Zachary’s servings were scanter than hers, but even so, she doubted he would eat everything he had taken.
“Is that all you’re going to have?” Jack questioned, staring at Zachary’s plate as if fascinated. “That wouldn’t feed a bird. It’s no wonder you look like you do.”
Everyone else was shocked into silence. But they looked at Zachary to see what his answer would be.
“I just finished a round of chemo,” Zachary said, “In case that means anything to you.”
“Oh.” Jack rubbed his upper lip, thinking about it. “Okay then. I guess that makes sense.”
It was the truth; Zachary had been on chemo drugs as well as antivirals. They hadn’t known for sure what would get rid of the virus, but from what they knew of its deadly effects, they knew they had to throw everything on it that they could without killing the patients in the process. There was no room for error. So Kenzie and Zachary had both been on the chemo protocol.
Kenzie took a couple of bites of the roast beef and gravy, making appreciative noises. “And who is the cook? This is wonderful.”
“That would be Mrs. Hubbard,” Dewey said, making a gesture to the older woman. “She has been cooking here for quite a number of years now. She does a very satisfactory job.”
The compliment fell a little short. Kenzie nodded politely and repeated her praise. If that was the kind of gratitude that Mrs. Hubbard got from Dewey after quite a number of years, it was a wonder she had stayed.
“My late wife hired her,” Dewey muttered, mostly to himself, “She was always good with the staff.”
“Your late wife?” Brittany the Bombshell chimed in. “That means that she died? That’s so sad. How long ago?”
Everyone’s eyes turned back to Dewey.
“Couple of years now,” Dewey said, looking down at his feet. “An eternity.”
9 back to the cabin
They learned a little more about each of the guests and what kind of behavior to expect from them over the next hour, and then Kenzie begged off, noting that Zachary was nearly falling asleep in his plate and had long since reached his limit as far as food went.
“There’s a bonfire later,” Jack offered. “Maybe we’ll see you there.”
Kenzie stared at him. “I don’t think so,” she said pointedly.
He laughed. “Oh yeah. Forgot about your problem,” he said to Zachary.
Zachary paid no mind. They walked down to their cabin arm in arm. Kenzie didn’t make any comment about the stars this time. The weather had cooled and there was a bite in the air. Kenzie cuddled closer to Zachary. They kept their heads down against the wind and hurried to the cabin.
“Whew!” Kenzie removed her coat and hung it on a peg next to the door. “I’m not sure anyone will want to be out there tonight, bonfire or not.”
“Maybe they won’t light one.” Zachary removed his jacket as well. He rubbed his arms briskly. “Nice inside. I’m happy to just stay in.”
“Me too. That was a bit of an ordeal... sorry about the candles and everything.”
“Sorry?” his tone was surprised. “For what? You took care of it.”
“Well... yeah. But I’m sorry they were there in the first place. Maybe I should have asked about candles when I was booking the holiday. I never even thought about it.”
“Why would you? Most places use those little lights now. Live candles are dangerous.” He choked up a bit over the word. “People reaching across them, around them, they could...”
He was sweating again. Kenzie rubbed his back and ushered him over to the couch.
“Everything is fine. Disaster averted. And he won’t put them out the rest of the week, so you don’t need to worry about it. How are you feeling, do you need another nap?”
“I slept most of the afternoon. I shouldn’t sleep more now. I’ll just stay awake... until I can’t anymore, I guess.”
“You don’t have to push yourself. Whenever you want to sleep is fine.”
Zachary shook his head. “No... you remember how bad my sleep got messed up before. I have to be careful, I don’t want to end up sleeping during the day and laying awake nights.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Your body is still trying to heal, and you need to sleep when it tells you to.”
“I’m going to stay up for a while.” His voice was determined.
“Okay. Great. Shall we put on a movie? Or did you want to test out the hot tub...?”
Zachary considered this offer. “Do we... have time for both?”
“I don’t see why not. We don’t have to be anywhere in the morning. Which do you want to do first?”
Kenzie supposed that Zachary would have ended up asleep on the couch while they watched the movie no matter which order they picked. The hot tub was great for soothing muscle aches from the drive and holding herself tense during the dinner. And for a little couples time together, just enjoying each other’s company without any expectations.
Zachary had been dealing with intimacy problems ever since his kidnapping a year before and, while they had been going to couples therapy regularly and working on communication, they were not yet back to where they had been before the kidnapping. But Zachary had made a lot of progress, dissociating far less and enjoying intimate moments more.
One day, they would be back to where they had been. Kenzie was glad to be past the days when she couldn’t even touch him without his flinching or pulling away.
She watched him sleep on the couch beside her, head tilted all the way back in what looked like an uncomfortable position, snoring slightly. She wasn’t sure what movie they ended up watching or what it was about. She just enjoyed sitting there with him, watching him sleep.
Kenzie awoke to a thumping noise and was disoriented at first, thinking that someone was knocking on the door. Or maybe the window. She turned her head and tried to pry her eyes open.
“Who is it?” she asked Zachary. “Can you get that?”
