Читать книгу A Stranger on the Beach - Michele Campbell, Michele Campbell - Страница 29

When the surfers barged in, I saw my chance. Gathering my clothes around me, I pushed past them out of the cave. Outside, I gulped the salty air in relief, but the feeling only lasted a second. The tide had come roaring in. Waves pounded the rock cliff, completely obscuring the narrow strip of sand that Aidan and I had crossed twenty minutes earlier. If I tried to make it to the other side of the beach now, I’d be swept out to sea. Before I could figure out what to do, Aidan hurtled out of the cave after me, buttoning his shirt as he came. The surfers had stayed behind in the cave, and he was by himself, which meant I was alone with him again. As he approached, I took a step back toward the crashing surf, my heart pounding.

“Hey, babe, I’m really sorry,” he said. “I never thought we’d get interrupted in there. I know that was embarrassing. Are you okay?”

Aidan smiled—a gentle, laid-back smile that said he was the nicest guy in the world. I might have believed it, if he hadn’t tried to assault me in there. He was acting like nothing was wrong. I wanted to find my car and get the hell away from this place. And from him. But how could I, when the escape route was blocked?

He caught my nervous glance at the waves.

“No worries,” Aidan said. “Tide comes in on the regular. There’s another path to the parking lot, c’mon.”

He tried to grab my hand, but I dodged him. He gave me a funny look, then squinted up at the thick, black clouds.

“If you don’t want to get soaked, you’d better come along,” he said. “Sky’s about to open.”

He knew what he was talking about. As I watched him walk away, fat drops of icy rain began to fall, making plopping sounds in the sand. The chill came up through my shoes immediately. The damp penetrated my light jacket, and I started to shiver. Aidan sped up, throwing a last glance over his shoulder to see if I would follow. I didn’t want to. But I got worried that he’d take his secret shortcut to the parking lot and drive away with my car, leaving me stranded on this desolate beach in a storm. I walked after him, breaking into a jog as the rain fell harder. Water streamed into my eyes as he disappeared into a narrow break in the rocks. By the time I got there, he was gone. The steep, sandy trail twisted upward between rock walls. Behind me, the rain pounded, and the surf was wild. I stepped onto the path and began climbing. By the time I made it to the parking lot, my dripping hair plastered to my head and my lungs burning, Aidan was in the driver’s seat of my car, with the engine running and the wipers going. I sank into the passenger seat, grateful for the blasting heater.

I was praying we’d go to the restaurant now, and that would be that. But he drove me to his apartment instead. Aidan lived at the Sea Breeze Cottages. The name was a lie. There were no cottages, only a long, low apartment building with a crumbling parking lot, painted a dull tan that looked dirty in the rain. And for a sea breeze, you’d have to use your imagination, since we were miles from the beach. I remembered places like this from my Long Island girlhood. Once upon a time, my friends lived in them. I’d worked hard to avoid that fate, and I had no intention of looking back.

There were ten apartments, each with a small concrete stoop, a metal door, and a parking space in front. Aidan pulled into a parking space in the middle of the complex.

“Come inside, I’ll make us some coffee,” he said.

My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket, giving me an excuse to stall. I pulled it out to see a text from Hannah lighting up the screen, all in caps.

WTF MOM DAD TOLD ME YOU’RE SPLITTING??

I hadn’t spoken to my daughter in two days. I’d been putting off breaking the awful news about the divorce. It never occurred to me that Jason would tell her first. He hadn’t been returning my calls, so I assumed he wasn’t talking to Hannah either. But they always talked. I should realize that. They were closer to each other than either one of them was to me.

Aidan frowned. “Who’s it from?” he said, and I heard jealousy in his tone.

“My daughter.”

“You have a daughter? Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“It didn’t come up.”

“That’s a pretty big thing to leave out. Don’t you think I’m entitled to know?”

Entitled? My jaw dropped. I was tempted to utter a few choice words, but doing that would only delay the moment where Aidan got out of my car, and out of my life.

“It’s hardly like we’ve told each other our life stories,” I said. “I need to call her back.”

“How old is she? Does she live with you? What’s her name?”

The prospect of discussing Hannah with Aidan made me nervous. It had been a mistake to mention her at all. Aidan had threatened Jason, in so many words. I didn’t know him well enough to know whether to take the threat seriously. But I didn’t trust him, and I certainly wasn’t about to give him details about my daughter. I wanted my car keys and then I wanted Aidan out of my life. But he wasn’t going easily. He stared at me with arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

“Aidan. I need to speak to my daughter, and I’d like some privacy. Please.”

The “please” seemed to help.

“All right,” he said, grudgingly.

He stepped out into the rain, then stuck his head back in the car.

“Come inside when you’re done.” He slammed the door.

He’d taken my car keys again, of course. As the rain pounded the windshield, I dropped my head into my hands wearily. I was sick of this game and annoyed at myself. I’d dodged a bullet. If the surfers hadn’t stumbled into the cave when they did, Aidan would likely have forced himself on me. He could try that again if we were alone in his apartment. But my keys—I had to get them back. I could call the cops. I didn’t want to; it would be embarrassing for both of us. But he wasn’t leaving me much choice.

I opened my phone, contemplating whether to call 911. Then I remembered. The police would never help me. Aidan’s brother was the chief. It was my own fault for getting involved with a complete stranger. I wanted to scream. But the phone rang in my hands, startling me into dropping it and catching it again. It was Hannah.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I said. “I was about to call you.”

I heard soft snuffling on the other end of the line, and my stomach dropped.

“Oh, baby,” I said. “Hannah. Honey, please, don’t cry.”

“Mom? How could you do this?”

I paused. Was she taking Jason’s side, when he was the one who cheated?

“Me? What did I do?” I asked.

“How could you not tell me, Mom?” she said, her voice rising in grief.

“Oh. Well, I was working up to telling you.”

“If you guys split, it’s like my whole life was a lie.”

“This has nothing to do with you. It’s about Dad and me.”

“Were you purposely staying together until I left home? That makes me feel lied to.”

“No. Nothing like that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were having problems?”

“I didn’t know, until the party.”

“You were going to let him leave the country, and not even tell me?”

“Leave the country? What are you talking about?”