Troubled Waters (The Lake Trilogy, Book 2) (7 page)

I move quickly into the coffee shop, transitioning from one friend-in-progress to another. Finn is always here, whether he’s working or not. I haven’t been in since Will died so when I find him sitting at a table in the corner I usually call home he’s visibly surprised at my presence.

“Excuse me. If you’re here, who’s going to make my drink?” I say. Being around Finn Reed is easy. I don’t feel like I have to try with him and that makes my life right now just a little bit more bearable.

“Oh my gosh, you’re alive! Are you ok? You’ve been totally MIA lately!”

“Sorry about that. A friend of mine passed away last month. It’s been…really hard,” I answer more truthfully than I had anticipated and surprise myself.

“Oh, gosh, Layla, I’m so sorry. I was afraid your stalker came back.”

“No, he’s not back, not that I’m aware of. That whole situation doesn’t help me being on edge, though. No one knows where he is.”

“He must have taken it pretty hard when you let him down,” Finn suggests.

“Well, it’s a little more complicated than me rejecting his advances. My boyfriend dated his sister and it didn’t end well,” I say without thinking.

“You didn’t tell me you have a boyfriend. He obviously doesn’t go here otherwise he’d never leave your side. Is he back home in NC?”

“Um…”
What have I done?
This is exactly what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to tell anyone about Will or his tragic and completely unfair death, and now I’ve opened up a can of worms. But…I suppose if I were going to tell anyone anything, it would be Finn. “It’s kind of dramatic, but his father didn’t want us together, so it ended.”

“But you’re still in love with him,” Finn says, filling in the blank.

“Yeah,” I say after a beat.

“And this guy is coming down here thinking he can replace him? He’s an idiot. One look in your eyes and anyone can see your heart belongs to someone else.” Finn’s support is more helpful than I realized it would be.

“Thanks, Finn. I know I’ll be able to move on one day. It’s just going to take a while, and someone incredibly remarkable. But Marcus is really freaking me out.”

“Oh, is that his name? Well, I’ve got your back. I’m serious, Layla. That guy gives me the creeps. You should have seen how he was looking at you. I’d feel better about putting you in an unmarked van with a guy waving brightly colored candy and a bloody sickle. I thought he was some love-struck newbie, but now that I know there’s more to the story, you have to promise that you’ll call me if anything happens.” Finn is serious, his face taking on a new shape as he emphasizes his request.

“That’s so nice of you, Finn. I promise I’ll call if I need anything.” For the second time in less than an hour I have added another contact to my phone. I scroll through the names and numbers and realize that Furtick added his information, bringing my measly eight contacts to a whopping eleven. I wonder for a moment where my shadow is hiding as I’m sure he’s happy to see me following his instructions yet again.

As expected, Furtick requests my phone as soon as we walk through the door, takes it to run the numbers, and does background checks on my budding friendships.
If they only knew!

“They’re all clear,” he says as he returns with my phone and Luke.

“Thanks, Furtick. Any news on what happened to Marcus after we left?” I ask. This missing piece is the thing that is making this the most difficult. I can’t believe that the Marcus who surprised me in the parking lot is the same one I made peace with and said good-bye to in my living room in Davidson.

“No, nothing definitive yet,” Luke says. “But the good news is that we have good reason to believe he’s left Tallahassee. His roommates say that he hasn’t been there in over three weeks. And there’s been some activity on his bank card in North Carolina.”

“That’s good, right? That means he’s gone,” I say hopefully.

“Just because he’s not here now, doesn’t mean he’s not coming back,” Furtick assures me.

“That’s right. So, get used to Furtick because he’s going to continue being your shadow until we feel confident that Marcus is no longer a threat.” Luke is firm in his instruction. I know that look in his eyes. There’s more to what’s going on that he isn’t telling me. He knows something but doesn’t think I can handle it yet.

