Page 294 of The Sinner: James

Eve smiles at me as if I just read her mind.

We pick one of the newest restaurants, sit at a table on the terrace, and receive the appetizers while waiting for the main course.

“Everything looks nice,” Eve says as I check the street again.

“Yes, it does,” I murmur.

Memories come back to me, and some of them are bittersweet, but even so, the magic of this place has remained untouched for the most part.

“I see myself moving back someday,” I say.

“Seriously?”

“Uh-huh,” I mumble, chewing on a piece of bread. “New York is nice. There’s always something to do, the energy is fantastic, and the possibilities are plenty, but at the end of the day, I feel lonely.”

“Maybe because you are lonely.”

A smile tilts her lips.

“Yeah. It could be. Anyway, I always thought I’d end up somewhere close to a beach, a quiet place where I’d write for a living, but now that I think about it, I could do the same thing here.”

“You could probably do it right now.”

Smiling, I shift my eyes to my plate.

“I don’t know... It’s too early to think about it. As beautiful as it is, this place reminds me of so many things I wish I could forget. But,” I say more optimistically, “now that I’m here, I might check the real estate and see what’s on the market.”

“Your parents‘ home was up for sale a few months back.”

“Was it?”

“Mm-hmm. My mom told me. The last owner defaulted on his loan, and the house was repossessed. The selling price was good too.”

“Hmm... I’ll look into it, although I’m not so sure I want to live in that house again,” I say just as the waitress brings more food to the table.

* * *

RAIN

I makethe trip back to my place after giving Eve a ride to her parents’ home.

This time, I rented a vacation home to avoid the hotel.

I wanted to make sure I wasn’t booking something in one of Sexton’s properties again.

I spend most of the afternoon preparing for the party.

After careful consideration, I ditch the black dress and opt for a stylish white and pink little number.

It’s sleeveless, with a small cutout at the back neckline, adding a bit of sass. It’s nothing too obvious to scream for attention.

I slip into a matching pair of heels, grab the beaded clutch, and slither out the door.

A car picks me up twenty minutes later and drops me off in front of a round-shaped building half an hour later.

It’s the perfect place for weddings and anniversaries.

I’m not surprised Eve’s parents picked this very spot to celebrate their thirtieth year of marriage.

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