He moved beside her, sliding his feet out of the bed and walking over to the window. He looked out, shading his eyes against the bright morning light. They had slept late.
“It’s a helicopter. What would a helicopter be doing out here?”
“Really?” Kenzie squinted at him. “Are you sure I’m not just dreaming?”
“Looks pretty real to me.”
“Mmm.” Kenzie rolled over, turning her back to the window and the intrusive sunshine. “Come back to bed.”
Zachary stood at the window for another minute. “No, I think I’m going to get up now. You go ahead and sleep as much as you need to.”
“If I still need more sleep, then you need more sleep.”
Zachary didn’t argue. He just walked quietly out of the room, leaving her to sleep alone. Kenzie tried to get back into the comfortable, drowsy space that she had been in, but it was no use. Now that she’d been awakened, she couldn’t get back to sleep. She got up and wandered out to the living room, where Zachary had pulled out his computer and was staring at the screen.
“You’d better not be working,” she warned.
“Just checking email.”
“Work email?”
“Uh... no.”
Clearly, he was. “Do you want to hit the hot tub again this morning?”
Zachary grimaced. “My stomach is pretty rocky this morning. I think I’d better not. I might get seasick.”
“Seasick? Really?”
He shrugged. “I can’t help it. The water sloshing around...” He looked a little green just thinking about it.
“Okay, okay.” Kenzie held up her hands. “No morning hot tub for you, then. As for me, I am going to have a soak for a few minutes. Then we can have breakfast.”
He was studying her face intently. “Do you mind? Is it okay?”
“My morning would not be enhanced by you throwing up on me in the hot tub. So no. I would rather you refrained.”
He let out his breath in a little laugh. “Okay, good.”
&n
bsp; “Did I just dream the part about the helicopter, or was there really one there before we woke up?”
“Yeah, there was. Some guy in a pinstripe suit and dark glasses. Like he’s the president traveling incognito or something.”
“Maybe it is.”
“No. Not the president. But somebody... wealthy. Someone who thinks he’s important and wants to make a statement.”
“Why would someone like that stay here? It isn’t exactly an expensive resort. I mean, I paid enough for it, but it’s not a millionaires’ retreat.”
“Maybe he wants to meet up with someone else. Brittany Blake, maybe.”
Kenzie nodded. “Yeah, that would make sense, I guess. Do you know anything about her? Brittany Blake? I know the name, but I really don’t know anything about her.”
Zachary moved his hands up and down like a scale. Maybe he knew something, maybe he didn’t. “She’s one of those famous YouTubers. But I don’t really know what she does that is so special. I don’t think she actually does anything.”
Kenzie shook her head. “I guess if you look like her, you don’t need to.”
“I’d rather be with someone like you. Real. And beautiful,” he said quickly, in case she took his words the wrong way. He gazed at her. “And real.”
Kenzie gave Zachary a kiss, even though she hadn’t yet brushed her teeth. “You’re sweet. Thanks.”
She went off to have her solitary soak in the hot tub.
9
After what was not exactly a short soak in the hot tub, Kenzie dressed and made herself presentable. She looked at the time on her phone and joined Zachary again in the living room.
“Do you want to eat here or up at the house? The continental breakfast should still be on.”
“I’ll stay here, I think. But if you want to go up to the house...”
“I can eat here with you.”
“They might have something good. Fresh fruit and pastries. Stuff that you don’t usually get.”
“There’s a reason I don’t get fresh pastries...”
“But this is a holiday. Calories you eat on holidays don’t count, do they?”
Kenzie laughed. “No. Okay, if I’m going to go up to the house you have to tell me something to grab for you. Just humor me and pretend that you’re going to eat something other than a chocolate chip granola bar.”
Zachary shook his head. “Okay... a muffin.”
“I’ll get you a muffin. What kind do you like?”
“Anything. It doesn’t really matter.”
“Pick something.”
He gave her a mischievous smile. “A chocolate chip muffin.”
“Perfect. If they have chocolate chip muffins, I’ll bring you one back. That’s my mission.”
Kenzie gave him a kiss before heading up the hill to the farmhouse again.
There were not as many people around for breakfast as there had been for dinner. Or maybe it was just because they came at different times, spread out more. As Kenzie browsed over the offerings, she could hear raised voices in the back of the house. A woman’s voice that might have been Mrs. Hubbard’s, and a man’s voice that she didn’t recognize. Certainly not Stuart Dewey’s voice. Someone much younger.
Kenzie raised her eyebrows at Raven, who was sitting at the table eating a muffin and looking at something on her phone. Raven looked back at her phone without reacting. Kenzie picked out some fresh fruit and a small danish for herself. And there were muffins, including a chocolate chip one, for Zachary. Kenzie put it in a napkin and sat down at the table.
“How is everyone this morning?” she asked pleasantly.
Raven glanced at her again, and again didn’t have any answer. Redd Flagg, the author, was sitting down at the other end of the table. “As well as can be expected, considering how we were all wakened up early this morning,” he grumbled.
“How you were wakened up?”
“By that darn helicopter. You didn’t hear it?”
“Oh, yes, I did. I just figured I slept in later than the rest of you. Later than I would normally sleep.”
