For months, he’d believed he was alone in the hotel—just him and the ghosts. It hadn’t been his imagination that he wasn’t. Had someone been trying to chase him away? Failing that, were they now trying to do the same with him and Casey?
“Whoever is behind the note and the perfume, they’re after something,” he said and saw that he’d hit a nerve. “They’re clearly trying to divide us.” Divide and conquer, he thought as he realized that the person’s agenda could quite possibly be at cross-purposes to his own. He’d been looking for Megan’s killer. “If the killer thought that you knew something that could help me...” He saw the color drain from her face for a moment. “Casey?”
“I can’t help you,” she said a little too quickly. “Nor can I imagine why anyone would think that.” She looked nervous and upset.
He swore under his breath. Shit, she did know something. Or at least the killer thought she did. “If Megan’s killer even thought you had information—”
“I don’t.” She took another step back. “I really need to get back to what I was doing.”
Finn nodded, angry at himself but even more angry with the situation. Whoever wanted to come between them, it was working. He could feel her pulling away. Worse, he had no doubt now that she knew something. He just worried it could get her killed.
She started to turn away, but he put his hand on her arm to stop her. “Casey, we have to pull together. You can trust me.”
CASEY MET HIS GAZE, furious with herself. Finn knew that she was holding back. She saw it in his eyes. Someone knew she’d taken the diary. If Megan suspected who had wanted to kill her and had written it down... If the killer thought Casey had read it... Was the killer worried that the one person she might confess the truth to would be Finn?
Then the killer would be right, she realized.
She stared into his handsome face and knew that he was right. They needed to stick together—and she did trust him. Someone wanted her to think she couldn’t trust him because of the note. It made her angry that she’d played right into the person’s hands.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” But even as she said it, she knew that telling him about the diary could be the one thing that could divide them.
She felt a tug at her heartstrings. She didn’t want to see his disappointment when she told him. How could he ever trust her after she’d lied to everyone about the diary? He’d saved her, by being here when she needed someone desperately. He’d done nothing but help her. He was buying the hotel and land, paying her more than Devlin had offered. He’d provided a barrier between her and the town and the reunion staff.
If there was one person here she could trust, it was Finn. Except maybe not with her heart.
“I did something I’ve regretted—”
Patience’s voice startled her and Finn as well. They both turned to see her coming toward them. From the look on her face, she’d heard at least some of what they’d been talking about.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“WE WERE LOOKING for you two,” Patience said when she reached them. She had a quizzical expression on her face, making Finn wonder how much of their conversation she’d overheard. “Dinner’s ready. Taco salad. We set a place for both of you. Now we’re just trying to find Devlin. Jason went to his room, but he wasn’t there.”
“Haven’t seen him,” Finn said, his thoughts more with Casey. She’d just been about to tell him something. From her tone, it was important. “Is he missing?”
Patience shrugged. “He was hitting it hard at the bar, and now nobody can find him. Oh, well, more food for us.” Finn noticed that she seemed jittery, revved up somehow. She was fingering the necklace at her throat.
Finn shot a look at Casey. He could see relief on her face as she said, “Taco salad sounds good.” Whatever she had been about to tell him was going to have to wait. She’d just found an excuse to put it off. He didn’t want to push it, not now, not in front of Patience, but he wouldn’t let it go.
“New necklace?” Casey asked.
Patience let go of the turquoise charm at the end of the chain. “You like it? I found it at the antiques barn. Jen said it’s supposed to ward off evil.”
“Some people will believe anything,” Jason said as he found them. Finn saw the exchange between Jason and Patience. Something was definitely going on there. “No Devlin, though. I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
“Well, Shirley’s dishing up, so we’d all better get in the kitchen,” Patience said and led the way in, Jason behind her and Finn and Casey bringing up the rear.
“Just like old times,” Jen said when she saw them. “Except the food is better than what we used to make ourselves. Wish I could say the same for the company,” she joked and smiled across the table at Benjamin.
“Didn’t know I could cook, did you?” Patience said, giving Jason a hip bump before taking a seat at the table.
“You’re full of surprises,” Jason said as he sat down next to her. “I never know what to expect.”
Casey moved to one of the four empty seats, and Finn joined her. Patience was toying with the turquoise charm at her neck again and clearly flirting with Jason and vice versa. Finn didn’t like the weird vibe in the room.
As he looked around the table, he could see that everyone appeared tired, some a little sunburned from their day exploring town and most a little tipsy. Jason looked as if he was feeling no pain. Finn suspected he’d spent more time at the bar than even the others.
“So what’s everyone been