“If you think that’s best,” I reply. I’m keenly aware in moments like this that there is a protective nature to Luke, and while he has had Claire to take care of, there’s a fatherly protection that is so second-nature to him that, even in the midst of the threat Marcus is posing, I think he’s enjoying.

“I do,” Luke confirms.

Things have been so crazy that I haven’t checked my email in weeks. As the screen flickers on, my heart fills with joy when I see an email from Caroline. It’s dated over a week ago so I open it and find myself sinking into a place of joy. I settle in my chair, resting my chin in my hand, and read.

From: Caroline Jackson
To: Layla Weston
Subject: Hey Stranger!

Hi Layla!

I hadn’t heard from you in a while so I thought I’d shoot you an email. Being in California I have no clue when to call! This time zone thing is messing me up!

Classes are good here. The interior design program here is really competitive, but I think I’m going to be ok. I really love it! I can’t wait to get my prerequisite courses out of the way!

What about you? How are you doing? I’ve been worried about you. With Will gone and you being in Florida, I worry that you don’t have anyone to talk to. I wish I could be there for you. We should set up a time when we can talk and it’s not the middle of the night for one of us! Promise me you’ll at least email me back so I know you’re ok!

On to the gossip! Gwen and Chris got to Clemson and started dating! Tyler is settled in at Duke and (FYI) mad at you for not calling him back. And your friend Marcus Reynolds went crazy! Tyler said his dad told him that he and Will’s dad had some big blowout at the law firm. Tyler’s dad had to call the police. I don’t think Mr. Meyer pressed charges, but no one has seen Marcus since. I know, right?!?!

What happened to the days of hiking, movie night, and Chinese food? I guess we’re all growing up! I love and miss you so much! Please reply soon so I know you’re ok.

Love,
Caroline

Oh, my gosh! I was right! Something
did
happen. But why on earth would Marcus and Will’s dad have a huge, blowout argument?

I click reply and respond to Caroline with immediate apologies.

From: Layla Weston
To: Caroline Jackson
Subject: Sorry I’ve been MIA!

Hi Caroline,

I’m so sorry that I’ve been such a terrible friend! Things have been really crazy and busy here. But I promise to be better about staying in touch.

Classes are good here. I’ve made a couple of friends. One girl, Dana, reminds me of you, which is comforting. I can’t believe Gwen and Chris! Wonder how long that’s been brewing?!?! And I’ll be sure to call Tyler soon. If you talk to him before I do, please tell him I’m sorry.

I’m doing ok since that last time I saw you…I guess. It’s hard, but I just take it one day at a time. I can’t really talk about him yet. I don’t like the idea of talking about him in the past tense. So, if I’m tight lipped about it, I’m sorry.

I was thinking that maybe you guys could all come down around Thanksgiving. I know you’ll have family things, but maybe you can come after for a long weekend? I really want to see all of you. Not being with you feels like a part of me is missing.

Thanks for not giving up on me. I love and miss you so much, too!

Love,
Layla

I
say as little as I can about missing Will, and nothing about the excruciating pain that constantly exists in my heart every second of the day. She’s dealing with losing Will, too, and it just doesn’t seem fair to blather on about him to her, especially via email.

I certainly don’t say anything about Marcus. I don’t want her to worry any more than she already does. Now that I have a little bit of information that could be helpful to Luke, I’ll pass it along and maybe we’ll find ourselves one step closer to knowing what’s going on with Marcus.

That night I dream about Will. I haven’t dreamt of him in quite some time so even in my dream I cry tears of joy just seeing his face. This dream starts out as by far the best one I’ve ever had. In it my mind replays our day of nothing. Every detail is the same. We watch the same movies, read the same books, and play the same game carrying dialogue between two books. And as if in slow motion, I replay the passion we shared that day as well. I feel his hand on the skin of my back and his lips on mine. I recall how we pulled closer to each other, feeling like the line between where I ended and he began was gone. My heart swells with love for this man that I’ll never get to hold again.

