Down By The Water

by Cruise, Anna

  I spun around.

  Ty was standing in the hallway behind me. He still wore the black, sleeveless tee but had changed out of his swim trunks, opting instead for a pair of khaki cargo shorts. They hugged his hips and I felt my gaze lingering on his abdomen, his thighs.

  He cleared his throat and I lifted my eyes to his. He was staring at me, an expression of mild amusement on his face.

  “You're back,” I said lamely, feeling the heat creep into my cheeks.

  He nodded. “You wish what had never happened?” he repeated.

  I scrambled to think of a response. I didn't want to lie but I wasn't about to spill the truth, either. “She meant my car,” I said quickly. “She wished that I hadn't broken down.”

  He leaned on the other side of the doorway, across from me, looking from me, then to her. “That right?”

  Jenna smiled and, to the untrained eye, it looked genuine. But I knew better. Her eyes slightly narrowed, her lips a little tight...she was on edge. “Yep.”

  Ty's gaze returned to me. “But then we wouldn't have met,” he said slowly. He shook his head, a smile sweeping across his face, that dimple doing its best to undo me. “I'm not sure I'm sorry at all that you broke down.”

  I felt more heat rush to my face. I felt the same way.

  He looked back at Jenna. “You all settled?”

  She propped herself up on her elbow. She'd watched the exchange between us and I could tell she wasn't pleased. “Yeah. And the bed seems really...nice.”

  The innuendo hung there like a neon sign. She could've stripped off her clothes and spread her legs and it would've been less obvious she was flirting with him.

  Ty shrugged. “You say so. Never heard my sister complain.”

  Jenna wasn't deterred. “Maybe you should see for yourself.”

  He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, then just shook his head. I was glad he wasn't succumbing, but it was still irritating to listen to and to watch. She was so blatant, and even though it was something I knew about her, was used to, I still didn't like seeing her try it on a guy I was interested in.

  I took a deep breath. Was I interested in Ty? Inwardly, I shook my head no. I couldn't be. I'd only spent a couple of days with him. And I was leaving as soon as my car was fixed. There was no future in Pelican Lake and there was definitely no future with Ty. But if the situation had been different? If he'd been a neighbor at the new apartment complex I was moving into in Madison? I wasn't going to lie to myself. I'd be all over him. In more ways than one.

  “I gotta do my security rounds after dinner,” Ty said to me. “You wanna go tonight or you wanna hang here?”

  I didn't get a chance to respond.

  “I wanna go,” Jenna said, sitting up on the bed. “I want to see this place.”

  I stared at her. She'd blistered me for staying here and now she was begging for a tour, a tour that she didn't need.

  “Alright,” Ty said, then he lifted his chin at me. “How about you?”

  I felt my pulse quicken. I didn't. I didn't want to go. I was too afraid of what I might see. But there was no way in hell I was going to let Jenna have any time alone with him. God only knew what she'd manage to do in the scope of fifteen minutes.

  “Sure,” I said. “I'll come.”

  ELEVEN

  We ate dinner, pork chops and mashed potatoes, and Jenna reverted to her quiet, polite self. I watched her eat a piece of meat, her eyes locked on Ty, and I wondered how hard she was having to work to not just offer herself up to him on the dining room table. I was pretty sure poor Kyle back in North Dakota wouldn't be too thrilled that the girlfriend who'd just driven his car hundred of miles was ready to hop in the sack—or on the table—with some guy she's just met. But that was Jenna. That had always been Jenna.

  “Any news on the car?” Ty's dad asked.

  I shook my head. “Not yet. I'm hoping tomorrow.”

  He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. “Wish I knew something about cars. Could have taken a look at it for you.”

  “Oh, it's fine,” I said. “I'm just sorry we're inconveniencing you. First me. Then my sister...” I let my voice trail off.

  Sheila spoke up. “Nonsense. Not an inconvenience at all. I was needing some girls around here, what with Mary being gone. I'm sure Ty is enjoying having you here, too.” She said it innocently enough but Ty looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows, a wicked smile on his face, and I smothered a laugh.

