Remy’s eyes weren’t joking anymore. “Freaky.”
“I know. She was just as freaked as I was. On top of that, her father’s been trying to take over Eyre House, so he and Melvina Ingram could build some luxury hotel. But then Ingram’s son Brandon turned up dead in the pool and it all just went to shit.”
“That’s just fucked up, man. So what was the deal? Did the Marine cousin do it?”
I ran my hand through my hair. “I don’t know. The cops sure think so.” I couldn’t help but remember his last words to me as the cops shoved him in the patrol car. She’s not safe! “Ginny swears it wasn’t him.”
“That’s what you argued about?” Susanna’s thumb ran up and down a two-inch section of my arm, and I couldn’t help but wish it was Ginny’s hand on me instead.
“Sort of. Her mother found us in bed—just sleeping, nothing else—and suggested I take some time off. Ginny flipped out. Accused me of leaving her, like everyone else in her life. She wouldn’t let me explain.” And I didn’t try hard enough either.
The car was quiet for a while before Remy spoke up.
“You still really like her, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“You know, I get it, man. I get that it hurt like hell and you feel betrayed. But if you’re still thinking about her that much, it seems to me like you need to get over it. You’re young, both of you. You make mistakes. But you’ve got to let yourselves forgive each other, too.”
Susanna reached over the back seat and rubbed Remy’s shoulder, and the look she gave him said everything. The two of them really were perfect.
“Well, Cousin Evan,” she said, turning back to me. “Sounds to me like Remy’s right, and you’re still hooked on her. We can stop at Edisto Island on the way back, if you like. It’s on the way.”
I shook my head. “No. I think some time for us both to cool down is good. We were both pretty angry.”
Remy nodded. “Wise words from a wise man. Seriously though, Evan. Apologize to her when you get back.”
“I will.”
“Good! In the meantime, we’ve got a college tour to finish. Two hours to Chapel Hill!” Remy cupped one hand over his mouth. “Boo, hiss!”
“Very funny, Remy. Maybe I’ll pick UNC just to mess with you.” Messing with him felt good. I hadn’t ever had such an easy friendship before.
“I can turn around now, man. You just say the word.”
“Do that, and I’ll definitely pick UNC.”
Susanna rolled her eyes. “You two are like five-year-olds.”
Chapel Hill was amazing. I could tell right off why Ginny liked it. All red brick buildings and white columns, it looked like a college out of time. It felt huge and intimate at the same time. I could really see her here. It had the same energy, just waiting to be tapped.
We did the tour and then drove the half hour to Duke. None of us liked Duke, and by the time we were done, all of us were ready to be back in Savannah. We stayed the night in Raleigh and drove the six hours back the next day.
I spent the whole time thinking about Ginny.
Remy was right. Both of them were. As much as her lack of trust in me hurt, being apart hurt more. The bottom line was I missed her, and I hated it. I was also worried about her. Ben’s warning hadn’t left me alone. The closer we got to Savannah, the more anxious I felt.
“Evan, stop checking your phone. Or just call her.”
I put my phone away and resisted the urge to ask if we were there yet. Susanna just shook her head.
“She’s not going to call first, honey. I promise. You’re gonna have to call her.”
“I know. It’ll just be easier if I go back. I hate phones.” I picked up my phone again and immediately shoved it back in my pocket.
Susanna shook her head. “Boys. How close are we, Remy?”
“Another hour and we’re home! That is, as long as traffic doesn’t get worse.”
“Good.” She yawned and leaned against me. “Wake me when we get there.”
Chapter Nineteen
Savannah wasn’t as quiet as we left it. I’d completely missed the fact that it had turned into July while I wasn’t looking. We arrived back on the second, just in time to see the entire town decked out in red, white, and blue. Part of me wanted to stay, to have a real Fourth of July celebration for the first time in a long time. The other part of me was anxious to get back to Eyre House and Ginny. Because the more I thought about how I’d left things and everything that had happened, the more I felt like something wasn’t right.
Ben’s warning kept echoing through my head.
She’s not safe!
“Evan, you have to stay for the Fourth of July, honey! They do fireworks off Tybee Island tomorrow, and the whole festival along River Street on Friday!” Susanna tugged on my arm and bounced like a five-year-old. “Please say you’ll stay!”
Having a cousin like Susanna was going to take some getting used to. It was really hard to say no when she asked like that. “All right, I’ll stay.”
“Woo! Mama, Evan’s staying for the Fourth! Lord today, you will love this. It is so much fun!”
I shook my head as she ran inside. Remy dropped his hand on my shoulder and laughed. “I love how one minute she’s telling us we’re children, and the next she’s bouncing around like a kid on crack.”
“She’s definitely something.”
“Get used to it, man. She’s your family now!”
He grabbed a few of the bags and followed Susanna inside. I watched him go, wondering how all this had happened. There was a big part of me that was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Life didn’t work like this. I knew firsthand that family and money didn’t just fall out of the sky, gift-wrapped and waiting.
Something had to go wrong. It was too all too perfect. But I could enjoy it while it lasted.
