Chapter 14
Raven watched her father’s hand shake as he lifted his mug.
She swallowed, forcing her attention to her parents’ faces. “How have you two been?”
“Oh, wonderful,” her mother answered, sipping her own tea as she leaned back on the deck chair. “We played bingo yesterday, didn’t we, Craig?”
“Your mother is far too competitive,” he grumbled.
“I am not,” Mom gasped. “I just didn’t want Pattie to win. That woman is the bane of my existence.”
Raven choked back her laugh as the cool breeze ran over her skin in one of the cozy outdoor seating areas behind Deep River Residence. “What did Pattie do to you?”
“She stole your mother’s dinner spot last night,” her father answered.
“Not just last night,” Mom countered. “Every night for the last week. Pattie knows I like that seat. She also gossips like she’s sixteen years old. And purposefully carries on with loud activities during quiet time.”
“Mom, you usually get along with everyone.”
“There is no getting along with Pattie Russel.”
This time Raven did chuckle.
“What about you, darling?” her mother asked, voice softening. “Anything new?”
“Well, actually.” She hesitated. She wasn’t sure why. She should want to tell them about Connor. “I moved in with a guy. We’re not dating. But, I don’t know, sometimes I think it might go that way.” When she wasn’t wallowing in the weight of her secrets.
Her mother’s eyes widened. “Who?”
“You’ve met him. Connor.”
Her mother frowned. “Connor?”
She didn’t remember. Because of the dementia? Or because she’d only met him a couple of times? “Yes, Connor. He works search and rescue.”
Her mother was still frowning as her father asked, “You like him?”
“It’s just friendship right now.” But yes. She really liked him. Something that probably didn’t escape her father.
“That’s great, honey.” Her mother smiled. “You deserve to be happy. But do you think it’s a bit soon after Xander?”
“Xander and I were done long before we called it.” She glanced down at her tea. “I should have left sooner.” Before Sampson. Before the night that changed everything, most of all herself.
Her father cleared his throat. “He called.”
Her gaze shot up. “Who?”
“Xander.”
A chill slid over her skin. “What did he say?”
“That he wanted to check in on how you’re doing.”
Her mother touched her temple, like she had a headache. “When’s the wedding again, dear?” She turned to Raven’s dad. “We’ve written it in the calendar, haven’t we?”
Another pang to her chest.
Her father set his hand over hers. “We should get inside. I think we could both do with some rest.”
Her mother frowned. “You’re right. You always know what I need.”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before turning to Raven. “Are you—”
“I’m good. Go.” She tried for a natural smile but wasn’t sure it quite came off.
Her dad rose and kissed her temple. Her mother gave her a hug. Then she watched as they walked inside.
She swallowed before lifting the three mugs from the small table and taking them to the communal kitchen, where she set them inside the dishwasher, then headed down the long hall that led to the lobby.
She was halfway there when an elderly man stepped out of a room, blocking her way.
He froze when he saw her, the color leaving his face. “Lila?”
She glanced behind her. No one else was there. The man was talking to her. “No. Sorry, I’m Raven.”
He frowned, inching closer. “Lila.”
“No, I—”
“It’s me. It’s Dad!”
“You have me confused with someone else.”
She tried to sidestep around him, but he grabbed her arm. “You’re here. You’re actually here. I thought you were dead. I thought they killed you. Where did you go?”
She tried to pull out of his hold, but his grip tightened. He might be elderly, but he was strong. “Please, let me go.”
“Let you go? I only just found you. I can’t lose you again!” He leaned closer, his voice lowering. “It was that Lotus you told me about, wasn’t it?”
What the hell was Lotus? “My name is Raven.”
The shock shifted into something else. Something darker. Anger? “You’re lying. Why are you lying to me? Is someone making you?”
“No, I—”
“Come on.” He tugged her down the hall.
She attempted to yank her arm back, but Jesus, he was seriously strong. She could kick the back of his leg, but something inside her refused to kick an elderly person. “Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere private.” He shot a glance over his shoulder, and a mix of relief, awe, and maybe even a bit of fear was in his eyes. He looked scared to lose her.
Her heart broke for him.
“Before we go,” she said slowly, “can you do something for me?”
He stopped and frowned. “What?”
“I need you to close your eyes. Please.”
Tears shone in his wary gaze. But he nodded and closed them.
“What color are her eyes?” Raven asked.
“Whose?”
“Lila’s.”
The older man paused. “Green.”
Raven’s were blue, but some people said they looked green in certain lights. “What about her hair?”
“She had the most magical long blonde curls. She called it frizzy, but it wasn’t. It was like sunshine.”
Raven’s hair was straight. “What did her voice sound like?”
His frown deepened, like remembering pained him. “Like the most tender lullaby you’d ever heard. It was soft. Unless she was angry. And she did get angry, but only when I didn’t take my medication.”
“She sounds beautiful,” Raven whispered, a sorrow settling in her chest for the loss this stranger had experienced.
He opened his eyes, but he looked at her differently now. Like he didn’t know her at all.
Slowly, his fingers released her arm. “She was the most beautiful person you could ever meet. And the day I lost her…” A tear fell down his cheek.
“Herbert?” Briar walked up behind them and touched his back. “Are you okay?”
He frowned at the woman, blinking back his tears. “I think I need to lie down.”
