Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
10:00 a.m.
Thanksgiving Morning
The Harbor Bridge Boathouse, near the city line
T he boathouse loomed at the edge of the lake, its windows dark and foreboding against the misty, late autumn air. The overgrown reeds by the water whispered in the breeze as the friends approached the structure, the soft crunch of dead leaves beneath their feet echoing the weight of their anticipation. Lilia tugged her coat closer around her shoulders, her heart thudding heavily in her chest as she glanced at the others.
“Are you sure this is the place?” Eleanor asked, her voice low but tense, as though she didn’t want to disturb the quiet too much.
“It’s where he told us to meet him,” Augustus replied, pulling the message up on his phone and showing it to her. “Boathouse. 10 a.m. sharp.”
“Then where the hell is he?” Delilah grumbled, her gaze scanning the area. The boathouse seemed empty, abandoned almost. The door creaked open as they approached, but there was no sign of life inside.
Sebastian pushed the door wider, stepping into the dim interior. “Let’s just look around,” he said. “Maybe he left something behind.”
The group filed into the boathouse, their footsteps muffled against the old, worn wood. The place smelled of damp earth and decaying leaves, the musty scent clinging to the air. A couple of chairs sat near a small table, and the rest of the room was cluttered with old boating equipment, boxes, and stacks of forgotten things. It was as if time had stopped here, leaving everything in a state of disrepair.
“McCall?” Augustus called out, his voice echoing off the walls, but there was no response. Not even the telltale signs of someone having been there recently.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Lilia muttered, glancing around uneasily.
“No kidding,” Delilah added, leaning against a wall, her arms crossed over her chest. “Why would he call us here and then not even show?”
Eleanor, meanwhile, had started wandering further into the boathouse, her gaze sharp as she scanned the room. She stopped abruptly, crouching down near the back corner. “Guys,” she called out. “I found something.”
The others hurried over, gathering around her. Eleanor lifted a small silver ring from the floor. The light caught on the delicate band, and Lilia’s breath caught in her throat.
“That’s—” Lilia began, but she couldn’t finish the sentence.
“It’s Willow’s,” Augustus said, his voice low with recognition. “I’ve seen her wear it before.”
Eleanor stood up, holding the ring in her palm for them to see. “Why would McCall have this?” she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Maybe this is what he found,” Sebastian suggested, though his voice held a note of doubt.
“You think he called us all the way out here just for a ring?” Augustus pursed his lips, shaking his head. “Doesn’t make any sense.”
Delilah let out an exasperated sigh. “Where is he? Why send a message if he wasn’t even going to bother showing up?”
“I’ll stop by the station later,” Sebastian offered, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Maybe he got caught up in something.”
Lilia glanced at him skeptically. “Are you sure that’s the best idea? What if someone notices you asking questions?”
Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not like you two can walk in there,” he said, nodding toward Augustus and Lilia.
Augustus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, I should probably head to my parents’ place soon, anyway. My mom’s been prepping for Thanksgiving all morning.”
Lilia nodded in agreement, her thoughts suddenly drifting to her own mother. She hadn’t checked in for hours, and the longer she stayed away, the more her mother would start to wonder. “Yeah, mine too,” she said quietly. “I should go before she starts calling and asking where I am.”
Augustus turned to her, his gaze softening. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
There was a quiet moment between them, the tension from earlier dissipating into something more tender. Lilia stepped closer to Augustus, their eyes locking for a brief, fleeting second. Then, without thinking, he leaned down, brushing his lips softly against hers. The kiss was gentle, sweet, but filled with the unspoken emotions that had been building between them for so long. It was brief, but enough to set Lilia’s heart racing in her chest.
When they pulled away, Delilah raised a brow, a playful grin spreading across her face. “Finally,” she teased, unable to contain her amusement.
Lilia blushed, glancing away. “Shut up,” she muttered, though there was no malice in her voice. She tried to hide her smile, but it was impossible.
The group began to file out of the boathouse, the lingering smell of decay still clinging to the air. But as they stepped outside into the cool autumn breeze, Lilia couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. McCall’s absence, the ring, the strange unease that settled in her chest like a heavy stone—it all felt wrong.
She cast one last glance over her shoulder at the boathouse before stepping away, her thoughts racing. The image of Amelia in Willow’s clothes flashed through her mind, sending a shiver down her spine.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
And Lilia had the sinking feeling that they were only scratching the surface.