Page 48 of The House Beyond the Dunes

His hands tighten slightly on the steering wheel before he releases a careful breath. “I’ll show you where we grew up. The sooner you’re satisfied, the sooner you can leave.”

More bait in the water. “Fair enough.”

“Our world is very different from the beach cottage where you’re staying.”

I realize now, I might have come back to the cottage for my phone, pills, and wallet, but even without that excuse, I would have returned to calm an unease that found me when Kyle and I first drove onto the beach.

Reece pauses, as if questioning himself, and then he shifts into drive. Tires roll slowly, carrying us both deeper into the interior. The forest of twisted live oaks and pines lining the road thickens.

Removing my gloves, I hold chilled fingers up to the heating vent before clicking my seat belt. “How close did you live to Kyle?” I ask.

“Everyone is close to everyone up here. It’s all walking distance.” He smells faintly of sawdust. His hands are deeply tanned, and his skin is rough from construction work in hard weather. So unlike Kyle.

“Did you see each other often?”

“Every day. We went to school together.”

“Where is school here?”

“In Kitty Hawk.”

“This is Currituck County. Kitty Hawk is in Dare County.” I’m not sure where I pull that fact from.

“Currituck had a deal with Dare back then. Dare took kids like us, so we didn’t have a two-hour ride to school.”

“That’s still a hike.”

“It was. Enough to encourage anyone who wanted to ditch to skip.” He rolls his head from side to side. “Kyle never missed school. He’d check the weather the night before. His mother hated getting up so early, but he’d pester her to do it. Once he got his driver’s license, he never let me skip.”

“I sensed he was a very motivated man.” Intense, driven, focused, and when that attention shifted to me, it was intoxicating. Had I become the next conquest? I’m not sure how long I’d have been comfortable with Kyle’s constant texts and calls. “Are your parents still here?” I ask.

“No. Both are dead. Living up here isn’t an easy life.”

“But you came back.”

“For work.” He’s making this very clear. “Devon called me, and I can’t say no to her.”

“You didn’t return for old times’ sake?” My ability to tease is rusty, and I see immediately my words don’t land well.

“No.”

“Right.”

He immediately shifts the conversation back toward me. “Where’d you grow up?”

“Norfolk.”

“Family?”

“My mother died when I was young. Foster homes after that.”

“That had to be rough. Being alone, I mean.”

I swivel my gaze toward the windshield. “It wasn’t terrible.”

“But not great, right?”

“I’m here now. Still standing.” I don’t want to talk about me. “How long will it take to fix the flood damage in the house across the street?”

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