Page 97 of The Souls of Lost Lake
“That’s not fair.” Wren instantly battled tears of hurt.
Eddie dropped the scrub pad in the dirty water and turned to her, his hands dripping. “Wren. Just—I need space.”
“Why are you withdrawing from me? Now of all times.” She couldn’t help the tear that rolled down her cheek. It betrayed her. Betrayed how much reliance she had on Eddie and had never really realized.
He closed his eyes as if to gather his own emotions. When he opened them, he worked his jaw back and forth. “I’m not withdrawing, Wren, I’m just—we both are hurting and—”
“And we could help each other through this!”
“No. Wren...” Eddie held up his hands. “Just let it go.”
“Let what go? The fact that we both lost someone we loved? That the last several days have been traumatic?”
“Thatyoucan’t keep coming tome,” Eddie snapped. He grabbed the towel from over his shoulder and wiped his hands on it. His sandals squeaked on the wet tile floor as he brushed past her and tossed the towel onto the stainless-steel counter.
“What are you talking about?” Wren demanded. Now her tears were because she was frustrated. Hurt. Angry. “That’s the dumbest thing I—”
“No,” Eddie interrupted, his hands at his waist. “It’s not. You have a boyfriend, Wren. If you need something, you need to go to him. Not me. I can’t always be there to pick you up. I have my own—Mom isgone. She’s not here anymore. I have to deal with that. I have to figure out how to let God walk me through it and get me out to the other side. The fact is, you have to do that too, butwithoutme.”
Wren stared at him.
Eddie stared back.
The impasse between them was cavernous.
“So, after all these years of being best friends, I’m supposed to just—not talk to you?” She was confused. Bewildered really.
“Talk to me. Hang out. Yeah, fine. But if youneedme, if you need support, a shoulder—go to Troy. That’s what he’s there for.”
An emptiness grew in Wren’s stomach. A wicked, painful hollow that spread quickly and was stark in its honesty. “I-I don’t—”
“I’m not your other half, Wren. I won’t be. Ican’tbe.” Eddie’s voice cracked. He cursed softly, shocking Wren even more. “I’m sorry.”
She backed away from the sink. Water dripped down her arms. Whirling, Wren raced from the kitchen before she made a fool of herself. It was clear. Very clear. The hesitation from both Eddie and Troy when she mentioned the other. The thin line of tension between two nice stand-up guys. She thought of Patty’s comments about Eddie. Her own comments about Eddie. Troy...
Wren burst into the outside air, the double doors of the dining hall slamming open and then shutting behind her. She took in a few deep, shuddering gasps. It was awful how someone could be surrounded by people they loved and still be as misplaced as someone who had vanished without a trace.
She needed to find Troy. She didn’twantto find him, but she needed to. It was as clear as the fact her red hair was natural that she needed to talk to him. Wren was annoyed that, by the time shereached the main lodge, she was a complete wreck. A few campers passing by had given her the side-eye as she wiped an unending stream of tears from her eyes as she charged ahead. One staffer had asked if she was okay. Wren had gasped out “Patty,” only to receive an empathetic nod. Everyone knew Wren was grieving too. They didn’t know it was a convoluted mess of personal displacement, loss of a second mother, fitful exhaustion from searching for the missing child, and now this—this relationship bomb that had dropped from the sky. It had probably screamed at her as it was falling, but she’d been blind to it. Eddie was just there. He’d always been there. He’d alwaysbethere.
Now, as she sprinted up the stairs in the lodge toward the camp offices, she wondered how she had ever been so ignorant. Troy was a saint. He’d tolerated—no, he’daccepted—her and Eddie’s comradeship like a flipping hero! The problem was, it wasn’t Troy she ached for when she was hurting. It wasn’t Troy she found herself seeking out for advice. It wasn’t Troy who filled her with a sense of calm when everything else spun out of control.
Wren collided with another staff member. He stumbled backward, his shaved bald head glowing with the light of the inset ceiling bulb. He laughed. “Whoa, you’re on a mission.”
“Sorry, Kyle.” Wren liked the older man. He was about her dad’s age, but he had a genuine warmth about him that wasn’t inhibited by any type of self-importance. “I’m looking for Troy.”
“In the offices?” Kyle raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I thought he may have to spend some time up here to work on his next trip’s roster.”
Kyle laughed again. “I’m just teasing. It’s funny to even see Troy inside. The man belongs in the woods with the wolves.”
“Yeah.” Wren chucked nervously.
“He was just getting ready to pack up for the day, I think. They want him to help with SAR tomorrow.”
“I know.” Wren nodded. Boy, did she know. “And they’re not finding anything in Lost Lake either.”
Kyle startled. “You didn’t hear?”
