Lovely Girls(49)

Alex shook her head.

And I get it. They’ve all known each other forever. Why would she listen to me? But I really think something could happen tonight. So I need to be there. And I need to get it on video. Whatever happens, I want to record it. Just in case.

There’s going to be a full moon tonight, which will reflect off the water and hopefully make it light enough so that I can film them. I found a video on YouTube about how to make videos at night with an iPhone. There’s a setting I can put my phone on that will make the picture easier to see.

I just need to make sure Daphne and Callie don’t see me. There are dunes back behind the beach, so my plan is to hide there, in the beach grass. That should be enough cover. As long as I make sure the light on my camera isn’t on, no one should be able to see me.

Of course my mom would never let me go, especially if I told her where I was going and why. She’s already freaked out about the allegations against Coach and the anonymous texts that Daphne got and the sex video. She wants me to stay as far away from Daphne, Callie, and Shae as possible. She even suggested that I drop off the tennis team, if we actually have a team going forward. If I’m going to be there, I’ll have to sneak out. I’ve never done that before, but I think it’ll be okay. My mom goes to bed early and sleeps pretty soundly. She won’t even know I’m gone.

A voice called out from off camera. “Alex! Dinner is ready!”

Shit, I have to go. Hopefully, I won’t get caught sneaking out tonight. Because if my mom finds out what I’m about to do . . . she’ll absolutely kill me.





CHAPTER THIRTY




* * *





KATE

“Is it too late to call?” Joe’s voice was warm and low. “I just got off work.”

“Not at all.” I was lying in my bed, reading a novel that was barely keeping my attention. Joe’s phone call was a welcome distraction. “How was the restaurant?”

“Crazy busy. We were backed up most of the night. But I’m not complaining. I’d rather be busy than sitting around, waiting for customers to show up.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I hated slow days at the store. It happened every time a snowstorm was about to blow through.”

“Luckily, we don’t have many snowstorms around here.” I could hear the smile in Joe’s voice.

“True enough.” It was the first night since we’d moved to Shoreham that was cool enough to open the windows. The breeze blew softly into the house, ruffling the drapes and chasing away the stale air.

“Have you made a decision about that commercial space we looked at?” Joe asked.

“Not yet.” I hadn’t told Joe that I was worried I’d made a terrible mistake moving to Shoreham. My daughter was miserable; I’d been ostracized by the first friends I’d had in years. There was nothing to keep us here, other than the house, which I could always sell. Did I really want to sign a lease on a commercial space when I wasn’t sure that we should stay here? Instead, I said, “I’m still thinking about it.”

“Hey, I had an idea I wanted to run by you.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m taking Sean to the Universal Studios theme park next weekend. Do you and Alex want to come with us?”

“That’s your time with Sean. He won’t want us tagging along, will he?”

“He won’t care. He’s pretty laid back, and besides, he’ll be too distracted by the roller coasters. There’s one that goes straight up in a ninety-degree angle and then plunges straight back down again. You’ll love it.”

“I should probably tell you about my strict no–roller coasters policy. I’ll stay safely on the ground while you all ride it.”

“So you’ll come.” Joe sounded so delighted, I felt warmth curl through me. The idea of getting away from Shoreham, and all of the conflict and strife, sounded really nice, even if there were roller coasters involved.

Would Alex agree to go? I wondered. I didn’t want to force her, but I thought we could both use a weekend away.

“I’ll check with Alex tomorrow.”

“Would you mind asking her now? I’d like to make the hotel reservations when I get home.”

“Sure, I can do that.” I threw back the duvet and swung my legs out of bed. Still holding the phone to my ear, I padded down the hallway and knocked on Alex’s door.

“Alex?” I waited a few beats, but she didn’t respond. I guessed that she had on her headphones, so I rapped my knuckles against the door harder. When she still didn’t answer, I opened the door slowly. “Honey?”

Alex’s room was empty.

“Hold on,” I said into the phone. “I can’t find her.”

“She’s not home?” Joe asked, sounding concerned.

“I’m sure she’s around somewhere. She’s probably just downstairs.”

But Alex wasn’t in the kitchen. Or the living room. Or on the back patio. Or in the garage, or anywhere else I looked.

“Alex!” I called out. But my voice just echoed through the emptiness. I put the phone back to my ear. “She’s not here. She’s . . . gone. But where would she go?”

“I’ll be right over,” Joe said.