The Secrets We Hide (The Four #2) - Becca Steele Page 0,59

I’ve grown up by the sea. I’ve been hanging out on boats since I was a baby. I know everything there is to know about this boat and the coastline.”

“Okay. I guess.” I took a hesitant step forwards, then another.

“Come on! It’ll be fun. The view of the house from the sea is amazing,” she said coaxingly. “You don’t want to miss it.”

Finally, I was in the boat, life jacket on, holding tightly to the rail that ran around the side. Lena unhooked us, or whatever the nautical term was, and started the motor with a roar, a huge excited grin on her face.

I squeaked but tried to play it cool, although my hands were shaking. I’d barely met Lena, hence my coming here earlier, but she came across as the tiniest bit crazy. Flying us across the water at full throttle, she was clearly in her element, standing, legs braced, hands on the wheel, her pink hair whipping around in the breeze.

When I got used to the motion and the speed, I realised I was actually enjoying myself, and I sat back in my seat with a smile on my face.

“You alright?” she shouted to me over the noise of the engine, glancing back at me, and I stuck my thumb up at her. We got a good distance away from the coastline, and she cut the engine.

Then suddenly, everything was calm and still. The first rays of the setting sun danced across the water, and the only sounds around us were the waves lapping at the hull of the boat, and the distant sound of seagulls back by the cliffs.

“Turn around,” Lena instructed, and I spun to face the cliffs.

“You were right,” I said breathlessly. The house looked like it glowed. The setting sun was reflected all over, from the glass front to the roof. We stayed, just watching the colour change from gold to a burnished orange, and then Lena announced it was time to go back.

“We don’t want to be out here in the dark. You want a go at steering on the way back?”

Why not? “Okay. Thanks. I have no idea what I’m doing, though.”

“You’ll be fine,” she assured me, starting the motor back up. “I’ll do most of it; all you need to do is worry about steering.”

We headed back at a slightly slower pace, and once I got a feel for the responsiveness of the wheel, I steered us back in a gently curving S shape, until we neared the jetty and Lena once again took over. She expertly brought us to a stop, tying the boat up and pulling the cover over it. “That was great, I’m glad you came over. It’s fun hanging out with someone older. My brother doesn’t normally let his girlfriends anywhere near me.”

I laughed. “Thanks for inviting me. But FYI, Cass is not my boyfriend. A close friend, sure. I love him. But not in that way.”

We entered the metal cage housing the lift, and she pressed the button that would take us back up the side of the cliff to the house. “I know you’re Cade’s girlfriend. But you’d have made a cool sister-in-law. Just saying.”

Hearing myself be referred to as Caiden’s girlfriend put a huge smile on my face. I knew he called me his girl, and we were exclusive, but I didn’t think we’d ever referred to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend before.

I liked it. A lot.

Showered, using the bathroom in Lena’s bedroom, I finished blow-drying my hair and dressed in the short, tight, sparkly black-and-silver dress I’d bought for the occasion. A knock sounded at the door just as I was smoothing it down, hoping it covered enough of my legs to look like a dress rather than a top. I’d rather not end up flashing my underwear at Cassius’ parents if I could help it.

“Come in,” I called, and in walked Lena, carrying a metal case in her hand, a bottle tucked under her arm, and a pair of champagne flutes dangling from her fingers. Back in black again, she had on a short pleated skirt, with fishnet tights and chunky platform shoes, and a loose black T-shirt that hung off one shoulder. It had a sparkly sequin skull on the front, so I guess it was kind of festive. For Lena, anyway.

“Thanks for letting me crash here. Are you sure it’s okay?” I asked as she carelessly shoved a computer keyboard and a large pot of colourful pens aside, placing