No Place Like You
Page 25
“Probably,” she said. “But Lansing isn’t going anywhere. And I have time to get used to the idea.”
“We’ll come back as much as you want to,” Zach said. He didn’t want to stay away too long either. He’d miss Faith and Mina and Lou too much. And Eli was sticking around a bit longer too. Billy had left after CloudFest. Zach had expected Eli to go with him, to get ready to go out on tour again. But Eli had claimed his ankle wasn’t ready. Which Zach read as he and Billy hadn’t patched things up yet. Well, that was Billy’s problem, even though it sucked for Eli.
Leah pulled her sunglasses down to give him a mock-stern look. “I want some of that rock star glamorous jet-setting lifestyle first.”
He laughed and swatted her butt. “Then we’d better make this swim short and get back to work.” They’d reached the crest in the path where the beach suddenly opened up beneath them, the pale sand gleaming in the sun until the point where it turned into blue blue water stretching endlessly out to the horizon. He paused for a moment, drinking in the view. The view from Shane’s end of the island was more dramatic than this, maybe, but this was always going to be his favorite part of Lansing. This and the woman beside him.
He turned to say something to Leah and that was when he noticed the woman sitting on the beach, looking out at the water. Long dark hair flowed over a red-and-white striped T-shirt. Her legs were bare. He couldn’t really see her face but there was nothing in her posture that he recognized. His smile turned to a frown. The beach along the Harper property was technically private but they never bothered enforcing that with the locals. This time of year though, when there were still lingering tourists from CloudFest, their security guys were strict about keeping anyone they didn’t know off the beach. Too easy to get up to the house from there. So how the hell had this woman gotten past them?
He nudged Leah. “Do you know who that is?”
Leah looked where he was pointing. Then shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Zach patted his pocket. “I should call the gate guys.”
“Don’t be silly,” Leah said. “She’s alone. She’s looking at the water, not staring up at the house with crazed-fan face. Why don’t we just go down and say hello?”
He hesitated. He knew it would be smarter to call security, but Leah was right. There was nothing in the woman’s body language that read “dangerous” to him. Quite the opposite in fact. She seemed totally calm. Grounded, though that was an odd thought to have just by looking at her. Odd but right. She seemed solid. Like she was part of the landscape.
Leah was already headed down the steps to the beach. He caught up to her as she hit the sand. “Let me do the talking.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted. “Look, if she does anything weird you can clock her on the head with one of your beers and call for backup.”
Her voice must have caught the woman’s attention because she turned, then stood, brushing sand off her legs as she watched them approach. She had sunglasses on, which made her expression hard to read, but she wasn’t surging forward with the type of “oh my God, you’re Zach Harper” shrieks of excitement that the more … enthusiastic … fans used.
“Hey,” he said when they were only a few feet away. “Nice day.”
“Yes, it is,” she said. Her voice was low for a woman’s. Kind of husky. There was something familiar about it. Did he know her after all?
“I’m—”
“Zach Harper,” she said, finishing the sentence for him.
His stomach tightened. Dammit. Maybe she was a fan, after all.
But then she pulled off her sunglasses and he found himself staring into a pair of large gray-green eyes that were the exact color of his own.
“My name’s Jane Vacek,” the mystery woman said. “And I think I’m your sister.”
THE END
About the Author
EMMA DOUGLAS would love to live in a world where professional napping was a thing. But until then, she thinks writing books is a pretty awesome alternative. When not writing about imaginary people, she can be found reading, doing something crafty, binge watching TV, playing her latest song crush on repeat, or singing badly in her car. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, in a tiny house stuffed full of books, too many craft supplies, and two cats who take up more space than you would expect. Find out more about Emma at www.emmadouglasbooks.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
NO PLACE LIKE YOU
Copyright © 2017 Emma Douglas
Jacket illustraion by Danny O’Leary; background © Jamie Hooper/Shutterstock.com; couple © Pro Stock/Shutterstock.com
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eISBN: 978-1-250-11103-6
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2017
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