“So I jumped out of bed, and somehow there was cold water all over the floor. I slipped and fell backward and hit my head. I don’t think I lost consciousness or anything, but I was terrified that the thing was going to get me.” Allie shook her head despondently. “I guess it sounds stupid here in the light of the kitchen.”
“No, it doesn’t. The whole episode must have been incredibly frightening. You’re sleeping with me tonight,” Rain said firmly. “Unless you think she needs to go to the ER?” she added, shooting a worried glance in Jason’s direction.
“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Allie said with conviction.
Rain removed the towel and Jason studied the wound. “The bleeding has stopped, so it doesn’t look like you’ll need stitches. You’re going to have a serious lump though. Why don’t you ice it for a few minutes before you go back to sleep?” he suggested.
“Like I’ll ever go back to sleep,” Allie replied as Rain wrapped ice in another fresh towel.
Jason gave Allie’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “I’ll check your room out. Then I have to grab the blanket—be right back.”
****
Jason strode across the beach quickly, listening intently for any indication that the girls needed him. His search of Allie’s room had yielded nothing but the offending puddle. After confirming it was just water, he’d mopped up the mysterious spill with a towel.
He arrived at the abandoned blanket and stared at it, his jaw clenched in frustration. He shouldn’t have kissed her. He wanted to kiss her again. Conflicting thoughts waged a war within him, battering his conscience.
With a heavy sigh, he dropped down and folded up the blanket. He wondered what Rain was thinking. The two of them should probably talk things over. It was unlikely that talking would be his first priority the next time he got her alone, but he needed to know how she felt.
More importantly, he needed to explain his own feelings to Cara. They would absolutely have to find the time to discuss their future. Jason dragged a hand through his hair as he started back across the beach. Just the thought of all these emotional conversations was exhausting.
The girls were already in Rain’s bedroom by the time he returned to the house. He knocked on the door and cracked it open when Rain called, “Come in!”
“Everything okay?” he asked. “How’s Allie?”
“My head is throbbing, but I took some ibuprofen. Rain’s taking good care of me,” Allie said from the far side of the bed.
“Come and get me if you need me.”
“Thanks, Jay. But I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Rain replied, her voice strained with forced confidence. Jason nodded and pulled the door shut. He had the ominous feeling that Allie’s dream was merely a portent of things to come.
Chapter 17
Rain woke up to Allie’s strangled screams. She bolted upright in bed, her sluggish mind fighting to keep up with her panicked body. It was freezing in the room, she noted dully, clutching the sheets to her chest. She threw her other arm protectively around Allie and pulled their bodies closer together. The shrieking had stopped; now Allie was holding one hand over her mouth and pointing toward the window with the other.
Brandy stood there, bathed in the moonlight, holding her hands out in a pleading gesture. Her mouth was moving frantically, but no sound emerged. I can see right through her, Rain thought, as she took in the filmy figure with dead black eyes. Holy God.
The ghostly apparition groped the air with desiccated fingers. She advanced toward them, sending a wave of frigid air in their direction. The pale lips struggled futilely, her plaintive features translucent in the diffused backlighting of the full moon.
Jason burst through the door at that moment and Brandy vanished, her eerie form fading away in a hazy mist. “What’s wrong?” he demanded.
Allie just shook her head, wide-eyed, her hand still covering her mouth. All Rain could come up with in answer was, “How did you hear us?”
Flicking on the light, Jason surveyed the room. “I was having trouble sleeping. I guess I was sort of tuned in to you guys tonight, as well. Are you going to tell me what happened? Another nightmare?”
The girls glanced at each other. “Um, we saw Brandy?” Rain said it as though it was a question. But they had both seen her, so there really wasn’t much chance it had been a dream.
Jason frowned. “You mean, a ghost?” He came in further and sat down at the end of the bed, still gazing around the room.
Rain replied in the affirmative as Allie nodded in consent. Then she continued, “I think she was trying to tell us something. Her lips were moving, but there were no words. She’s desperate to communicate with us.”
Allie recovered her voice. “That was the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen. I am
so
out of here,” she said shakily.
“No!” Rain was adamant. “We have to stay, now! Can’t you see how close we are to figuring out the truth? Please, please don’t leave. No one can leave,” she finished firmly.
