7. Elodie #2
He tipped his chin toward me, his rich brown eyes pinning me in place. “Are you always this difficult?”
My lower lip jutted forward as I considered his question. “ Probably.” A trait, I decided, that I would take straight to my grave.
When he shifted in the driver’s seat, his legs spread in the most obscenely masculine way, my heart rate jumped. Warm notes of clean man smell filled my nose. I didn’t think Callum intended to kidnap and harm me, but honestly, there were worse ways to go.
He didn’t say any more, but his presence demanded . His heavy gaze sparked something inside me that made me want to comply and refuse all at once.
With a huff, I climbed into the cab of his truck, sitting as far from him as humanly possible. With crossed arms, I sat, pouting, but not totally sure why. A large part of me hated that he’d won our little standoff ... and that I liked it.
When he leaned in, reaching across me to pull the seat belt over my body and secure it at my hip, I held my breath. His face was inches from mine as my eyes floated over the planes of his face.
It was wildly unfair how good he smelled—like cedar, coffee, and bad decisions.
Up close, his lips were lush and soft. His five-o’clock shadow was just long enough to make me wonder what it would feel like against my smooth skin.
I swallowed hard. “Thank you,” I croaked, shifting even farther away.
What the hell? Why was it so hot in here?
I cracked open the window, trying to breathe. Fresh air. That was what I needed—not a five-minute break from reality where I could press my face against his shirt just to see whether he always smelled this good.
Without another word, Cal pulled onto the roadway, heading toward downtown Star Harbor. The trees whizzed by as we sat in growing silence .
Finally, the deep rumble of his voice filled the cab. “I’m surprised you were willing to walk that stretch of road all by yourself. Especially with it getting dark out.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “Don’t tell me super-serious Cal Blackwood believes in ghosts ?”
The corner of his mouth lifted, and for a split second I thought he might actually smile. Instead, his gaze only flicked in my direction before landing on the road in front of us. “I thought everyone from Star Harbor believed in the Lady.”
I wasn’t about to tell him about my mild internal freak-out only moments before he arrived. Instead, I opted to appear aloof. Totally unaffected. “When you live here long enough, you get used to the weird and unexplained.”
“Like what?” he asked.
I considered his question. Where do you even start?
“Strange noises floating off the lake. Unexplained sightings. The legend is woven into the fabric of this town.” My attention landed on the lights of downtown Star Harbor as we rounded the curve that led to the main road. “I mean, who are we without her?”
He nodded, considering my words. “Your brother certainly has reason to believe.”
My fingers curled around the hem of my sundress. Of course he was friends with Hayes.
It shouldn’t have surprised me, but something about hearing it from his mouth made my chest tighten.
I hadn’t been back long, but even I knew the rumors that followed my brother like a shadow. Hayes was cursed. He carried that weight like an anchor, letting it drag him further and further into whatever it was that kept him in Star Harbor, restless and watching .
And now Cal was looking at me like he knew something I didn’t.
Star Harbor wasn’t just haunted by ghosts—it was haunted by stories. Stories that wove into our bones and refused to let go.
I tracked Cal’s eyes, moving across the roadway to where my brother’s vehicle was stopped at the train tracks. The crossing bar was down and the lights were flashing, but there was no train in sight. As soon as we got closer, the lights stopped blinking and the bar lifted.
Everyone knew not to get behind Hayes if you needed to cross the tracks. For whatever reason, he always got stuck at that exact spot. It was as ridiculous as it was impossible, yet there he was.
Cursed.
The single word flashed through my mind, and my chest squeezed for my older brother. It was impossible to believe, yet his shitty luck was undeniable.
I wondered whether Cal was worried my brother might see us and have questions. If Cal and he were friends, it might seem odd for Hayes to see us together in his truck. Seemingly unaffected, Cal moseyed into town, double-parking in front of the local library.
My eyebrow arched. “How did you know where I was going?”
“Everyone knows where the women around here go when the Keepers meet.” He turned to me, a soft expression across his face. “Get out.”
I bit back a grin as I climbed out of the cab. “Thanks for kidnapping me.”
For a moment something flickered across his features—like he might fire something back and engage in a bit of fun, harmless flirting.
Instead, he nodded once before I closed the door, and without looking back, Callum drove away, leaving me standing there with my own stupid, racing thoughts.
With a deep exhale, I took in downtown Star Harbor.
Homesick.
The word fluttered in my head as I took in the sight of my hometown. I hadn’t let myself admit it yet, but something about being here, about standing in the heart of this town, was settling into my bones like I belonged.
The downtown area of Star Harbor was as quaint as it was populated. In the summer months, thousands of visitors flocked to the area to enjoy the hiking trails, towering sand dunes, and pristine beaches of Lake Michigan.
Who needed the tropics when you had Western Michigan?
There were dozens of tourist towns that dotted Lake Michigan, but it was the Lady of the Dunes that drew them to Star Harbor.
I gulped in the warm air, imagining the last dying rays of golden light reaching every corner of my soul.
Staring at the entrance to the library, I lifted my chin and rolled my shoulders back as I grinned.
Here goes nothing.