Page 98 of The Lies I've Told
I chuckled as the memory floated back in my mind. I could still feel the sweat dripping down my face as the sounds of fireworks had lit off in New York while I worked in my studio. “I was putting the finishing touches on the memorial.”
“Our memorial?” she asked, looking up at me, her face aglow from the lights above.
I nodded. “I chiseled the last part of the bird at the base just as the fireworks ended that night.”
“Wow,” she said, her gaze turning upward. “I know this is horrible, but I’m really glad some asshat destroyed that thing.”
A smile stretched all the way across my face as my chin rested on top of her head. “Yeah, me too.”
Me, freaking, too.
The sun had barely risen over the water when I rose the next morning, its golden rays sending glittery flecks of sunlight across the top of the water for miles. Millie still slept soundly next to me, a tribute to how thoroughly she’d enjoyed herself the day before. Usually, she was the one poking me in the ribs, calling me lazybones and telling me to wake up and grab a morning run with her.
I savored this rare treat, watching her chest rise and fall and the peaceful way her mouth parted just ever so slightly as she dreamed. I silently chuckled to myself, wondering if her dreams were of giant dancing s’mores. God, that woman loved her junk food.
I was going to have to learn how to hide some spinach in her food. That, or figure out how to make her love some sort of vegetable.
Careful not to make a sound, I shifted out of the bed and made quick work of throwing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
No need to scare any of the other guests by running around half-naked through the inn.
Not that any of them were up.
Grabbing my phone, I stepped out into the hallway and headed for the patio. The house was quiet, but the old floors creaked under my bare feet. Making my way across the parlor, I opened the door that led out to the large patio and stepped out, the heat blasting me in the face almost instantly.
“Damn,” I muttered. “Starting early today.”
Taking a seat in a chair nearby, I stretched my legs out in front of me and took a moment to appreciate the view. Beyond the patio, bright green grass spread out in front of me before giving way to sand.
And then there was nothing but water as far as the eye could see.
Millie called it a bay, but from where I was sitting, it might as well have been the whole damn ocean because the view seemed endless.
I could have sat here all morning, staring at that view, but I’d come out here with a purpose. Pulling out my phone, I dialed a number and waited.
“Do you know what fucking time it is?”
I grinned. “Why yes, I do. Good morning.”
“Jesus, why are you so bloody chipper?”
“It’s the day after a holiday. Don’t people usually get those off?” I asked, leaning back in the chair.
“What? No, not the Fourth. Those of us who aren’t temperamental artists actually have to go in and work today.”
“Oh,” I said. Why didn’t I know that? “Well then, consider me your alarm clock.”
James groaned. “My alarm clock was set to go off in an hour.”
Pulling the phone away from me, I checked the time once more. “Really? An hour from now? Isn’t that kind of late? What kind of doctor are you?”
“A tired one.”
I let out a laugh.
“Seriously, Aiden, what do you want?”
I blew air out through my teeth. “Help,” I answered. “I’m ready to ask for help.” I looked out at the view before me, squinting more than I had a few weeks before, and I knew I needed it.