“Okay.” Briar looked at Raven. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, even though her heart broke for the man.
Briar’s gaze lingered on Raven for another second before she helped Herbert back to his room.
A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it and hurried out to the car. She’d just slid behind the wheel when a message came through on her cell.
Connor: The guys and I are at Bloom. You should come. I’ll order you a caramel latte.
Ha. She should be ordering him a drink after everything he’d done for her lately.
She nibbled her bottom lip. She could use a distraction. And Connor and some great coffee would definitely offer that.
Raven: You had me at latte.
Connor checked Bloom’s front door again as Polly set a coffee in front of him.
“Waiting for someone?” she asked, a grin on her face.
“Raven.”
“So things are going well between you two?”
They hadn’t fallen asleep together again, but it felt like they were making progress. “Yeah.”
“Maybe they’ll date and be as in love and into PDA as us one day,” Joel said, before grabbing Polly around the middle and pulling her down onto his lap.
She gasped. “One of us is into PDA because he thrives on public validation, but it ain’t me, buddy.”
Joel grabbed his chest, feigning hurt. “My poor ego.”
“I think it’s fine.”
It was only when they kissed that Connor looked away. Luckily, that was exactly when Raven stepped in.
And he suddenly couldn’t sit still. That was the kind of hold she had on him. He met her halfway across the room. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She smiled, but it looked forced.
“You okay?” Like he was unable to stop himself, he smoothed a lock of hair away from her face.
Her eyes flared before she responded. “Yeah. Mom was just having a bad afternoon, then I had this strange encounter with a man as I was leaving.”
“Strange how?”
“It was an elderly resident. He thought I was his daughter, called me Lila.”
He frowned. “Lila. Lila Wren?”
“Maybe. You know her?”
“I know of her. She went missing about fifteen years ago. Her dad is Herbert, the guy I told you about who we often have to go find in the forest. He has Alzheimer’s. She’s the reason he’s always out there—he’s looking for her.”
“That’s so sad.”
It was fucking devastating. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“He grabbed my arm, but—”
Connor lifted her arm. The fuck? He ran his fingers over the red marks on her wrist.
“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “I just feel bad for him.”
Damn, he wished he’d been there. “Come on. I’ll get you that caramel latte.”
“I can—”
“I’m getting you a latte, Raven. And food. Bagel?” He’d learned that she loved bagels after making her one for breakfast two days ago. She’d lit up like it was Christmas.
“No, Connor—”
“I’m getting you something to eat and drink. It would be a lot easier if you just told me what you wanted.”
She sighed. “I’d love a caramel latte and a cheddar cheese bagel.”
“Your wish is my command.”
This time her smile was real. Genuine. Easy.
Good.
While he stepped up to the counter to order, Raven moved to the end to talk to Maggie and Polly.
“You get anything on that camera?” Connor asked Ethan, when he returned to the table.
Obvious frustration drew Ethan’s brows together. “No. It’s expensive. And so small that if I hadn’t reviewed our footage, we probably wouldn’t have known it was there.”
“At least we know our cameras are pretty undetectable. Although, he’s seen us taking his shit down, so he knows they’re there now.” They’d only added cameras after someone had set fire to one of the back rooms a few months ago.
“I’m leaning toward Gerome,” Ryan said from the other side of the table. “That asshole hates us.”
Yeah, and the sheriff’s son didn’t keep his hate for them a secret. “We could set up shifts watching the place. Try to catch him in the act.”
“Sounds like that might need to be our next step.” Ethan shot a glance around Bloom. “Someone wants to watch us. We need to figure out why.”
Yeah, it was unsettling.
Ethan glanced up at the women. “Raven didn’t look too happy when she came in.”
“She had a run-in with Herbert.”
Ryan frowned. “A run-in?”
“Herbert thought she was Lila.”
“No shit.” Ethan leaned back. “Did he reveal any more about Lila’s disappearance to her?”
“I didn’t ask. I will later when she’s not so rattled.”
The guys nodded.
“How’d that search and rescue go?” Ethan asked, looking at Connor. “I got distracted by the security footage and I never checked in. You get the guy to his car, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Ryan lifted a brow. “That’s a loaded ‘yeah.’ Something happen?”
“There was just something…off about him.” He watched Raven as she headed toward them. “I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t like him.”
“What was his name again?” Ethan asked.
“Alex.”
Raven tensed, stopping abruptly.
Connor looked up, frowning. “You okay?”
“You met someone named Alex?”
“He needed help getting out of the forest. You know him?”
“What did he look like?”
“Black hair. Maybe six two. With tattoos down his neck.”
Raven paled.
Connor stood. “What’s wrong?”
“I, um, just remembered I need to do something at the center.” She stepped back.
“Raven.” He grabbed her arm to stop the next step. “Talk to me. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I’ll be back in five minutes. I promise.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No.” She barked the answer too fucking quickly. “I’ll be right back.”
Then she left, all but running out of the café.
“What the hell was that?” Ryan asked.
A mix of frustration and annoyance ran through his bloodstream. Because these secrets were driving a damn wedge between them. He liked her. But emotionally, he couldn’t seem to break through her walls.
He watched her through the glass, and it was only when she disappeared from sight that he made the decision.
Fuck it. He was going over there—and she was going to tell him what was going on.