I found Aunt Emmaline out back putting up decorations with a tall, thin man. Silver colored the edges of his dark hair, but laugh lines crinkled the edges of his eyes. Aunt Emmaline looked up and smiled at me, then placed her hand on the man’s arm.
“Xander honey, this is Evan.”
I held out my hand. “It’s good to meet you, sir.”
Mr. Rivers—Xander—Uncle Xander, I guess—shook my hand, and then pulled me into a crushing bear hug. “I’m glad we finally found you, my boy.”
I didn’t know what to say. He let me go and slapped me on the back.
“I hear our Susanna convinced you to stay for the Fourth.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dying to get back to Edisto Island, are you?”
I resisted the urge to pull out my phone again. “I left some unfinished business there. And I am still technically an employee.”
Mr. Rivers raised his eyebrow at me. “I don’t suppose that unfinished business would be an auburn haired wildcat named Ginny Eyre, would it?”
I cleared my throat and looked away.
“Good for you, son. Good for you. How are you with a barbecue?”
“I make excellent briquettes.”
Mr. Rivers—I just couldn’t think of him as Uncle Xander—laughed. “Let’s keep you away from the grill then. We’ll work on fixing that later. A man should know how to barbecue.”
“Probably your best option, sir. And I’d like that.”
We grilled and played music, laughing with each other until the sun went down. I sat watching them all, smiling on and off. When Susanna or Remy weren’t pulling me back into the mix.
I was sitting back watching again when Susanna flopped down in one of the patio chairs next to me.
“So, honey. How does it feel?”
“How does what feel?”
She waved her hand at her family and Rivers Manse and Savannah in general. “This. Havin’ a home, a family. Holidays.”
I sighed. “Honestly? Surreal. It’s crazy. I keep expecting to wake up, or for someone to jump out and tell me it’s all a prank and now I can get back to my regularly scheduled life.�
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Susanna looked away. “Is it really so different?”
“I never had any of this. People who cared about the choices I made or whether I came or went. What I’d do with my life.” I took a swig of my Coke and stared up past the garden lights to the winking stars.
“It’s that hard to believe?”
“Things like this don’t happen. They just don’t.”
Susanna’s hand rubbed my arm. “They do, sugar. Surprisingly and against all odds.” She dropped her hand and looked away. “You really miss her, don’t you?”
I ran my hand through my hair and grimaced at the curls, which just made me think of her more. “Yeah. But more than that, I’m worried about her. I have this awful feeling something isn’t right.”
“Are you sure it’s not just your subconscious tryin’ to find something wrong with all of this?”
I paused, considering, and looked away. “Could be, honestly.”
“Come on now, Evan, honey. Just relax and enjoy the holiday. You deserve some happiness and no mistake. Afterwards, you can go back to Edisto and sweep Miss Ginny off her feet again.”
I gave her a half-smile and let her pull me back to everyone else. But that night before I went to bed, I finally stopped staring at my phone. Instead, I punched in six words and hit send.
I’m a jerk. And I’m sorry.
My phone was still blank when I checked it first thing in the morning. I don’t know what I’d been expecting. Ginny wasn’t the kind for some desperate plea to drop everything and come back, and she’d made it clear she’d only been looking for some fun. Even if she had been interested in more, my simple apology text wasn’t going to be enough. I stared at the phone for a few long minutes and finally decided to leave it in my room. That way I wouldn’t be obsessively checking it.
I told myself everything was fine, that Susanna was right. My anxiety was nothing more than my brain trying to find something wrong with a situation that felt too good to be true. I’d head back to Edisto on Saturday and see for myself that everything was fine. Ginny probably just didn’t want to talk to me.
I tossed the phone in my dresser and left the room determined to have a good holiday.
We spent the day as a family, just the four of us, on Tybee Island. We saw the fort and the lighthouse, wandered like tourists through the Marine Science Center, and listened to the live bands at the pavilion. We ate on the beach as the sun went down and watched one of the best fireworks displays I’d ever seen. I came back to Rivers Manse happy, really happy for the first time since the night the cops found Ben Eyre.
I glanced at the dresser drawer where I’d left my phone and crawled into bed without opening it.
I didn’t sleep well. My brain spun nightmares full of lightning and screams and horrors I couldn’t remember five seconds later. When the dreams finally let me alone, the sky was already starting to get lighter. I groaned and rolled over and didn’t wake up until much later.
“Evan!” Susanna’s voice filtered through my sleepy haze, followed by a sharp knock on the door. “Come on, honey. No sleeping away the holiday. Mama wants to leave for River Street soon, so get your cute little ass out of bed!”
I groaned and forced my eyes open.
“All right, all right. I’m up.”
“Good. Five more seconds and I was about to come in there.”
I forced myself to sit up and move. I didn’t even know what time it was. The sun looked like it had been up for hours, but my head was still fuzzy from a night of sleep-depriving nightmares and the comatose state that followed it. I fumbled open my dresser, reaching for a clean shirt, before I remembered it was a holiday and I should wear something nicer. That I actually had something nicer. I pulled out clean boxers and headed to the bathroom to shower.
The hot water woke me up some, but I still felt half-asleep when I stumbled out. Enough that I almost missed my phone winking on the floor.
