You Make Me Weak (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 1)

“Danger?” Hudson asked.

“Danger of falling in love with Crystal Lake all over again.”

Chapter 16

By Saturday night, Rebecca was more than annoyed. And the sad part? It was because Hudson Blackwell had once again managed to screw with her head, and then he’d pretty much disappeared.

Didn’t matter that it was, in fact, what she wanted. What mattered was that he’d basically thrown down the gauntlet and then…

Then nothing.

She glanced down at her cell phone, finger running over the number that glowed in the dark. She hadn’t picked up when Ethan called. But she should have. She should damn well have gone out with Ethan Burke when he’d asked her. Except, contrary to what Hudson had inferred, she wasn’t into games either. No way would she go out with Ethan when she knew there was no point.

She’d never been that girl and wasn’t about to start now. Though, truthfully, it would have been nice to have a plus one for dinner. Being the only single at a get-together hadn’t bothered her before. But now? Now she felt like the odd girl out, and she didn’t like it.

Rebecca grimaced as she pulled in behind her brother’s truck.

She didn’t like it one bit.

The dinner party had been on the books for several weeks, and she had no real excuse to back out except for the fact that she was dog-ass tired. She’d spent the day mudding the drywall seams in her front room. Her shoulders and back killed, and the thought of soaking in a hot tub had been enticing. But the thought of spending the night alone was not. She’d grabbed a quick shower and now here she was.

Rebecca scooped up the bottle of red wine from the passenger side and slid from the car, shaking out her long hair and shivering in the cold air because it was still wet. Out here, along the lake, the air was definitely cooler.

Her brother and Lily had never moved out of the quaint home they’d first shared together. A former carriage house for a much larger estate, the stone building was charming, with loads of character, and the lot was to die for. Situated on the lake, with plenty of forest on either side, it was private—the perfect spot to raise a family—and only ten minutes from town.

There were several cars in the driveway, and she recognized a few of them, her brother’s, his wife’s, and the Edwards’. Hoping the “quiet” dinner party she’d been invited to was indeed quiet, Rebecca made her way up the steps onto the porch and let herself inside.

Voices echoed from the back of the home, and she peeked into the kitchen, which was just off to her left, but there was no one there. The smells, however, were wonderful, and her stomach growled as she got a whiff of lemon chicken and roasted potatoes.

Rebecca shrugged out of her coat and hung it up, then smoothed out the black silk top she wore. She considered doing up one more button but promptly forgot about it, tightening her leather belt one more notch. Her jeans were soft and old and comfortable. This was about as dressed up as she got on a Saturday night.

Her brother suddenly appeared, a small bundle of blonde curls and giggles in his arms. Hannah Rose Draper was the light of her father’s eyes, and who could blame him? The little girl, just over a year old, was gorgeous.

“Thought I heard the door,” Mackenzie said.

“Hey,” Rebecca said, a big smile on her face as she bent down to kiss her niece. Chubby hands rose up, grabbing at her, and, with a chuckle, Rebecca handed the wine to Mackenzie and scooped up the little girl so that she could hug her tightly.

“I’ve missed you, pumpkin.”

Hannah Rose snuggled into her neck, and Rebecca’s heart melted a little more. She gazed up at her brother. “Who’s here? I saw Jake and Raine’s car, but didn’t recognize the others.”

Mackenzie’s smile faltered a bit. “About that. I meant to call you but got busy at work, and then I had to run to the grocery store for Lily because we ran out of diapers and milk. And ah, well, I just sort of lost track of time.”

Okay. Rebecca wasn’t feeling the warm fuzzies any longer. Her brother actually looked guilty. Well, this wasn’t good.

“Mackenzie, please tell me you didn’t invite Ethan Burke to dinner.”

“What?” Mackenzie looked surprised. “No. I…why? Would you have wanted him here?”

“No. Forget it. What did you want to tell me?” Hannah Rose was squirming, and Rebecca propped her on her hip.

“Nash is here.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “T

hat’s great. I haven’t had a chance to catch up with him since he’s been back.” She studied her brother in the dim light. Okay. Something was up. And the longer the two of them stared at each other, the more suspicious she became. She knew who was in the family room before he opened his mouth.

“Hudson.” Mackenzie spoke quietly.