  His mother looked at me, confused. “What?”

  “Nothing,” I managed, swallowing a mouthful of water and the rest of my laugh.

  Ty polished off his pork chop and drained his glass of water. “I'm going to head out,” he said to his dad. “Anything I need to check?”

  Colin shook his head. “You got the Watsons all squared away earlier. Think we're good to go.”

  I took one last bite and picked up my plate but Sheila held up her hand to stop me. “I'll clean up,” she said. “You guys go along. You haven't seen any of the resort since you've been here. Well, except the pool. Ty will give you the grand tour.” She smiled at Jenna. “Both of you.”

  I had seen the resort before—too much of it—and I didn't want a grand tour but I just smiled in return and followed Ty as he stepped away from the table. We headed toward the front door, Jenna trailing close behind.

  The air was thick with humidity, the sky a steel gray, muting the glow of the sinking sun. Clouds of gnats greeted us as we passed the pool and mosquitos dive-bombed my ankles and calves. I swatted at them and wished I could do the same to the butterflies that were taking flight in my stomach. I didn't want to venture out. I didn't want to see any more of the resort than I needed to. But Ty and Jenna weren't giving me a choice.

  Ty led us down the dirt path that separated the house from the first row of camp sites. A massive growth of trees flanked both sides of the path and their branches canopied the walk. This, coupled with the hidden sun, made the path dark and shadowy and I shivered involuntarily. I stepped closer to Ty, my thigh accidentally bumping his.

  He turned his head and looked at me, smiling. “You okay?”

  I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I nodded. Deep breath, I told myself. There were no demons here anymore. None living, anyway.

  Jenna sidled up next to Ty on the other side, her chest pressing into his arm. “What do we need to do? On your rounds, I mean.”

  He moved away, closer to me, his arm brushing mine. “I've just gotta take a walk around the whole property,” Ty explained. “See if anyone needs anything, make sure everyone is behaving.”

  “And what if they aren't behaving?” Jenna asked. Her tone was suggestive and I shook my head in disgust.

  “Cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said dismissively. “But normally everything's fine.”

  “So nothing bad ever happens here?” Jenna asked.

  I shot her a look, but she was looking over me at Ty, her eyes narrowed. It was like she wanted him to spill, to tell us what he knew about that God-awful day ten years ago.

  He shrugged his wide shoulders. “Once in awhile, I guess. But most of the time, things are fine.”

  I wondered if he'd just been trained to avoid mentioning what had happened. He had to know about Rosie. His family had been here. He'd been older than me. He would remember. And while it may have been a freak thing, an accident, it wasn't something you forgot. It didn't matter if it wasn't your sister, if it was just some random guest staying at your resort. You remembered those things. But you also weren't going to share it with guests.

  We started passing the campsites and he greeted nearly everyone by name, waving and saying hello. They waved back. One guy asked about the pool hours and Ty told him when it closed. Most of the campsites had bonfires blazing in their fire rings and the only out of control thing we saw was a stray marshmallow falling into the flames of one of the them.

  We reached the end of the winding path and he guided us toward the stretch of packed dirt that circ
led back, behind the sites and closer to the river.

  And then things began to look familiar.

  The narrowed dirt path.

  The rocks along the river's edge, a haphazard collection of craggy boulders and smooth stones.

  The low hanging trees, their branches almost brushing the tops of our heads, the wind whispering through them as if eager to tell its secrets.

  The sound of the water moving in the river, steady and swift, the soothing calmness of the sound belying the danger that lurked beneath its surface.

  I froze in my tracks.

  Ty took a couple of steps ahead then stopped, looking at me. “You alright?”

  Jenna touched my elbow. “Lily.”

  Hers wasn't a question. Her voice was sharp, firm, my name barked like a command to snap me out of my reverie.

  “I'm okay,” I said, blinking. “Just tired.”

