Club dance. A strange sort of jealousy rises in me. What if he’s there dancing with someone else? Why didn’t he ask me to go?
Because your parents are here, dumbass.
I work to calm myself. He’s out with his friends, leaving me to visit with my folks, and Tyler is so drunk I’m sure he has no idea what he’s talking about. After giving myself a good hard lecture and reassuring myself that Jay and I will work everything out come morning, I flop down onto bed and only check my phone one more time.
Sleep pulls at me after a long day, and I’m a second from drifting off when a loud bang wakes me. I jackknife up and rub my eyes. “What the hell?” I hurry to my window and catch sight of a man sneaking into the woods. Jay? I peer into the darkness when the floodlight comes on, but he’s too far gone for me to see him.
I bolt down the stairs, the sound of rushing water reaching my ears.
“Alyson, what’s going on?” Dad asks as he leans over the railing.
“I’m sure everything is fine. Go back to sleep. I’ll take care of things.”
He hesitates for a second, and I’m about to tell him I have everything under control when his door clicks shut. I hurry around the main level, happy to find the taps off and nothing out of the ordinary. I relax but only for a second. Gurgling noises rise up from the basement, and I open the door, flick on the light, and dash down the stairs. I hit the cement floor and step into a big puddle of hot water. I yelp and back up. I scan the basement and spot a river running from the hot water tank. Oh no!
I hurry back upstairs and tug on my boots. I quickly make my way back to the basement but have no idea how to fix a hot water tank. I’m sure my father doesn’t, either. I need to call Jay. He’s out with friends, or at least I think he is, but he can hopefully talk me through this. I tiptoe across the floor, and something hits my leg. Please don’t let it be a snake. Please don’t let it be a snake. Getting friendly with Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner was one thing, but no way can I handle a snake. I glance down and spot Jay’s watch floating by. I quickly pull it from the hot water. What is his watch doing down here?”
“Alyson?” a familiar voice says from the top of the stairs. I glance up to see Jay, his brow furrowed with concern.
“Jay, my hot water tank.”
He rushes down the steps. “Go higher where it’s dry.”
I stand on the third step as he pushes through the water and reaches the tank. He messes with some valves, and the water stops gushing.
“What…what are you doing here?” I ask, still breathless.
“I heard a noise and came running.” He stands with me on the stairs and glances at the damage. “That water tank was replaced two years ago. This never should have happened, unless…”
“I thought you were out with friends.”
He shakes his head. “What made you think that?” He nudges me to climb the stairs, and he follows behind. “Jack has a shop vac in the barn. We need to get this cleaned up.”
“I went to your cottage; you weren’t there.” Without even realizing what I’m doing, I flatten my palm and show him the watch.
“Oh, you found it,” he says.
“It was downstairs.” I pause, alarm bells jingling as the vision of the man running into the woods flutters in the forefront of my brain. “Where were you?”
“I told you I was in the field. I thought I heard a noise out there, then I heard a bang from in here.” I stare at him, tension taking up space between us. The muscles in his jaw stiffen. “Where do you think I was?”
“I don’t know. I just… I saw someone running from here.”
He shakes his head. “Holy shit, you actually think…”
His voice trails off as I stare at the ground, trying to wrap my brain around what Tyler had said.
“I didn’t do this,” he says.
“No,” I say and mean it. I don’t think Jay would purposely try to hurt me. “But did you bet against me?”
His body goes so straight, his jaw so tense, I’m sure his teeth are going to crack. In an instant, I know Tyler was right. Jay bet against me.