Jason reached over and gave Rain’s cold hand a quick squeeze. “Rain, she has two kids. We can’t force anyone to stay.”
“Brandy won’t hurt us! Please don’t leave, guys. I’m staying, no matter what. I have to finish this out. But it’s not going to work without you all.” She took a deep breath and turned to Jason. “You’re not going to leave, are you?” Her eyes pleaded with him.
He pulled his hand though his disheveled hair and stood up, pacing the room. “I won’t leave early, Rain. But I can’t stay here the entire remainder of the summer. I don’t want you staying here alone either. That’s part of the bargain.”
Rain decided she would deal with the last part later. She looked imploringly at Allie. “Please? You were leaving on Tuesday anyway, so really it’s just for one more night. You can sleep in here, with me. We’ll stick together.”
Allie shuddered miserably. “Can’t we just call a ghost hunting team or something? There are people that know how to deal with this stuff.” She gave Rain a hopeful gaze.
Shaking her head, Rain grabbed both of Allie’s hands in her own. “Brandy needs us all here. It’s us she trusts. It has to be us. That’s why we all had the dreams, I’m sure of it.”
Allie sighed in defeat. “It’s not that I don’t want to stay—I’m just really scared.”
“I know. I am too. But it’s just one more night, Allie, and then maybe we’ll have our answer. I won’t leave your side,” Rain finished bravely.
She saw a look of irritation cross Jason’s face as they waited for Allie to respond. Whatever was bothering him, she wasn’t going to worry about it. She had to stay focused on her purpose here.
Allie mumbled a quick prayer as she looked up toward the ceiling. Then she sighed again. “Fine. I’ll stay.”
“Thank you!” Rain cried, throwing her arms around her friend. “And Mrs. Pierce thanks you, and Brandy. Seriously, think about how incredible this all is. Some people spend their lives looking for ghosts.”
“Crazy people,” grumbled Allie.
“We don’t even need to mention this to A.J., all right? He doesn’t believe it anyway, and apparently Allie’s scream didn’t wake him. We need him to stay here too.”
Jason shrugged. “It’s your call—I didn’t actually see anything. But you girls have had a rough night. Do you want me to sleep down here on the couch?” he offered.
Allie nodded yes as Rain shook her head. “We’re fine!” she said brightly. “Thanks, though.”
He studied their expressions for a moment before circling around the bed to drop a kiss on Allie’s head. “I’ll be on the couch. Get some sleep.”
Rain’s pulse quickened as he made his way back toward her side of the bed. He paused and kissed the top of her head as well, smoothing her hair back with his hand. His eyes caught hers and he gave her a meaningful gaze. “You call me if you need me,” he said gently.
He flicked off the light as he left, and Allie made a thoughtful sound. “Something happened between you two, didn’t it?” she asked suspiciously. “I demand details.”
Rain sighed in resignation as her blush warmed the pillowcase. “I guess I owe you one,” she whispered. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow, okay? I’m exhausted.” She cuddled up to her friend and squeezed her eyes shut.
****
“Rain! Wake up!”
Rain’s eyes snapped open and she shot up immediately, ready to confront the ghost. But the room was bright, sun spilling in through the east-facing window, and the only other figure in the room was a flesh-and-blood Allie.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Rain managed, looking around warily.
“Nothing’s wrong, honey. At least, not at the moment. Jason’s insisting on doing laps, and A.J.’s still asleep. I have no idea what I’m even doing up this early after last night.” She shook her head in disbelief and continued. “Anyway, I can’t handle watching him alone after what happened last time. He’s being very impatient, so I need you to get up and come outside with me.” Allie flung the covers off Rain and thrust a cup of coffee in her hand. “Let’s go.”
Rain took a quick sip and climbed out of bed, carefully balancing the full mug. “Can I pee first?”
Allie grabbed Rain’s sweater off a chair where it had been left last night. “Yes, yes, but hurry up. I’ve got your sweater. I’ll be out on the pier.”
Jason was already treading water near the pier when Rain arrived. “Am I good to go, or are we waiting for the Coast Guard as well?” he grumbled.
“Just go already,” Allie said in her best don’t-mess-with-mom voice. “Stay where we can see you this time.”
