Page 80 of Overtime
“Fair. You’re too straightforward for a murderer.”
I flash her a deadpan expression. “Have you been reading thriller books or something?”
Strawberry gasps. “How did you know? Did you install a secret camera in my room?”
“Please.” I snort. “First of all, that would be a crime and would ruin my chances at playing pro.”
“Right, that’s how I know for sure you’re not going to kill me now.”
“Second,” I say, shaking my head, “if I did install a spy camera in your room, the last thing I’d care about would be what book you’re reading.”
I pull onto the back road to the lake just as she asks, “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Do you sleep with clothes on or not?”
“Aran!”
“I’m just explaining what I’d care about.”
She laughs and looks away. “You’re absolutely terrible.”
The car bounces on the rough road, but it’s a short stretch, and soon, we’re approaching a clearing. I’m not the only person in the world who knows about this spot, but it’s not as frequented as other areas of the lake that are more manicured.This one’s a bit wild, just sand and rocks, with a strip of shore that looks like a beach but has a quite steep incline past a certain point. There’s nothing interesting about it other than it’s peaceful and quiet.
She leans forward, hands on the dashboard as she drinks it up. I love the wonder that takes over her expression, as if this is the last thing she imagined she’d see today.
“What is this place?”
“My secret hideaway.” I maneuver the car so it’s parked with the back close to the lake lapping at the shore.
Slowly, she tilts her head toward me. “Is this where you disappeared to last week?”
“I was going to.” I turn off the car and undo my seat belt. “Until my sister called on her way to the hospital.” I get out of the car and stretch like I’ve been on the road for hours.
“What happened?” she asks with alarm.
“She’s fine. Just scared us all with her peanut allergy.”
I head to the back of the SUV and open the back door. She meets me there and says, “I’m glad she’s fine. And I didn’t say it before, but I’m glad you’re fine too.”
I freeze for a moment. She really has no idea that the reason I’m fine one second and not the next is her, huh? I expel air out of my lungs.
Pulling at the floor, I uncover a compartment that normally would house a spare tire, but now that you only need a patch kit to survive, I’m using it to store a blanket and some other things for when I come out here. Since we only have a few hours until I have to head back for practice, I leave the lamp in there. And with an abnormally warm February day like this, I don’t need to get a fire going.
“How did you discover this place?” Strawberry leans against the car, drinking in the smooth surface of the lake that is only disturbed by a soft breeze. It plays with the wisps of hair thatescape her braid. A strand caresses her cheek just like my hand itches to do.
She pulls the hair behind her ear, and it snaps me back awake.
My voice comes out as rough as the gravel under our shoes. “Dad and I come fish by the lake in the summer. That’s how I found it.”
She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Do you bring girls often?”
“No,” I admit. She’s the first one I’ve brought here.
I make quick work of lowering the back seats and spreading the thick blanket across the cargo area. When she sees me taking out my laptop and sliding it over the blanket, she finally gets it.
“Oh. Um. Okay, so that’s the plan.”
I smirk. “What else did you think we came here for?”
