On Mystic Lake
Page 75
She heard something in his voice, a little crack in the word forever, but he was smiling at her, and she didn’t want to think about what he was feeling. “Yes,” she whispered.
He swept her into his arms and carried her up to his bed. And as always, once she was in his arms, she stopped thinking about the future and let the present consume her.
On Tuesday morning, they planned a trip to the beach. Annie glanced down at the picnic basket beside her, checking the food supplies for the tenth time, then she checked her watch. It was already ten-thirty. She went to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up at Nick and Izzy to get a move on. Then, humming to herself, she headed back toward the kitchen.
The phone rang as she walked past it. She bent down and picked it up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hold for Blake Colwater, please. ”
For a disorienting moment, Annie couldn’t connect the name to her own life. Nick came down the stairs. She threw him a confused look. “It’s Blake. ”
Nick froze in mid-step. “I’ll . . . leave you your privacy. ”
“No. Come here. Please. ”
Nick crossed the room and came up beside her. Turning slightly, she took hold of his hand.
Blake’s authoritative voice came on at last. “Annie—is that you?”
At the sound of his voice, it all came rushing back. She stood perfectly still. “Hello, Blake. ”
“How are you, Annalise?”
“I’m fine. ” She paused, trolling for what came next. “And you?”
“I’m . . . okay. I got your number from Hank. You know Natalie will be getting home soon. ”
“The fifteenth of June. She wants us to meet her at the airport. ” She put the slightest emphasis on us.
“Of course. Her plane lands at . . . ”
She hated that he didn’t know. “Five-ten in the afternoon. ”
“I knew that. ”
An uncomfortable silence followed the apparent lie. Blake laughed easily, as if it had been three hours since they’d spoken instead of almost three months. “We need to talk, obviously, before we meet Natalie. I want you to come down to Los Angeles this weekend. ”
“Do you?” It was so like Blake. He wanted to talk, so she had to get on an airplane.
“I’ll FedEx a ticket. ”
She drew in a sharp breath. “I’m not ready to see you yet. ”
“What? I thought—”
“I doubt it. We don’t have anything to talk about now. ”
“I do. ”
“Funny words, coming from you. ”
“Annalise. ” He sighed. “I want you to come home this weekend. We need to talk. ”
“I’m sorry, Blake. I have no intention of coming home this weekend. I know we agreed to discuss our separation in June. Let’s leave it at that, okay? I’ll come home on the thirteenth. ”
“Goddamn it, Annalise. I want—”
“Good-bye, Blake. See you in two weeks. ” She hung up the phone and stared down at it.