Page 32 of A Secret Escape

“I want your stay to be perfect.” She looked at the mugs again and then at the kitchen, which was pristine. “There are no dirty plates. You don’t eat?”

“When I’m deep in the book, no. At least, not what you’d call a meal. I snack. Biscuits. Those incredible croissants they sell in your café. The occasional takeout, which I dispose of afterward because I’m not a total animal.”

No vitamins, she thought. Nothing healthy. No wonder he looked tired.

“I’ll deal with the laundry, clear the kitchen and leave the rest until you ask me.” She handed him a card. “My number is on there. Call if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” He took the card from her and followed her to the door. “You run this place with your husband? I remember signing a book for him last time I was here.”

She paused on the steps. “My grandfather purchased the land and built the first cabins. It was my mother who turned it into what it is now. She’s still involved from the sidelines, but she handed over the reins to me a couple of years ago. My now-ex-husband—” she stumbled over the words because she still wasn’t used to saying them “—works for a pharma company and was never involved in the business. We’re divorced. He found someone else.”

He leaned against the doorframe, still watching her. “Then, he’s a fool.”

Was he flirting with her?

No, of course he wasn’t.

Richardwasa fool. You only had to look at the way he behaved toward his daughter to know that.

“He is a fool, you’re right about that. Maybe you could recommend a way for me to kill him?” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that, but Brendan Scott frowned and seemed to be giving it serious consideration.

“I’d suggest staging an accident. That way suspicion wouldn’t fall on you. I’ll put together some ideas for you, and you can pick one. A good drowning might be the answer.” He glanced toward the lake. “It’s the perfect spot for it.”

“He doesn’t swim, so he wouldn’t be in the water.”

“Better and better. Makes drowning more plausible. Also easier.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw, thinking. “Maybe a small boating accident?”

She laughed, which was something she rarely did when thinking about her ex-husband. “That would be terrible publicity for Forest Nest. And just so that we’re clear, I’m not asking you to do away with him.”

“I know. But occasionally it takes some of the heat out of the emotions to think about it.”

“Do you do that a lot? Plan the fate of people you don’t like?”

“Sure. It’s one of the perks of being a writer. Sometimes I give people a really grisly end.”

And now she was intrigued. “You actually put people you know in your books?”

“All the time. But they’re heavily disguised so no one but me would know who they are.” He gestured to the books on the table. “My last book has a character who may or may not bear a slight resemblance to one of my law professors from college. A truly miserable excuse for a human being.”

“You were a lawyer?”

“Yes, although I only practiced for a short time because by some stroke of luck my first book was accepted by a publisher. Which rarely happens, by the way. I got lucky. That part of my life was more fairy tale than horror story.”

“I can’t imagine writing a book.”

“At this moment, neither can I—hence the mess and my less-than-friendly approach with Lorna. But it helps to be here. You live in a great place.”

“I think so, but not everyone agrees.” She thought of Richard, who had moved to a city. “No bright lights. The nearest nightclub is an hour and a half away. In winter the roads are often impassable because of the weather, and in summer they’re impassable because of the tourists. To a lot of people, it’s not exciting. Which is probably why I like it.”

Maybe that was her problem. She wasn’t a very exciting person. She loved her family and her home and enjoyed baking and hiking. Was that wrong?

He studied her for a moment. “I live in New York, and trust me when I say city excitement can be overrated.”

She was flustered by the way he was looking at her.

“Why the Lakes? It seems like a long way to come for peace and quiet. Do you have a connection with the place?”

“My grandmother was born in Carlisle, although she moved to the US when she married my grandfather. And to answer your question, the book is set here so that as well as availing myself of the peace and quiet, I’m using it for inspiration.”

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