A Stranger on the Beach(39)

Forty minutes later, the lights came up. I was bathed in sweat and my legs were shaky, but I jumped off the bike, ready to bolt for the door. Stacey stood in the aisle, blocking my escape and eyeing Aidan with open curiosity.

“You know him?” she asked.

“Caroline. Wait, don’t go,” Aidan said, dismounting.

“I guess so,” she said.

Aidan came over to us, and I caught Stacey looking him up and down. He was buff in his workout clothes, his hair damp, his arms glistening with sweat.

“Hey, thanks for your help with the bike,” Aidan said. “Is this your friend?”

“I’ve got to get going.”

They both ignored me. Aidan stuck his hand out, and Stacey took it, her eyes lighting up.

“I’m Aidan.”

“Stacey. What did you think of the class?”

“Great. Caroline’s been telling me this class is an awesome workout, so I decided to check it out for myself.”

Stacey looked back and forth between us, her eyebrows shooting up. “How do you two know each other?”

“I tend bar at a restaurant near her beach house.”

“Oh. So you’re from out on the island. What brings you into the city?” Stacey asked.

“I’m here to visit Caroline.”

“That’s not true,” I insisted. “He’s a friend of my sister’s. Of Lynn’s. Right? He’s here to see Lynn.”

“He said he was a bartender near your beach house,” Stacey said.

“He’s also a friend of Lynn’s, which is why he’s in the city.”

“Really? How do you know Lynn?” Stacey asked, turning to Aidan.

He laughed. “Whatever Caroline says. Nice to meet you, Stacey. Come on, let’s go, babe.”

Aidan grabbed my arm and steered me firmly toward the door, as Stacey stared after us slack-jawed. I gave it thirty seconds till she opened her phone and started texting everyone I knew.

Outside, I yanked my arm from Aidan’s grasp.

“Get away from me,” I said.

I turned and ran, dodging traffic on Third Avenue. But he was in much better shape than me, and within a block, he’d fallen into step beside me. I slowed to a fast walk, my heart hammering in my chest as I realized I couldn’t outrun him.

“Leave me alone,” I said, staring straight ahead.

“Don’t be like this.”

“Go away, or I’ll scream.”

“What do you expect when you block my number? I call and call, and it goes straight to voicemail, so I came to find you.”

I whirled on him. “A normal person would take no for an answer.”

He looked hurt and bewildered. “You never told me no. You said you would call. You said you were coming to the beach. And you didn’t. I want to see you, that’s all.”

“I don’t want to see you. You’re screwing up my life. I’m trying to make my marriage work. You told my friend that we’re having an affair.”

“I never said that.”

“Yes, you did. You might as well have.”

“You’re ashamed to have her know? You think I’m not good enough for you, is that it?”

“Aidan, how many times do I have to say this? I’m married. Is that a concept you understand? Do you know what you did? Stacey’s the biggest gossip in town. She’s going to tell everyone I have a hot young boyfriend now. My husband will hear.”

“Good.”

“Good? You’re trying to ruin my life?”

“I’m trying to help you get away from him. He cheated on you. He took your money.”

“He put the money back.”

In fact, Jason had only restored a fraction of the funds he’d taken from the accounts, leaving me with just enough to cover our immediate bills. When I asked where the rest of the money went, he made excuses. Deals that went south. A “cushion” he needed for his business accounts. It was possible that he was lying to me, and that he planned to use the money for his Russian girlfriend. Or maybe Stacey Allen was right, and Jason was in serious trouble at work. That prospect was just as worrying, frankly.

“You’re lying. He didn’t put the money back. Did he?” Aidan said, watching me knowingly.

“None of your business.”

“You made it my business when you asked for my help, Caroline.”

“I never asked for your help. Stop saying that. We spent one night together. It was fun, it was great even, but now it’s over, and I’m asking you, nicely, to leave me alone. If you can’t do that, then there’s something wrong with you. If you won’t do it, you’ll force me to go to the police. Are we clear?”

His face fell. “You feel the same way I do. I know it. He’s making you say these things.”

“That’s crazy.”

“I’m going to free you from him.”

“Free me? Do you know how that sounds?”

“You think I’m not serious? I am serious.”

I looked into Aidan’s blue eyes and saw a glassiness there, a vacancy. Fear licked my bones. I’d had moments of thinking something was off with Aidan, but now I saw that he was truly detached from reality. We stood at the busy intersection of Second Avenue and Seventy-ninth Street. The whole time we’d been talking, people and cars and taxis had been whizzing by, giving me a false sense of security. I must be safe, because this was Manhattan, in the middle of the day, with a million people all around. But no. I wasn’t safe with Aidan, any time, any place.