Chapter 29
Iwake up feeling refreshed and as if everything to do with Keston’s brother was a dream. I must have hallucinated meeting him. He was too cute to be true. Nobody is that gorgeous in real life.
And no one else saw Kelley Kips.
No one else has ever mentioned that Keston has a brother.
CJ, you have lost your marbles. I laugh out loud. You fell asleep on the beach. That’s what happened. You dreamt that crazy nonsense and now you’re back safe and sound in your villa.
All the talk and search for pirate treasure had me imagining things. No more Frosty Mermaids for you, woman. I scold myself.
But then I pick up the jeans I’d left on the floor of the closet and something heavy falls out of the back pocket.
Fear tunnels through my heart when I pick up the silver flask with the family crest. Kelley Kips’ flask of dandelion wine. I unscrew the top and sniff. Same fruity scent. I take a tiny sip. Same strong flowery taste. I screw it back and hide it at the bottom of my suitcase.
Fuck!
There’s no way I can pretend it was a dream now. Kelley Kips is one smart man. He tucked that flask in my back pocket, when I was scrambling around on the beach, so I’d remember him.
I collapse on the bed and fold my legs under me. My heart races double time. The bedside phone rings and I leap up screaming.
I let it ring until it stops. I stare at my suitcase where I’ve hidden the flask as if it’s a ticking bomb.
Charlotte Campbell’s diary is wrapped in plastic under my pillow.
Keston’s text messages sending love and kisses this morning are left on Read.
On my laptop where I’m Googling relationships built on traumatic events, an email pops up from Mrs. Harris asking me to stop by the museum. Damn, I forgot abut the book club.
Last, Kes sends me a selfie of him and Trixie standing on the beach in front of his home. They’re both smiling, with Kes’s arm slung around her neck. The flowers tangled in her mane hang limply. They both look as if they’re waiting for me to return. My little family. I clutch my heart.
But I’m not ready to talk to him. My mind is busy trying to unravel like five mysteries at once.