Page 94 of The Summer that Changed Everything

“Where are you going?” she asked in surprise.

“To see Chet.”

“You don’t think it would be better to wait? I don’t want to come between you two. There could be some other explanation.”

“It there is, he can give it to me,” he said.

Lucy wished she could be present to hear what happened when Ford arrived at Chet’s. She’d begun to second-guess some of the conclusions she’d drawn after Stephanie showed her those texts.There could be perfectly good explanations for how Chet had handled that night. Maybe the texts and the boat were nothing to worry about. Then she’d feel responsible for the damage Ford’s visit was about to cause his friendship with Chet.

Come back. We should let the investigator do his job.

She sent that text and thought hehadreturned when she heard someone open the front door only fifteen minutes later.

“I’m glad you got my text—” she started to say but fell silent when Ford’s brother strode into the house.

The second he saw her, Houston came to an abrupt stop, then glanced around. “Sorry, I would’ve knocked since you probably weren’t expecting me. But the Land Rover’s gone, so I thought...” He let his words drift away.

She swallowed against a suddenly dry mouth. “Ford had to... to run an errand.” She didn’t want to explain further, didn’t want Houston to make her feel any more regret than she already did.

He slid his keys into his pocket. “You didn’t go with him?”

“It wasn’t that kind of errand.”

He studied her. “You know who I am, right?”

“I remember you, yes.”

“I remember you, too.”

That wasn’t a positive comment. Straightening her spine, she said, “Really? I didn’t think you ever noticed me.” Houston had mostly ignored her, until the police arrested her father. Then, picking up on what Chet was spreading around, he’d said a few unkind things about her, too.

“Everyone noticed you,” he said. “You’re still beautiful, I see.”

She wasn’t sure whether to thank him. It didn’t sound like a true compliment, not one he was happy to give anyway. He was going somewhere with it, and she thought she could guesswhere. “Are you saying you think my looks will make it harder for Ford to stay away from me?”

“It’s possible. He has a wife who’s pregnant. You know that, right?”

“Now you’re going to paint me as some sort of homewrecker?”

“My mother tells me he’s going back to her.”

“That’s what he tells me, too, so neither of you has anything to worry about.”

“Other than the fact that you’re getting him to fight your battles for you.”

“I haven’t asked him for anything,” she said. “He’s the one who wanted to get involved.”

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t—and still don’t—mind.”

She shook her head as she chuckled without mirth. “Wow. Thanks for making it so obvious that you’re still an asshole.”

“You’restanding inmyhouse,” he pointed out.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be here for long,” she said and hurried into the bedroom to gather her things.

If Chet hadn’t maligned Lucy quite so badly that summer fifteen years ago, Ford might not have driven over to speak to him now. But the way he’d behaved when it came to Lucy suddenly seemed strange.

Kira answered the door. “Ford, how are you?”

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