But just as I’m relishing in the warmth of remembering the passion Will showed me, my mind flips the page and we’re face to face with Marcus in the coffee shop. I had forgotten that our day of nothing concluded with asking Marcus to be our ally. Only this time, Marcus swings across the table and knocks Will to the ground, grabs my arm, and drags me from the shop. I force myself to wake because I don’t want to see this play out. I turn the light on and take a few deep breaths to calm myself.

It was just a dream.  It was just a dream.
I tell myself over and over again. As I regain my peace I am thankful for Luke and his plan of action in bringing Furtick on. I don’t know how long he’ll be with us, but I’m grateful for every second that he’s here, and I hope that the work he’s doing for us is somehow redemptive for the terrible things Mr. Meyer made him do.

My phone rings and I see that it’s Dana. She’s been cleared so I answer it freely.

“Hey sugar!” she chirps.

“Hi, Dana. What’s up?” I ask.

“Some of us are getting together to study for our test next week. It’s the big one and I figured we could all use some help. You in?” she explains.

“Sure! When and where?”

“Well, I know it’s short notice, but I’m on my way to campus to meet up with everyone now. Can you come? Please?” Her sugary sweet delivery makes me want to do whatever she asks, but the sun is quickly setting and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to work it out.

“Um…let me check with my uncle and I’ll text you.” Gosh, that sounds like I have to ask him permission to do anything. I do, but Dana doesn’t need that impression. “I mean, I just don’t know what they have going on tonight.”

“Ok. Just let me know! Later!”

I walk through the house calling out for Luke and Furtick. When they don’t answer, I call out for Claire. No answer. Furtick’s car is here so I keep looking. When I reach the back of the house I see that both Luke and Furtick are on their phones on the porch. It’s still daylight, and things have been going fine with no sign of Marcus anywhere, so I text Dana that I’m on my way. I also text Luke and let him know exactly where I’m going and what I’m doing. He’ll get it when he gets off the phone and send Furtick after me I’m sure.

I grab my keys and backpack and am meeting Dana and some of the other people in my class in the library inside of 30 minutes. At this time of day there’s no one on the road, and parking on campus is choice.

I find everyone settling into a huge table made up of four tables in the library. Everyone agrees to turn their phones off or on silent so we won’t be distracted. We toss them in the middle of the table so no one can covertly check email and get to work.

After three hours of cramming, we all decide that enough is enough. If we don’t know it now, we never will, although we’re all pretty confident that we’ll do just fine. We gather our phones, say our goodbyes, and split off into different directions based on which lot we parked in. I’m halfway down the stairs when I have to go back for the sweater I brought for the chilly library. I send Dana on her way, as I don’t want to hold her up any longer because of my absent-mindedness. I scan the room expecting to see Furtick in an unassuming location. There’s no one around so there’s no reason for him to stay hidden, but I don’t see him and suppose he’s just keeping with protocol.

As I make my way back to the door the woman who could be Eliana Meyer’s twin is leaving, exiting the building at the far end of the room. Something in me won’t let me miss my chance again. She walks quickly but I’m able to keep up this time. She’s making her way to the parking lot. I want to call out to her, but shouting “hey” will just sound menacing.

“Excuse me! Excuse me?” I call but she doesn’t turn around. In fact, she walks faster. She’s fumbling with her keys. “Hello? Miss? I’m so sorry…I don’t mean to scare you. This is going to sound crazy,” I say as I approach her, out of breath. Still ignoring my calls she reaches her car and drops her keys. I catch her shoulder as she stands from picking them up. She stops, facing the car and then turns around slowly. “Oh, my…it’s you.”

We’re both out of breath and shock mirrors our faces. This can’t be happening.

“I’m sorry. You have me mistaken for someone else,” the woman says. She’s nervous but I know that over-pronunciated, over-rehearsed cadence.

“No, I haven’t. You’re Eliana Meyer. What the hell is going on here?” I demand.