  Ty studied me for another moment and I knew he didn't believe me. I'd spoken so softly, my voice wavering, my statement sounding as uncertain as when I'd answered questions in chemistry class. Ty's eyes stayed on me, something flickering in them and I could tell he wanted to ask a question, wanted to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. But he didn't. He just shrugged and we kept walking and I took a deep breath, as much out of relief as to try to stem my nerves.

  I could feel Jenna's eyes on me, but I couldn't look at her. I focused on steadying my breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth, trying to block out the goddamned past.

  Ty chatted about the campground as we continued walking, talking about the families that were there for the summer and other, more transient ones who had come and gone. I wasn't comprehending everything he was telling us because I couldn't get my head entirely clear. But I was glad that he was talking and not staring at me, wondering what the hell my problem was.

  Voices drifted toward us and I realized someone else was on the path, approaching from the opposite direction. A low male voice. We rounded a small curve and a man appeared, two young children flanking either side of him. He wore basketball shorts and a green T-shirt, a Twins ball cap parked on top of his head. The boy on his left looked to be about ten, a smaller version of his dad with red cotton shorts on his spindly legs and a Wimpy Kid T-shirt wrapped around his torso. He was holding a stick in each hand and waving them around.

  But the girl on the man's left was who had my attention.

  About five years old. Blond, sun-streaked hair, the hint of a curl in those long locks. Denim shorts, a bright pink tank top, her hand firmly tucked in her dad's hand. Rubber flip-flops that were just as pink as her shirt.

  I wasn't sure if my memory was playing tricks on me or if she looked eerily similar to Rosie.

  Ty held up his hand in greeting. “Hey, Dave.”

  “Ty,” the man said, smiling. He eyed me and Jenna curiously. “I see you've got bodyguards tonight.”

  “Was getting rough out here.” Ty grinned back. “Plus, I get scared of the dark.”

  “You are not,” the boy said, shaking his head like he knew Ty liked to make jokes.

  The girl tucked herself in close to her father's leg.

  I glanced at Jenna. She was looking at the girl, too.

  “Well, we didn't see anything too dangerous on our walk,” Dave said, nodding at us. “I think you'll be safe.”

  “You want one of my sticks?” the boy asked, holding up both of his hands. The sticks were almost as tall as he was.

  “Nah, you keep them,” Ty said. “Those might make good marshmallow roasters.”

  The boy's eyes grew big and he looked at the sticks as if he was seeing them for the first time.

  “We better get moving then if we gotta roast marshmallows,” Dave said, putting an arm around his son and guiding him forward. “We'll see you all later.”

  The girl clutched her dad's leg and studied Ty, her expression solemn. He smiled at her and offered a small wave. She wrinkled her nose and looked away but not before I could see an answering smile on her lips.

  We continued walking but Jenna kept turning around every few seconds and I knew what she was doing, what she was thinking. I couldn't bring myself to spin around and look. Because seeing the little girl again, in the same setting where we'd last seen our youngest sister alive, would be like seeing a ghost. A ghost I didn't want to see.

  Ty noticed. “See something?”

  Jenna took a deep breath and turned back around, facing the direction we were heading. “No. Nothing.”

  TWELVE

  I had just pulled back the covers on the bed when there was a light tapping on my door. I expected Jenna and tried to steel myself for whatever conversation she might insist upon having. The door pushed open but it wasn't Jenna standing in the doorway. Ty was there instead, his hair wet, wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts.

  He leaned against the door frame. “Hey.”

  I sat down on the bed and tried to peel my eyes from his abs and chest and sat up. “Hi.”

  He ran a hand through his damp hair. “I just showered and was on my way to bed. Just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  “Why wouldn't I be?”

  He rolled his massive shoulders and made a face. “I don't know. You seemed a little spooked on the trail.”

  He was right. I had been spooked. I'd tried to hide it but apparently I'd failed.

  “Sorry,” I said. I sat up a little straighter, kicking the coverlet further down the bed. “I didn't mean to act all weird.”

