her fiancé’s computer. Bastard twinkling stars. How dare they look so happy against the Texas sky.
At least out here she could breathe. She sucked in the cool air and squeezed her eyes shut, begging the horrible crushing anxiety to stay away. Before she could think better of it, she jabbed her phone into her hoodie pocket and started walking. Her feet led her onto grass that was dying but not crunchy—the pine needles made a soft carpet, so her footfalls were silent as she rounded the house. She didn’t want to go toward the bed and breakfast. People were there laughing and drinking. No, she needed some time to think. To figure out what that video meant. Maybe it meant nothing. Maybe it meant everything.
She headed toward the path she’d taken earlier in the day. Yeah, she would be trespassing, but at that moment she didn’t care. That small patch of heaven beside the small lake would isolate her from everything, give her a place to think . . . give her a place to hide.
Her breath came in small puffs as she climbed the hill. It was chilly out, and she should have been shivering in the damp coolness, but she wasn’t. Her body felt on fire, flushed from the knowledge that something was off. Or not. God, she didn’t know. Maybe what she’d seen was no big deal, something they’d laugh about and tell friends at dinner parties.
One time, my friend sent me a crazy video as a joke, and this woman here—Josh would jab his thumb toward her—thought I was gay. Can you imagine? Then everyone would laugh, and Ellery would shrug and roll her eyes.
God, she hoped that was what it was.
No big deal.
When she got to the top, she angled toward the area she’d gone to earlier, the place where Gage had found her and forced her to abandon. She ground her heels against the earth as she made her way down so she wouldn’t take a tumble. No one needed to find her body the next morning. Especially since she still wore her bustier and fishnet stockings beneath her mismatching Tri Delt hoodie and shorts. Her corpse would look like a hooker collided with a sorority girl.
“Hey, hey, stop,” a voice called from behind her.
Ellery turned to see Gage standing at the top of the hill.
“Damn it,” she uttered under her breath. She didn’t stop. Just kept trucking toward the lake.
“I told you that—”
Ellery lifted her arm and gave him the finger. And kept going. If Gage didn’t want her to sit by the lake and figure out her goddamned life, then he could put her under citizen’s arrest. Drag her kicking and screaming off the private property. But she wasn’t going willingly. Nope. Not this time. She’d be a bad guest.
“Ellery,” he called. She could hear him coming after her, and that pissed her off. What the hell did he care if she took a moment for herself in the quiet Texas wilderness? Okay, semiwilderness. She doubted there were any coyote packs running around ready to dine on blonde au gratin. Bobcats were lone creatures, and she could probably survive one of them ambushing her. Snakes were snug in their snake beds. She wasn’t going to jump in the lake and drown. So why didn’t he turn around and go pour some wine for tourists and leave her the hell alone?
“Hey, Ellery,” he said, catching her elbow.
She spun around and growled between her teeth, “What?”
His eyes widened. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing. I need some time alone. So go do whatever it is you do, and leave me alone. I won’t trample the flowers or steal a cutting or whatever people do to steal grapes. Just let me be.” She turned back toward the lake, knowing her voice broke on the last sentence. She reached the place hidden by the knotty pines. The moon shone on the lake, reflecting a path on the still waters. The wind had died, and night surrounded her.
Tears had gathered in her eyes, but she wiped them away. She wasn’t going to cry in front of stupid Gage. He didn’t like her. Disapproved of her. Made her prickly and defensive. So, no, she was not going to give him the pleasure of knowing she was about to fall apart.
But, of course, he didn’t listen. Because she could feel him standing to her right, silent and perplexed at this defiant princess flipping him off and then allowing her stupid emotions