The Killing Game(40)

But what was Jarrett doing here? He’d called her right after she got out of the hospital—after being prompted by her mother, she was pretty sure—to see how she was doing, but that had been their only communication. They’d never been close, and after high school Jarrett had gone into the restaurant/bar business, living late hours and hanging around with somewhat suspect associates, while Andi had taken the college and marriage path.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked as she opened the door.

He sent her a faint smile. “In the neighborhood, sort of. I was at Lacey’s and thought I’d stop by.”

Lacey’s . . . Andi’s heart jolted a little. “Not exactly on your beaten path,” she remarked. Jarrett lived miles away, on the other side of Portland.

“Yeah, well, thought I’d come by to see you,” he said lightly. “You gonna make me stand on the porch all night?”

“Come on in.” She opened the door wider and stepped back.

Jarrett crossed the threshold and looked around the cabin with interest. He was tall, dark, and handsome, the total cliché, but he was a hard person to know. But then again, maybe she was, too.

“I saw Trini there,” he said.

“At Lacey’s?”

He half laughed. “I know. Nothing gluten-free and low-salt there.”

“What was she doing there?”

“Enjoying the ambience like the rest of us?”

“Well, I never want to go there again.”

He gave her a sympathetic look, unusual for him. “Trini seemed to be watching the door for someone, but they didn’t show. Maybe another relationship on the edge. She knows how to run through ’em.”

Trini’d run through Jarrett once upon a time. That was her normal way, but Jarrett wasn’t exactly Mr. Relationship either. Their affair, such as it was, had ended badly, but it was long in the past now.

“You seen her lately?” Jarrett asked casually, too casually in Andi’s opinion.

“Not a lot. A few times.”

She’d actually only seen Trini twice since her stay at Laurelton General. Once while her mother was here—though the way Diana had kept busying around and inter rupting them while Trini was over had cut that visit short—and then another time when Andi had met Trini for lunch. That time her friend had been so distracted and unwilling to talk about herself that Andi had asked, “Who are you and what did you do with Trini?”

She’d jerked as if stung, but then she’d relaxed and managed to dredge up a smile. “That bitch? She’s around. Just been busy.”

“Lots of classes?”

She shrugged and nodded.

“Still seeing Bobby?” Andi asked. It wasn’t like Trini to be so unwilling to talk about herself.

“Actually, he’s been like a ghost lately.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah,” she said regretfully. “I think he might be over me . . . us.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that.”

“Ah, well.” She shrugged. “Forget about it. He wasn’t my type anyway. Too buttoned-down, didn’t I tell you? What am I going to do with a guy like that? I mean, really, over the long haul.”

Andi said softly, “You seemed to like him pretty well.”

“The sex was great. That I’m going to miss. And you know, I thought . . . maybe this was just what I need. Maybe I’d been going for the wrong type all along. But it didn’t work out, so whatever.” She cleared her throat and asked, “What about you? How’re you doing, I mean really?”

“Okay. Better. Day by day. Going to work and getting back to my life.”

“Any chance you’ll be back at the gym sometime soon?”

“Yeah, sure.” Andi had tried to steer the conversation back to Trini, but her friend hadn’t wanted to talk about herself. That was so unlike her usual MO that their lunch conversation had kind of petered out, and they’d parted with promises to get in touch soon, promises yet to be fulfilled.

Now Jarrett stared through the window in the back door, next to the kitchen, to a spot in the middle distance, his gaze running past the willow losing its leaves at the water’s edge to fixate somewhere further on the faintly rippling waters of Schultz Lake. His hair was rakishly long, and he wore jeans and a black leather jacket, the combination making him look slightly dangerous. Her brother was a cool customer who played his cards close to the vest.

“You want something to drink?” Andi asked, heading to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. She pulled out a pitcher of chilled water.

“I’m not staying. Just wanted to check in on you.”

“As you can see, I’m okay.”

“Back at work?”

“Yeah, for a while now.”

“You know,” Jarrett said, still gazing at the water, “he planted willows all around this lake. Schultz did, when he started developing. Had a thing for them, I guess.”

Andi shot a look to the partially denuded tree bending down toward the water. The willow branches were knobby whips.

“How are the Wrens?” Jarrett asked neutrally. Andi turned and gave him a sharp look. Jarrett had never said anything against Greg, but Andi had always known he hadn’t had much use for him.