“It’s vacation. No one wants to wake up at nine o’clock. Why do you think they serve breakfast until eleven?”
“So did you get an early start on your book this morning?” Kenzie asked. She didn’t hear her answer, distracted by a man who came striding from the back of the house to the front, looking as if he were ready to shoot someone.
“I guess I shouldn’t expect good service in a backwoods little rat hole like this,” he snapped, to no one in particular. “I suppose Mama’s home cooking means that Mama cooks whatever she pleases, and there’s no way to get what you want.”
Kenzie glanced toward the kitchen, then back to the man, who was obviously the “millionaire” that Zachary had seen getting off of the helicopter.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” she told him frostily. If he was going to act like they were friends, or in all of this together, then he could at least have the courtesy to drop his name first.
He stopped short and looked at Kenzie in astonishment. “I am Vance Stiller,” he said, so haughty it was clear that she should have known him on sight. Or she should at least know who Vance Stiller was on hearing his name. But she didn’t. She had no idea.
“Nice to meet you,” she drawled. Though, of course, it was anything but nice. If that was the way Vance Stiller treated the people around him, then she was glad that Mrs. Hubbard had turned down whatever outrageous requests he’d made. “I take it you’re the last guest for this week.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about that. I just arrived this morning and I don’t have the lay of the land yet. And you are?”
“Kenzie.”
Kenzie didn’t dare give her full name in case he happened to know her or one of her parents. Their names were fairly well-known in Vermont. Though she didn’t know if Stiller was a Vermonter or just vacationing there.
Raven looked at Stiller and decided that he wasn’t asking her for any of her details, so she went back to whatever she was reading on her phone.
“So that was your helicopter this morning,” Redd piped up. “It was a little noisy first thing in the morning, don’t you think?”
“I wasn’t aware that there were any rules about noise way out here in the boonies. I certainly wasn’t going to waste my time driving in.” He tapped his wrist. “Time is money, you know.”
“Oh, time is money,” Redd repeated mockingly. “I’m so glad that you told us. So why would you come vacation somewhere like this, if you don’t like it and don’t like to waste your time? Wouldn’t you be better off in New York? Wall Street? Why would you want to be here?”
Stiller waved this comment away as if he were wiping something off of a whiteboard. “I can work anywhere. Even here. My computer and internet access, and I can make money wherever I am.”
He waited for one of them to ask what it was he did. No one obliged him. Stiller looked over the various foods available for breakfast and shook his head with disgust. “I don’t know what you call this, but it’s not breakfast where I came from. The brochure said that there was a professional cook on staff. This stuff isn’t even cooked in-house. It’s obviously store-bought.”
“Mrs. Hubbard is a great cook,” Redd objected. “You should have tasted the dinner last night. Or any night. All of the dinners I’ve had here have been fantastic. But maybe they wouldn’t meet your standards.”
“Probably not,” Stiller agreed.
The door opened, and the newlyweds arrived. So intertwined that they had to go through the door together, bumping into the frame and laughing giddily at each other. Kenzie rolled her eyes. But she kept in mind that she didn’t want to seem just as dismissive and supercilious as Stiller, so she gave them a warm smile, even if she did look past them rather than into their moonstruck expressions.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning,” they chorused together.
And then, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” a
sked Mrs. Andy Collins.
“A little brisk,” Stiller pointed out.
“You should have felt it last night.” Redd gave a mock shiver. “That wind coming down the mountain... brrr.”
“We stayed warm,” Mrs. Andy Collins declared, looking into the adoring face of her husband.
“I’m sure you did,” Raven muttered, just loud enough for Kenzie to hear. Kenzie gave her a small smile.
Kenzie was not enjoying the barbs and attitudes being thrown around, so she made short work of her pastry and fruit, and picked up the napkin-wrapped muffin to take back down to Zachary.
“Hey, how is Zachary?” Redd asked. “Was he okay after last night? Seemed like he isn’t in the best shape.”
“He was pretty tired last night, but good this morning. He has good days and bad days, and last night with the candles and everything...” She shrugged. “It was difficult, but he’s tough. He’ll be okay.”
“He was really in a fire when he was a kid? That was a pretty nasty scar.”
“Yes. And not his only scar. It’s understandable that he doesn’t like fires, even candles. Especially candles.”
“So don’t expect the two of you down at the bonfire.”
“No.”
10
Kenzie presented Zachary with his chocolate chip muffin at the cabin. He looked at it, surprised. “I didn’t think you’d actually find one.”
“Well, there you are. Do you think you can eat it?”
The muffin wasn’t one of those greasy jumbo muffins that sold at some of the coffee shops, but a small, denser product more suited to breakfast than dessert. Zachary smelled it, and then broke off a small piece to nibble on.
“Not on the couch. You’ll get crumbs everywhere, and I’m sure Dewey will not be happy if we attract mice.”
Zachary sighed and got up. But he was pretty good about using plates and not eating over his computer. He’d been sitting long enough, it was probably time for him to get up and move around anyway. He found a plate in one of the kitchen cupboards and sat down at the table.
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