so much nicotine. His lungs must love him right now.
Eric stopped. He plowed his fingers through his hair and stared into the blackness. A blast of cold air smacked him in the face, knocking him backward. Nothing new. Every time he took what he perceived as a step forward, something always shoved him back. Not a couple of steps either, but flat on his ass. This past year he’d finally gotten things under control, or so he thought. Now he understood. Any power he believed he may’ve had over his destiny was nothing short of laughable.
At least everything made sense. If understanding was a consolation.
He turned to the homes across the beach. Unlike earlier, they were dark now, sitting eerily quiet. A murky gray fog hovered around the bottoms. Kinda like he felt. Jamming his fists into his pockets, he bowed against the strong wind and moved forward. Several lengths down the shoreline, he drew up to pause again. Darla Hennessey’s house sat about a hundred yards away. He shook his head and wished for memory loss concerning this girl.
Yet, she’d stayed in the back of his mind. Even after Drake’s death, and during his meeting with Finn, he couldn’t erase the image of her. He didn’t have the energy to analyze these unwanted feelings either. He wanted to smother them for good.
He almost laughed out loud. It’d probably help if he quit acting like some lovesick teenager, and not stalked her home in the middle of the night. Maybe he should cut through to the street now. Go around the block and miss her house altogether. He was an idiot. At this hour smart girls like her were snug in their beds sound asleep. Usually alone.
Eric took a step then froze. Did he spot a movement on her deck? He remained motionless and watched. Nothing happened. Exhaustion and frustration must produce hallucinations. He gave the house a final glance, and took another stride.
A shift in shadows once more caught his attention. He stopped again and focused through the hazy vapors. An outline of someone stood on her deck, but he didn’t know if the person was Darla. It might be, so why go by there if he didn’t want to meet up with her again? He made a sharp turn to cut in between two houses, prepared to finish his journey on the road. No more taking gambles in his life. He was done.
****
Darla slid open the door and stepped outside. In an instant, her bare feet were wet from the rain’s residue streaming across the deck. She treaded carefully upon the wooden planks until she reached the edge and leaned over the rail to stare into the mist, listening to the rumble of waves.
A frosty breeze followed the storm, triggering her body to shiver. Darla didn’t like the cold, but tonight the nippiness held a certain allure. She inhaled deeply to swallow a bite of bitter air. Eyes closed, she wished she’d fall asleep and stay asleep for a week. Too many things weighed on her mind. The murder, the possibility of a killer living near—her ex.
The guy was the love of her life. He’d made promises, promises that turned into lies. The harsh reality proved to be clear. As of tonight, he was a married man. Then there was Eric. What were the odds she’d meet him on the evening of her former boyfriend’s wedding? If nothing else, their encounter was a pleasant diversion from the disappointment she’d suffered. She needed to keep their meeting in a “distraction” perspective, although she didn’t want to.
A sudden heavy gust blew right through her. The thin pajama bottoms and tank top offered no protection against the chill. Her feet had already converted into blocks of ice. Enough invigoration. She turned to go inside.
“Darla?”
Darla whipped around and peered over the edge of the rail.
“That’s your name, right?” Shane climbed the steps to her deck.
Darla clenched her fists. Shane was a good-looking guy, but his association with Eric Boyd was what expanded her heart. And Eric wasn’t with Shane.
“Why are you out this
Eric stopped. He plowed his fingers through his hair and stared into the blackness. A blast of cold air smacked him in the face, knocking him backward. Nothing new. Every time he took what he perceived as a step forward, something always shoved him back. Not a couple of steps either, but flat on his ass. This past year he’d finally gotten things under control, or so he thought. Now he understood. Any power he believed he may’ve had over his destiny was nothing short of laughable.
At least everything made sense. If understanding was a consolation.
He turned to the homes across the beach. Unlike earlier, they were dark now, sitting eerily quiet. A murky gray fog hovered around the bottoms. Kinda like he felt. Jamming his fists into his pockets, he bowed against the strong wind and moved forward. Several lengths down the shoreline, he drew up to pause again. Darla Hennessey’s house sat about a hundred yards away. He shook his head and wished for memory loss concerning this girl.
Yet, she’d stayed in the back of his mind. Even after Drake’s death, and during his meeting with Finn, he couldn’t erase the image of her. He didn’t have the energy to analyze these unwanted feelings either. He wanted to smother them for good.
He almost laughed out loud. It’d probably help if he quit acting like some lovesick teenager, and not stalked her home in the middle of the night. Maybe he should cut through to the street now. Go around the block and miss her house altogether. He was an idiot. At this hour smart girls like her were snug in their beds sound asleep. Usually alone.
Eric took a step then froze. Did he spot a movement on her deck? He remained motionless and watched. Nothing happened. Exhaustion and frustration must produce hallucinations. He gave the house a final glance, and took another stride.
A shift in shadows once more caught his attention. He stopped again and focused through the hazy vapors. An outline of someone stood on her deck, but he didn’t know if the person was Darla. It might be, so why go by there if he didn’t want to meet up with her again? He made a sharp turn to cut in between two houses, prepared to finish his journey on the road. No more taking gambles in his life. He was done.
****
Darla slid open the door and stepped outside. In an instant, her bare feet were wet from the rain’s residue streaming across the deck. She treaded carefully upon the wooden planks until she reached the edge and leaned over the rail to stare into the mist, listening to the rumble of waves.
A frosty breeze followed the storm, triggering her body to shiver. Darla didn’t like the cold, but tonight the nippiness held a certain allure. She inhaled deeply to swallow a bite of bitter air. Eyes closed, she wished she’d fall asleep and stay asleep for a week. Too many things weighed on her mind. The murder, the possibility of a killer living near—her ex.
The guy was the love of her life. He’d made promises, promises that turned into lies. The harsh reality proved to be clear. As of tonight, he was a married man. Then there was Eric. What were the odds she’d meet him on the evening of her former boyfriend’s wedding? If nothing else, their encounter was a pleasant diversion from the disappointment she’d suffered. She needed to keep their meeting in a “distraction” perspective, although she didn’t want to.
A sudden heavy gust blew right through her. The thin pajama bottoms and tank top offered no protection against the chill. Her feet had already converted into blocks of ice. Enough invigoration. She turned to go inside.
“Darla?”
Darla whipped around and peered over the edge of the rail.
“That’s your name, right?” Shane climbed the steps to her deck.
Darla clenched her fists. Shane was a good-looking guy, but his association with Eric Boyd was what expanded her heart. And Eric wasn’t with Shane.
“Why are you out this
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