“He said he’s here for work. Maybe he really is,” I offered, shrugging.
Sure, the timing—the location—was curious. But stranger things had happened. Stowe being here for a legitimate work-related reason wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
One empty wine glass remained on the table from earlier, and Adam picked it up and twirled the stem in his hand. “Hmm, did Stowe say anything to you about what kind of work he’s doing here?”
I suddenly felt foolish I’d not delved deeper. I’d let a stranger into my house, cooked dinner for him, drank wine with him. And I’d never even thought to ask him his last name. Stupid, stupid. No wonder Adam was so upset with me. The least I could do now was help him figure out why Chelsea’s brother was still in town. Adam obviously didn’t trust him, and now that I knew who he was, I didn’t either. Stowe had kept his true identity from me, even though he’d known exactly who I was the entire time.
“He said he’s up here working on a project for his boss. It sounded like he’s involved with a company that works on redeveloping small towns. He’s studying Harbour Falls as sort of a model. At least that’s what it sounded like. He was kind of vague.”
“I bet he was vague. Something is definitely up.” Adam put the glass down and rolled his eyes. “And Harbour Falls as a model small town model? Please… That’s almost laughable, Maddy.”
“I suppose.”
“For the sake of argument, let’s say his story is true. Why come all the way up to Maine? There are no vibrant small towns to study that are closer to Florida?”
“I don’t know, Adam. I’m just telling you the things he told me.”
“He said those exact words to you?”
I thought it over. Most of those things I had inferred. I told Adam as much and added, “Well, the part about him working on a project for his boss, he said specifically.”
“Interesting…” Adam seemed lost in thought for a minute. “Don’t worry. Whatever he’s doing here, I’ll find out.” I had no doubt he would.
“You really don’t like him, do you?” I asked.
Adam leaned back in his chair, ran a hand over his face. “No, I really don’t.”
“Is it because of Chelsea?”
“Mostly,” he answered, impatience coloring his tone.
“So—”
He cut me off. “Look, Madeleine, your neighbor, as intriguing as his presence in this town is turning out to be, is not the reason I came here tonight.”
I figured as much. Adam came here to find out why I’d been on Fade Island yesterday.
“Uh, if it’s about yesterday,” I said. “I was over there to pick up some clothes.”
“Really?” he deadpanned.
“Yep.” I nodded, inwardly cringing at how ridiculous my excuse sounded.
“Why was the Navigator so muddy?” Adam pinned me down with his eyes. “Did you decide to do a little off-road driving before or after you”—he coughed sarcastically—“picked up your clothes.”
Uh-oh. I couldn’t tell him what I was really doing over on the island. If he knew I’d discovered what J.T. had been burying—a lockbox from Ami Hensley that I had every intention of digging up—Adam would flip. So, no, I couldn’t tell him what I’d been up to.
But I had to explain the mud. “It rained the night before, like, a lot. I must’ve driven through a few puddles.”
“A few puddles,” he said dryly. “Sure.”
Adam knew he had me. Hell, I knew he had me. But I also knew he liked seeing how far he could back me into a corner, especially when he had lots more ammo.
Sure enough, he asked, “When you returned the vehicle to the lot did you not notice the rear passenger tire was flat?”
Damn! I knew I’d worked the Navigator too hard over the access road. I must’ve developed a slow leak. I answered Adam, however, with an innocent, “I can’t imagine how that happened.”
“And,” he continued, leaning forward, “you know what was even more perplexing, Madeleine?”
I shook my head, widening my eyes to feign innocence. “No. What?”
His arresting blue eyes held mine captive. “When I tried to change the tire this morning, the tire iron was missing.”
“Maybe it didn’t come with one?” I squeaked.
Adam reached forward, ran a finger down my cheek. “Madeleine,” he said, sighing. “You’re so stubborn. Sometimes you drive me crazy. You know that, right?”
He was going to let it go, for now, I could tell. But I wasn’t sure where this new turn in conversation was leading. Nervous and unsure, I lowered my gaze. “Adam…”
“You kept the note, didn’t you?” He nudged my chin, urging me to look at him.
Ah, the note. “I did,” I confessed, meeting his eyes.
Adam’s hand trailed down my arm, he placed his hand over mine. “Are you ever coming back to stay?”
Unlike after we had sex, when he’d seemed so distant, Adam now appeared vulnerable. My chest tightened. I couldn’t tell him about Ami, I couldn’t ask him what he was hiding, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to confess that I was trying to get to the bottom of some “real” secret, even if I was doing it for his own good. But I also wasn’t going to keep pretending I didn’t care or that I needed space.
“I want to come back,” I choked out, tears welling. “I do, I really do.”
“So, come back…tonight,” he said, his voice softening. “I know you still love me.”
“I do. I love you so much,” I sobbed. “But I can’t leave.”
Adam moved his chair next to mine and took my face in his hands. “Maddy, what’s going on? I know there’s more to all of this. Why won’t you tell me?”
“I want to, Adam, and I wish I could. But there are things I can’t tell you, not yet.”
He
