Secrets and Lies(31)

She had to go home first to get her car, which meant she made it to Sunset Point with barely three minutes to spare. The sudden downpour had ended just as quickly, leaving only a light drizzle behind. Despite her racing pulse, she couldn’t help but admire the view. Sunset Point was one of the few flat areas of Dead Man’s Falls, Echo Bay’s rocky, jagged expanse of cliffs. The ocean surged down below, spraying foam into the air. Along the horizon the sun had finished setting, and spirals of yellow moonlight swept across the dark sky. The recent rain gave everything a glossy quality, as if she’d just stumbled into a photo shoot.

She pulled her car up behind a tall stretch of rock and quickly killed the lights. She twisted around, craning her neck, but she couldn’t see a thing. The area where cars usually parked was on the other side of the rocks. If she wanted to get close enough without being seen, she was going to have to do this on foot. She grabbed her phone and the old umbrella she kept in her car and climbed out as quietly as possible. The drizzle had slowed even more, but she opened her umbrella anyway, wanting to keep her phone dry.

Crouching low, she rounded the rocks until the cliffs’ parking area came into view. There was only one car there, a small, beat-up Honda with the lights on inside. Emerson crept a little closer, careful to stay out of sight. Two people sat in the front seat of the car, their heads bent close together as if they were deep in discussion. The guy’s back was to her, but she could vaguely make out the girl. She was short, with a pixie haircut. Every few seconds, she took a nervous scan of the parking area before returning her attention to the car. Emerson crouched even lower as she glanced at the time on her phone. In less than a minute, a half hour would have passed, and there wasn’t another person in sight. This pair had to be her mystery subjects.

She aimed her phone’s camera at them, but there was no way she was getting any kind of usable shot from this angle. Pushing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes, she inched toward the car. She was careful to keep her back pressed against the rocks, staying safely in the shadows.

When she got close enough, she could see that the girl was around her age, and the guy—balding and broad-shouldered—was definitely older. She didn’t recognize either of them. The guy put his hand on the girl’s shoulder and slowly trailed it down her arm. When the girl gazed up at him, her eyes were wide and innocent.

Emerson’s stomach lurched. She knew it was going to happen before it did. She could barely stand to watch as the older guy leaned in and kissed the girl hungrily. Tears sprang to Emerson’s eyes. Whatever that was… it was definitely illicit. Maybe even adulterous. The darer’s words blasted through her head. A is for Adultery, E is for Em! She’d been chosen for this job for a reason.

Quickly, she snapped several photos with her phone. Then she hurried back to her car and booked it out of there. Her car fishtailed a little, and she turned desperately at the wheel, trying to regain traction. Only when she’d made it safely back onto the main road could she breathe again. She wanted to get away from that scene—from that reminder—as fast as possible.

Was that all this was? A slap in the face from the darer—a reminder of who she was and what she’d done?

She’d just turned onto Ocean Drive when her phone dinged with another text. The sound sent a tremor shuddering through her. She pulled over to the side of the road and grabbed her phone.

One more thing: E-mail your best shot to Admin@anaswan.com. Do it tonight… or YOUR indiscretion goes public tomorrow.

Emerson threw her phone across the car, squeezing her eyes shut as it bounced against the passenger seat. Who the hell is Admin@anaswan.com? If it was that man, or someone he knew… she’d probably ruin his life forever.

But if she didn’t do it, the darer would ruin hers.

Emerson let out a frustrated scream. The sound echoed around her, ringing in her ears. She had no choice. No options.

She had to go through with the dare.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN


Friday, 7:18 AM


Tenley took a long guzzle of coffee before pulling out of her driveway. She needed it; she’d barely slept the night before. Every time she drifted off she’d dream of that family graveyard plot—with Tenley and Trudy headstones to match her dad’s. The darer’s latest threats were like a noose around her neck. The instant she started to relax, it would tighten: a constant, gasping reminder. T-48 hours till D-Day. And if she told anyone, her mom would go first. She wondered if this was how Caitlin had felt those last few weeks. Like no place was safe, not even her mind.

