie listened intently, her hazel eyes flicking between Rain and the lake. “Well, that does sound awkward,” she allowed when Rain had finished.

“Yes.”

“But that’s because of the way you two feel about each other! There wouldn’t be any tension if the underlying emotions weren’t there.”

Rain shrugged wearily. “Doesn’t matter. This whole reunion thing is supposed to be about Brandy, not me and Jason.”

“Well, you got A.J. to agree to come back—that’s huge!”

“He was very adamant that he doesn’t believe in ghosts, though.” Rain crossed her arms and blew out a frustrated breath.

“We don’t need him to believe. We just need him to come here.” Allie said gently.

“He
did
come here. We
all
did, and where did it get us? Weird stuff is happening, but we’re not one bit closer to the truth. Maybe it’s pointless.”

Allie frowned. “That doesn’t sound like you. Where’s your positive attitude?”

“I think I left it with my self-respect,” Rain answered wryly.

A hint of a smile crossed Allie’s face before her eyes suddenly widened in alarm. “Oh my God, he’s gone!” she shouted, jumping up so fast her chair fell backward. “Where is he?” She ran for the screen door and flew out of the porch and into the backyard before Rain could process what was happening.

When it clicked into place, cold fear squeezed Rain’s heart and choked off her breath. Allie was talking about Jason. In horrified slow motion, Rain followed her friend through the door and watched as Allie ran onto the little pier. Allie was screaming Jason’s name and then Rain realized she was knee deep in the lake, searching frantically for any sign of him. “Call 911!” Rain sobbed, but she didn’t know who she was talking to. There was no one else around their house on a weekday morning in June.

And then he appeared, breaking the surface farther out from where he had been swimming his laps, sputtering…but alive. Rain turned and ran for the dock to join Allie, yelling for her to untie the boat. They could get to him faster that way.

He began swimming toward them, his head down, as they worked the knotted rope with trembling fingers. When he stopped to tread water, he called to them in what sounded like a normal voice. “Don’t, please, I’m fine. I’ll be right there.” Jason continued his strong crawl as the girls looked at each other doubtfully.

Rain started to cry in earnest as the flood of relief washed over the sickening fear. Allie curled an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, honey, he’s fine. I’m going to grab his towel—it’s right over there. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

She nodded, biting her lip against the sobs that wanted to escape. Sinking to her knees, she watched him approach and prepared to dive should he go under again. She tracked him like a predator, no other thought in her mind.

Allie had pulled the life vests from the rowboat and returned quickly, Jason’s towel draped over her arm. When he reached the crude wooden latter, they both grabbed at him and tried to hoist him out of the lake. He smiled grimly and repeated that he was fine. Once he was standing, Rain threw her arms around him and fresh tears began to flow.

“Rain, sweetie, I’m okay. You’re going to get all wet.” Jason held her close anyway.

Allie threw a towel over his shoulders and steered them toward the beach. He turned Rain gently and then put his other arm around Allie. “You ladies are quite the rescue team. Maybe I’ll scare you more often.”

Rain found her voice. “Don’t you dare. And I did nothing but panic and cry. Allie’s the strong one.”

“I think it’s just the mother in me—plus I noticed a few seconds before you, that’s all. I saw you about to swim in after him too, Rain. Now, the important thing is, what the hell happened?”

They sat in the sand, and although the sun reached its mid-morning rays toward them, a deep chill settled in Rain’s bones. If something had happened to Jason here, it would be her fault. She was responsible for pushing them all into this trip. Fear and self-loathing seethed in her chest.

“I’m really not sure,” Jason replied thoughtfully. “I think I kind of…blacked out for a second. But not really, because my body was still moving. I just sort of found myself swimming underwater, not really sure how I came to that decision or where I was headed. I didn’t really think about it, in fact, until my lungs were burning and then I was just really disoriented. It was as if I wasn’t even sure which way was up.”

He noticed Rain’s uncontrollable shaking and put his arm around her again. “Hey, are you okay? It’s fine, really. I’m fine,” he repeated softly.

She threw his strong arm off her shoulder and stood up angrily. “Stop! Stop asking me if
I’m
okay! You almost drowned! It’s all my fault.” She dropped back down to her knees. Jason and Allie were both looking at her like she was insane. Perhaps she was.

“Don’t you see?” she continued, trying desperately to stop her tears. “I encouraged everyone to come. I helped arrange this, which means I helped put everyone in danger. We were talking about Brandy, and then suddenly Jason disappears!”

Jason started to speak, but Rain plowed on. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re fine again. Brandy tried to hurt you!”

Allie held out her hands in a placating gesture. “First of all, the two events might not even be related. Why would Brandy want to hurt Jason? I admit the idea of a ghost freaks me out, but we’re trying to help her…why would she hurt any of us? We were her best friends. And Jason
is
fine. Mrs. Pierce is behind this trip, not you. It was her idea and it’s her money, her house for the summer.”

Jason nodded. “Allie’s right. I don’t know why you would think Brandy had anything to do with my…incident, but I assure you, she didn’t. If you were talking about Brandy at the time, that’s purely coincidence. You’re being awfully hard on yourself.”

Rain looked at Allie and then down at the sand. “There may have been some things that have happened—strange things—that we haven’t told you about.” She twisted her hands together guiltily as she described all the haunting events she’d experienced since she’d arrived at the lake house.

“I wish you wouldn’t keep things like that from me. Either of you,” he said, looking at both of them sternly. “Regardless, I don’t believe that all these things couldn’t have a logical explanation. But even if I seem unwilling to believe in the paranormal, please don’t let that stop you from sharing this stuff with me. I promise I’ll try to keep an open mind.”

Rain was about to say that there would be no more sharing, because they were all leaving today. But the way Allie and Jason were standing, with their backs to the water, reminded her of the photos in her mysteriously mobile album. Their friend Brandy still needed their help. Brandy’s mother still needed their help. Mrs. Pierce had certainly not been an ideal parent, but she did not deserve to die without knowing the fate of her only daughter.

“You’re right,” Rain said on a shuddering breath. “We should all be telling each other everything. That’s the only way we’re going to figure this thing out. Even the smallest detail could end up being meaningful.”

They nodded in agreement, and Rain dragged her fingers through her messy hair. What a morning. She still hadn’t even finished her first cup of coffee.