Rain’s empty stomach churned with anxiety as he swam away in a strong front crawl. She and Allie stood side-by-side as they watched, the life vests waiting on the weathered wood in a pile by their feet.
It was a tribute to Allie’s concern for Jason that she stayed vigilant the entire time he was in the water, making only small talk and not pressing Rain for any details from the previous night. Once Jason had toweled off and was headed for the shower, however, she steered Rain back toward the beach. “You grab some chairs, and I’ll get us more caffeine, and maybe some carbs for endurance. Jason got fresh bagels.” She hurried toward the house, her dark blonde curls bouncing. “I’ll meet you right back here,” she called over her shoulder.
Rain grinned despite herself. She was grateful to have Allie for some girl talk, even if it was about her painful situation. She set two beach chairs down near the water’s edge and then stood waiting, letting the water lap gently over her feet as she dug her toes into the fine, polished rocks.
Once they were sitting down with their steaming mugs and soft bagels, Rain related her story. She unthinkingly finished by saying, “Then I heard you calling, and that was it.”
“Oh no!” Allie moaned, clearly devastated. “I interrupted you guys before you even got to the good stuff! I am so sorry.”
“It was still good,” Rain said quietly, looking across the shimmering lake. “Anyway, I was trying to put a stop to it before I even heard you. We needed to talk.”
“No, no, no!” Allie replied. “Less talking, more kissing!”
Rain laughed and turned her face toward the morning sun. “The kissing was great…really. But I need to know what’s going on. I’m so confused. When we first got here, I tried the flirting thing, and he made it perfectly clear that we were only friends. So why is he kissing me now?”
“Um, because he’s been in love with you since we were 17 years old? Besides, who cares why?” Allie rolled her eyes.
“I do! Unless he’s broken up with Cara and not informed any of us, they are still together. So if I let things continue, either she’s going to get hurt, or I am. And I realize this sounds terribly selfish, but if I’m the one that gets rejected—well, I truly don’t know if I could survive the pain after everything that’s happened this year.”
Allie reached out and squeezed Rain’s hand. “I know, sweetie. But I really think you two are meant for each other. I wonder why he hasn’t broken up with Cara yet?”
“Well, an obvious reason would be that he’s still in love with her. But I honestly don’t think that’s it, based on some of the things he’s said to me. So, while I recognize how pathetic this sounds, I have actually come up with a couple of theories on the whole situation.” Rain turned her head as she heard male laughter from inside the house. “I guess A.J.’s finally up.”
Allie nodded without taking her focus off Rain. “It’s not pathetic. In addition to whatever he said—and I’m going to need to hear about that, too—he kissed you last night! Actions speak louder than words. So let’s hear those theories. Come on, if I have to stay in a haunted lake house, you have to let me live vicariously through your love life.”
“That sounds fair, I guess, as long as we’re defining ‘love life’ as a tangled mess of awkward events,” Rain acquiesced with a small smile. “Okay, the first theory isn’t great, but here it is: maybe he’s just hedging his bets. Say he is interested in me, but he’s not sure how much. Perhaps he’s keeping Cara around while he sees where things might go between us.”
“That doesn’t sound like Jason. What else have you got?”
Rain let out a heavy sigh. “The second theory is basically what he alluded to that first weekend. He held out for me in high school, and I really hurt him. I know you weren’t around much at that point, really...” Rain saw the guilt flash in Allie’s eyes, and she quickly continued, “But it was awful. And now, five years later, he doesn’t want to end his current relationship just because
I
came back into his life.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, wrapped up in their own thoughts. Rain absent-mindedly picked up rocks and threw them into the lake, causing a group of ducks to swim closer to investigate. Then Allie announced, “So, what we’re dealing with is pride, then. Plus, he’s probably afraid of getting hurt again, as are you. So pride and self-preservation. I think we can get around that.”
Male voices made them turn toward the house. The guys were headed toward them, chairs in hand. “Is this a private party, or can anyone join?” joked A.J.
“Glad to see you’re still alive,” replied Rain, grateful that the conversation about her predicament was temporarily closed. Allie looked a bit disappointed, however.
A.J. grinned lazily. “I haven’t been sleeping well all week. I can’t believe I got like 12 hours in. I guess that’s what vacations are for, though. So, what did I miss last night?”