I stared at it for a minute until I realized it must have fallen out when I was rooting around in my dresser before. The screen lit again, blinking at me, and I finally reached for it. It stared back at me, lit by notifications. Three missed calls and a voicemail.
And a text. From Ginny.
One word.
My sleep-lacking brain couldn’t think through it at first. And then it was like someone kicked me in the head and the gut all at the same time. The air flew out of my lungs like I’d been sucker punched.
One word, and all of Savannah disappeared.
help
I didn’t think. I just threw on my bike gear and ran, phone to my ear. It went straight to voicemail.
“Evan, honey?”
The confusion was loud and clear in Aunt Emmaline’s voice, but I didn’t have time to stop and explain.
“Ginny’s in trouble. I have to go.”
“Evan, honey, stop a minute!”
I turned, already itching to be gone. The look Aunt Emmaline gave me was equal parts confusion, sadness, and pride.
“Be careful.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I was halfway to my bike when I remembered there was a voicemail. Both it and the missed calls were from Ms. Catherine, and the message was nothing but panic. Ginny was missing, gone in the night. Please call if I’d heard from her.
My heart pounded louder than my engine all the way up I-95 and into Edisto Island. The two-hour ride felt like ten. And when I finally got to Eyre House, I just stopped in front and ran. I didn’t want to look up, didn’t want to see how void of life it felt. The silence surrounding it had nothing to do with guests or people. It was like the house had died or hidden itself away. So I ran, my feet scritching on the gravel of the drive and thudding on the first of the steps. I didn’t even make it inside. Ms. Catherine caught me from the corner of the veranda before I’d made it to the third step.
“Evan! Thank the Lord. Please tell me she’s with you!”
She looked like hell. She’d clearly been crying, and a cigarette hung between two of her fingers, a trail of smoke drifting up beside her. I wanted so badly to tell her yes, Ginny was with me, but I just grimaced and shook my head. And then I showed her the text.
She just deflated, falling in on herself. “Oh sweet God in heaven.”
“We’ll find her, Ms. Catherine.”
“I need to call the police.”
My grimace deepened. “Like they’ve been any help.” If Ginny was gone, Ben was right. Ginny was right. The police had arrested the wrong man.
“I don’t know what else to do, Evan.”
“I know.” I took my phone back and shoved it in my pocket. “Maybe they can trace her phone or something. But they’ll take forever, and I want to be looking now.” I turned and started pacing. “What happened?”
“She was upset after you left, but I expected that. But with Ben’s arrest, things settled down, and everything felt like it was getting back to normal.”
“No more police-involving events?”
She sighed. “No. But then on Thursday, Ginny was acting odd. She was fidgety, nervous. Like something had her on edge. And then last night, I went to talk to her, and she was gone. Nowhere to be found. I called the police, but they said I had to wait twenty-four hours, that she was nineteen, and had probably gone to some party.”
A horrible feeling started to spread through the pit of my stomach. “Ms. Catherine, what if we were all wrong? What if Ginny was right, and Ben didn’t do any of it?”
“What do you mean?”
I couldn’t get the image of him or the urgency in his voice as they shoved him into the patrol car out of my head.
“He said she wasn’t safe.”
“Evan honey…”
“No, he screamed it as they were arresting him. Screamed at me that she wasn’t safe. There was more, but I couldn’t hear it. Lord, this is all my fault. I should’ve listened. I should never have left.”
“You didn’t know, sweetie. We all thought he was sick.”
I sh
ook my head. “I should’ve known. I’ll get her back, Ms. Catherine. But we’re gonna need Ben. If he knew what was going on, we need to get him out. At the very least, I need to talk to him.”
Ms. Catherine pressed her lips into a thin line. I knew she wanted to tell me to let the police handle it. “I want him out, too. Let’s go to the station and show them your text. I’ll see about getting Ben out and get you in to talk to him.”
I nodded. As crazy as I felt like I was going, Ms. Catherine looked like she’d aged a decade since I last saw her. It hurt to see.
“We’ll find her, Ms. Catherine. I promise.”
Ben looked older and more tired, too. He’d been transferred up to Charleston while I was gone, waiting for his arraignment. Ms. Catherine had called the lawyers on the way up, and they sat in with the police and my phone, while I went into the visitor room to talk with Ben.
He didn’t even have to ask what happened. He knew.
“She’s gone, isn’t she?”
I sat down across the table from him and nodded. He shook his head slowly, and then set it in his hands.
“Dammit to hell, Evan. I told you she wasn’t safe.”
“I know. And you can kick my ass for it later. Right now I’m more worried about getting her back.”
He sighed. “Much my fault as yours. I should have warned her about him.”
“About who?”
Ben shoved his jaw forward and glared past me. “I haven’t got PTSD, you know. I came back to protect her. Stayed in the ruins ‘cause I didn’t want him to know I was here. But he figured it out anyway.” He turned his gaze down to the table. “I shoulda just told her the truth. But all I told her was that I needed her to keep my location secret. That there was something I needed to do. I didn’t think she’d believe me if I told her he was obsessed with her.”
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