  “Anything going on?” he asked.

  I hesitated, then shook my head. “No. I'm just stressed out about everything. My car, the money, my sister showing up. Feeling like we're taking advantage of you guys.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “You're not taking advantage,” he said, his voice firm. “We're happy to help. You can stay as long as you need to.”

  I could tell he meant it. “Thanks.”

  He stood there for a minute, not saying anything, letting his eyes roam around the room before they settled back on me. “Okay. Well, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  But he didn't leave. His eyes drifted down my body, from my eyes to my mouth, lingering on my breasts before moving to my exposed legs. My stomach jumped and I waited for him to smile, to move further into my room, to say something that might indicate what he was thinking about. Because, if I was reading him right, I knew.

  He cleared his throat. “Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me.” He gave a little wave and backed up out of the doorway and pulled the door closed.

  I exhaled. I wasn't sure if it was because he'd caught me getting weirded out on the trail or because his half-naked body had been standing in my room, looking like he wanted to do more than just talk. I realized I'd essentially been holding my breath the entire time he'd stood there.

  Being in Pelican Lake was messing with me on multiple levels. It was more than just being back in the place where my sister had died. I was starting to feel uncomfortable with Ty. Not because he was showing interest in me; that didn't bother me in the slightest. But a sense of unease had settled over me because I felt like I was lying to him, pretending to be something I wasn't. I knew this wasn't the case, but keeping a secret from him felt like lying and it was starting to get to me. I didn't know what I wanted from him, what I was even able to have with the limited amount of time I planned to be there, but I knew one thing. I didn't want him to find out who I really was. Or what I wasn't telling him.

  I got up from the bed and grabbed my purse off the wooden rocking chair. I rummaged inside, pulled out the long, thin wallet. My fingers shook a little as I opened the zippered pouch on the side. There was something inside, something I always had with me. I didn't pull it out often, but it was there. I used my thumb and forefinger to pull out a folded piece of paper. It was soft, almost nubby between my fingertips, the white of the paper yellowed with age. I unfolded it carefully, the creases sharp. My eyes blurred just a little a
s I stared at the crude drawing on the thin, half-sheet of paper. Crooked red petals. A long, scraggly, green stem. A rose. From my Rose.

  There was another knock on the door and my heart jumped, thinking he was coming back.

  “Hang on,” I called. I folded the paper and shoved it back into my wallet, tossed my purse back on to the chair and hopped on to the bed. “Come in.”

  I felt a flicker of disappointment when Jenna walked in, pulling the door closed behind her.

  “Why was he in here?” she asked, sitting down on the corner of bed. She'd brushed her hair smooth and taken off all of her make-up and, in the soft glow of the tiny lamp next to the bed, her skin looked luminous. She was absolutely right. She was the better-looking sister.

  “Just came by to make sure I was alright,” I said, irritated that she'd obviously been paying attention.

  “Alright with what?” she asked. She picked at a thumbnail and I wondered how many minutes away she was from biting it. She'd chewed her nails all through high school, finally stopping the week of graduation. Her nails were long and perfectly manicured now but I knew my sister. One little nibble, one tiny taste, and she'd be gone. I just wondered what it was going to be that sent her over the edge.

  “I don't know.”

  She stared at me for a long moment. “You saw that girl on the trail?”

  “Yeah.” I leaned back on my pillow. “I saw her.”

  “She looked exactly like—”

  “I know.” It was why I'd pulled the drawing out. She'd reminded me of my little rose. My Rosie.

  She nodded slowly. “Was like she was walking toward us and...”

  “I know, Jenna,” I repeated, my tone harsher than I'd intended. I didn't want to talk about it. “I get it. I saw her. It freaked me out, too.”

  “So that's what he saw.”

  “And why the hell are you so worried about what he saw? What does it matter?”

  She brought her thumb to her mouth, then thought better of it. “I don't know. I just feel like if everyone knows about us, they'll...I don't know. It's just all fucked up.”