“We’re going to Uncle Nate’s?” Izzie shouts, bouncing into the room and looking at Clay’s board shorts in my hand. Thank God she interrupted. “I’ll get my swimsuit!”
“Good girl!” I shout to her as she skips back into her room and returns two minutes later with her bathing suit in her hand and sunglasses on her face.
“That was quick,” I comment.
“I’m excited!” she squeals, jumping up and down. “Come on, Clay!”
“I’m coming,” he answers her, his tone flat but his lips lifted up into a grin.
We all bound down the stairs where I find a tote bag and shove their swimming gear in. “I need to get mine,” I tell them, hovering next to them.
I can’t help but not want to leave them alone, knowing someone has gotten onto the property. I stumble as a shiver rolls through me, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
“Izzie do you think you could help me choose?”
“Sure! Come on, Clay.”
“I’ll stay here.”
I widen my eyes; he definitely can’t stay on his own. “We’ll leave through the back gate,” I say, walking past them and collecting the box I threw by the front door.
They follow me without a question asked, and once Izzie has decided I should wear my black two piece and I’ve put the box containing the necklace in my nightstand, we’re ready and heading out the back gate.
Locking it behind me, I place the cardboard box in the recycle bin, pressing the button on the fob to open the car. I strap Izzie in, checking on Clay before pulling my cell out and putting the zip code in the navigation system built into the car.
“Ahhh!” Izzie shouts when we get to the end of the driveway. I jump in the seat, snapping my head around to check on her. “I’m so excited to go to Uncle Nate’s!”
I place my hand over my heart, willing it to slow down. She scared the life out of me.
“Chill out, Izzie. It’s not like you haven’t been before,” Clay says, his tone sarcastic.
I turn back around to look out of the windshield, seeing someone duck behind the corner of the house.
Could that have been them? Are they watching us?
“But it feels like it’s been fooooorrrrever!”
My eyes don’t move from the corner, willing whoever it was to come back around so I can see who it is.
“Amelia?”
“Huh?”
“What are you doing?”
I flick my gaze up to the rearview mirror, looking into Clay’s eyes. “I… nothing.” I smile. “Ready?”
He shrugs. “Sure.”
“Good, good.” I nod several times, feeling like one of the dogs you have in the back of the car window.
Turning left, I head toward Nate’s, following the directions being spoken to me. It tells me to take the next left after about fifteen minutes, and I frown because I don’t see a turning until the last minute.
The small private road is hidden; had the navigation not told me to turn I’d have never known it was here.
Both of the kids start getting excited, recognizing the road—well, Izzie was already excited, but even she squeals a little louder. My hands grip the steering wheel tighter, my nerves flowing through me like a rainstorm at the thought of being in Nate’s space.
The road finally opens up to a clearing and a gasp escapes me. The sun reflects off a giant glass house and I come to a stop, staring at it in awe. I don’t know what I expected his house to look like, but now I’m here, I know it’s all him. There’s green land as far as I can see.