ChapterOne
Jane
My headlights glowed through the blowing snow, offering a short path of light to guide me and nothing more. I had to keep reminding myself that was all I needed.
I wasn't even sure where the edge of the road was anymore. The weather was definitelynotcooperating with my plans for a relaxing vacation in my hometown of Haven’s Bay, Maine. I just had to get to the end of this driveway. Of course, I also needed this to be the correct driveway. Small favors and all that.
I loosened one hand on the steering wheel, stretching my fingers before curling them back around and repeating the motion with my other hand. It had been snowing steadily for the last hour and a half of my drive here from Boston.
“Yes,” I whispered to myself when I looked ahead and saw what I thought was the right house situated at the end of the driveway. I couldn't see beyond its hulking shadow through the snow, and I couldn't see the ocean that I knew lay just beyond it. Hell, I couldn’t see much of anything.
I carefully steered my car around the circle at the end of the driveway, slowing where my lights angled toward the entrance. I came to a quiet stop, the snow cushioning the sound of my tires. Putting my car in park, I took several deep breaths. Normally, I would turn my car off. But right now, the only light available came from my headlights. I zipped my down jacket and stuffed my knit hat on top of my head before fishing the house key out of my purse.
Curling my hand around the single key, I left my car lights on and climbed out, my boots promptly sinking into the fluffy snow on the drive. I navigated the front steps carefully. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding when the key slid into the lock on the massive front door smoothly.
The sound of the doorway opening echoed in the hallway. I tapped my boots on the threshold, knocking the snow loose as I stepped inside. I shivered as I glanced around, trying to get my bearings. Reaching to the side, I felt for a light switch. When I didn't find it on one side, I moved to the other, relieved when my hand found the familiar shape. My relief expanded when the lights actually came on. I closed the door behind me, my gaze arcing around the entryway.
“Wow,” I breathed.
I took a quick walk down memory lane, elicited by nothing more than stepping inside this old house. The entryway was two stories high with a staircase curving along the wall that led to the upper floor. Back in high school, I spent afternoons here with my friends, Thea, Audrey, and Sasha. The space felt echoey now. Thea had warned me that most of the furniture had been sold off at one point and that she and her brothers were gradually refurnishing the place.
After spinning in a slow circle, I began walking down the hallway after flicking on another light. My footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors. I discovered a comfy-looking sofa in the living room. I smiled when I saw chopped wood neatly stacked in a decorative rack beside the fireplace. That would warm me up.
Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I pulled up the text exchange I'd recently had with Thea.
Me:I made it. The key worked, and the lights are on. Thank you so much.
I hit send and slipped my phone back into my pocket. I did a quick loop around the downstairs, making sure to turn the thermostats up. I peered out the back window into the yard that stretched to the ocean. For now, all I could see was blowing snow.
I hurried back out to my car to fetch my purse and bag and turn the car off. After I got back inside, I realized a small flaw in my plan. I didn't have any food with me, and I was starving. After I searched out the bedroom situation upstairs, I took the room closest to the bathroom. Leaving my bag there, I made my way back into the kitchen to see if maybe there was some food in the cabinets.
Thea had told me she and her brothers came up several times a year, so I thought something might be here. I smiled when I found some dry goods in the otherwise lightly stocked pantry. I could always make some chicken soup straight from the can. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I slipped it out to see a reply from Thea.
Thea:Awesome. Glad you made it. Hope you get that peace and quiet you're looking for.Good luck dealing with your parents’ house. Text or call if you need anything.
I sent a thumbs-up and a heart back.
Me:Thanks again.
Setting my phone on the counter, I stilled when I heard the front door opening, the sound echoing down the hallway. What the hell?
A subtle frisson of fear chased up my spine. I didn’t want this to turn into a horror movie where the single woman on vacation faces a litany of creepy things.
“Hello?” a man's voice called.
My heart was pounding unsteadily, but I had no choice but to investigate. I turned and walked toward the hallway. Just as I reached the archway that led into the kitchen, the man in question appeared.
My pulse stuttered and then lunged as I stared up at Ian Tate. Ian was one of Thea’s brothers. He’d been a few years ahead of us in high school. My eyes chased over him. Time had been generous to Ian, considering that nature had already been ridiculously generous. His black hair was mussed and damp from the snow. His piercing green eyes stared at me, his gaze calculating. He seemed taller than I recalled, but I hadn't seen him in at least ten years. His broad shoulders filled out his winter jacket. It was unzipped, and I couldn't help but notice that his navy-blue T-shirt outlined his muscled chest. He was wearing faded black jeans and gave off an intimidating air.
He looked annoyed. “Who the hell are you?” he asked.
Of course, Ian wouldn’t remember me. Even though I'd been one of his sister’s friends growing up, I doubted he paid much attention to me. God, he'd been so annoying in high school—handsome and popular with girls flocking to him.
Meanwhile, I'd been the nerdy, quiet girl, a little too shy to shine socially in the cutthroat world of high school. I’d had a tight circle of friends but didn’t venture beyond that. If he'd ever noticed me beyond occasionally seeing me here when I was with Thea, I doubted it would register in his memory. He’d been too popular for a girl like me.
I was different now, though. I wasn't shy, and I didn't care to impress guys like him anymore. I rested a hand on my hip and arched a brow. “You don't remember me, Ian?”
I willed my pulse to pump the brakes and slow the hell down because my hormones didnotneed to be getting all excited over Ian Tate.