Page 113 of The Lodge

SG:Look, Jett’s a sensitive topic for all of us, man. I try not to think about him too much.

TJ:[nervous laughter] Right, sorry about that. You’ve got a book coming out later this year, is that true?

SG:Yes, sir! That’s why I’m here in Vermont, to work on it for a bit. I just finished nailing down some of the material with my team, and if I do say so myself, you won’t want to miss it.

TJ:Best of luck with it—and thank you for your time!

31

I’m curled up in bed, Puffin stretched out beside me, trying my very best to resist the temptation to scroll social media for updates on Tyler.

I sent him a text as soon as Sebastian left, though I have no idea if he even has his phone on him at this point. After several awkward first drafts, I finally settled on this novel of a text message:

Sebastian wants me to write about what happened this morning—how he was shocked to discover you here at the lodge—in his book. There’s not much I’ll be able to do about it, so I wanted to give you a heads-up. I think I at least convinced him not to confirm that it’s you *today*… so that should buy you some time.

I’m so sorry for what all of this has come to—

I’m not sorry I met you, though. I’m only sorry that it has to end if you choose to start over somewhere else. It was worth it, though, for me: there’s no one else like you, and I’m lucky to have gotten the chance to know you, even if it wasn’t for long enough.

x, Alix

My cheeks are still hot with tears. I didn’t come here for romance—if anything, I was reluctant to dip my toes back into the water until Chloe encouraged me to just go have fun, try something new—but then there was Tyler, and his smile and his laugh and the way he put me at ease right from the start, and I—

I ended up ruining his life. Indirectly, of course, but it wouldn’t have happened if I had never come here.

SO MANY NOSY RESORT GUESTS, Lauren texts me, along with a photo.And these are just the ones INSIDE the coffee shop. Still no sign of him, but people keep asking if I know anything. Got stopped outside your building, too.

Oh, crap.

It didn’t even occur to me that people might think Lauren is Jett Beckett’s mystery girl—but our hair is very similar. In good news, a wavy blond bob is not the most remarkable of hairstyles. In not-so-good news, guests with nothing better to do have been staking out our building all day, no doubt on the lookout for Jett or anyone who could possibly be the girl from that invasive drone photo.

Ohmygosh Lauren, get out of there! I don’t need coffee that badly

I do, she replies.They’re mostly leaving me alone at the moment… but I can accidentally bump into someone and spill coffee all over their phone if I need to…

Is this going to be my life now if the world finds out I’m the mystery girl? Unable to go get coffee for fear of being swarmed? No wonder Tyler would rather keep a low profile. I can’t imagine how intense things must have been at the height of his fame—and the relief he must have felt after he went off the grid, finally able to live his life in peace.

And now it’s all come crashing down. My heart hurts, and notjust because I want him in my life—but because I know, deep down, that even if he tries to start over, he’s never going to be able to get away with it like he did before. For one, he had River and Julie helping him the first time. For another, now people know to look out for him, even in the unlikeliest of places.

I trust you, Alix.

It was the last thing he said to me up on the mountain. It might be the last thing heeversays to me.

Puffin stretches up to rub his face against mine, as if he can sense how much I need a little comfort. His purring intensifies when I scratch between his ears, like there’s nowhere else in the world he’d rather be.

If only human relationships were so simple. Aside from Chloe, Puffin’s been in my life longer than any of my friends—and there’s a reason for that. I don’t let people in easily.

But I let Tyler in. For the first time in years, I let my guard down and allowed myself to get close to someone else. I let myself consider the possibility of a relationship after so many years of trying to keep myself from getting hurt.

We’re both learning how to do this again, both learning how to take risks when we’re used to playing it safe.

I would very much like to continue being a person who’s worthy of Tyler’s trust.

I head into the kitchen, look for a snack. All I have on hand are olives and cheese and crackers, the last of what was stocked in my fridge when I first arrived. I head to the living room, careful to keep my distance from the windows in case any more drones are trying to get a look inside.

After my snack, I start to get antsy. Lauren’s been gone for thirty, forty minutes now—I know she said the café was busy, but thatseems like a bit too long even given the circumstances. It’s not that far of a walk, and her last message was more than fifteen minutes ago.

I open my messaging app, planning to send a check-in text, and am surprised to see the three-dot bubble in the window that indicates she’s already typing.

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