Tenley gulped down more coffee as she slowed to a stop at a red light on Ocean Drive. Down by the water, a surfer was trudging across the sand. She watched, grateful for the distraction. She couldn’t even imagine going in the ocean right now. Echo Bay’s water barely reached manageable temperatures during the summer. You had to be completely nuts to subject yourself to it in early-morning autumn. The surfer moved closer, his features sharpening into focus. For the first time in what felt like days, a laugh bubbled up in Tenley. Apparently, Tim Holland was that nuts.

She pulled her car over to the side of the road and popped open the passenger door. “Going for hypothermia?” she called out.

Tim broke into a smile when he saw her. Up close, she saw it was a boogie board he was holding, not a surfboard. “Oh, this is nothing. December is when my parents start locking me in my room. I thought I’d get a little boogie boarding in before then.” He nodded toward the open passenger door. “Does this mean you’re offering me a ride to school?”

“School?” Tenley eyed the wet suit he was wearing, shimmering with beads of water. She could feel her eyes dipping from his broad shoulders down to his flat abs, and she quickly tore them away. “I’m pretty sure that’s not on Winslow’s dress code.” Though, she thought, stealing one more glance at the black material stretched tightly across his chest, it probably should be.

“Give me one minute, and I’ll be in school-appropriate attire,” Tim promised, waving his sandy backpack at her. “I was going to walk home to get my car, but this would mean I would actually get to school on time.” He pressed his hand to his chest in shock.

Tenley glanced at the clock. “You have literally one minute or we’re going to be late for homeroom.” She gave him a stern look, but it was just for show. The truth was, she’d happily be late if it meant one less car ride alone with her thoughts.

“Time me,” Tim called over his shoulder as he sprinted to the shed that housed the beach’s bathrooms.

Fifty-three seconds later he was wearing jeans and a shirt and depositing his boogie board, wet suit, and backpack into her trunk. His shaggy blond hair and hemp necklace were still wet, but other than that he looked fully school-appropriate. “Impressive,” Tenley admitted.

“Just one of my many hidden talents,” Tim told her with a grin. “The others include sick foosball skills and an uncanny ability to spot caterpillars.”

“No way. Where were you when I was doing my caterpillar project in fourth grade?”

“Surfing, most likely.”

“Really?” Tenley glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Even in fourth grade?”

“Oh yeah, fourth grade was a big year for me. I won the prestigious Surf Babe competition. Babe as in kid,” he added quickly. “Not as in, well…”

“Hunk?” Tenley supplied. “Hot stuff? Dreamboat?”

“Exactly. Though I do one day hope to win the Surfing Dreamboat award.”

Tenley laughed. “Fourth grade was a big year for me, too. You’re looking at the Massachusetts State Gymnastics Champion, Under Ten Division.”

“Gymnastics? Really? I have to say, I wouldn’t peg you as a tumbler, Tenley Reed.”

Tenley made a sour face. “Why does everyone always say that? Okay, fine, what would you peg me as, then?”

“Let’s see…” Tim paused, tapping out a beat on the dashboard. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. “Spelling bee champ! Yes, you have spelling master written all over you.”

“Seriously? You think I look like someone who studied the dictionary?” Tenley glanced over to find Tim smirking at her, his eyes wrinkling up at the corners.

“Just kidding,” he said sweetly.

“Jerk!” She grabbed a crumpled-up napkin and tossed it at him.

Tim held up his hands in mock surrender. “Peace for surfers!”

“I wonder if that would make a good motto for a homecoming campaign,” Tenley mused. She was surprised by how good it felt to joke around with someone. It made the dares and the darer feel like what they should be: a bad dream.

“Sure, if you want me, Tray, and Sam to vote for you,” Tim replied.

“The three surfketeers,” Tenley declared as she turned into Winslow’s crowded parking lot.

“Uh, the what now?”

“That’s what Cait used to call you,” Tenley explained. The second the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. At the very mention of Cait, the mood in the car darkened.

“I never knew that,” Tim said quietly. He leaned back in his seat as Tenley pulled into a parking spot. “Man, I hate that. There’s so many things we never got to talk about.”