Home to Whiskey Creek (Whiskey Creek #4)(62)
Author: Brenda Novak

Was Derek in there? His unit’s lights were on, but that didn’t mean he was home.

After parking down the street, out of sight, Addy walked back and slipped through the motorcycles, cars and trucks. She had no idea which of the many vehicles might be Derek’s, but it didn’t matter. A few were damaged, but none of the white ones showed evidence of a recent scrape on the front right panel.

Through the process of elimination, that left Stephen. He was the only one with a white truck. But her approach had hardly been scientific. She didn’t know what was in Kevin’s garage. She wasn’t sure whatever Derek drove was even in the lot. And there was always the possibility that her abductor had borrowed a vehicle that night.

Her cell phone rang. After hurrying back to her 4-Runner, where she felt safe, she got in and answered Gran’s call.

“Everything okay?” Addy asked.

“Oh, yes. I’m in and locking up now,” Gran replied. “The kids loved my apples.”

“Of course they did.”

“When are you going to Ted’s?”

She wasn’t. Not really. “I don’t know. Why?”

“He just called, looking for you. It scared me that you left so long ago and hadn’t shown up yet.”

“Sorry about that. I was out—” she made an effort to fill in the blank “—enjoying the Halloween decorations.”

“Well, I told them you’re on your way. They have a movie and they want to start it, so you’d better get over there.”

Great. Gran had committed her?

She frowned, wondering if she could get out of it. But she didn’t see how she could. She was afraid someone would mention her absence to Gran if she didn’t show up. She could easily see Ted bumping into Milly at the grocery store or Just Like Mom’s. Hey, where was Addy the other night?

Besides, now that Gran expected her to be gone for several hours, how would she pass the rest of the evening if she didn’t go?

She figured she could hang out near Stephen’s and wait for him to go to bed so she could check the front of his truck. But those minutes would pass very slowly. Why sit there for so long when she could simply come by later?

Going to Ted’s had to beat waiting in the dark for an indeterminate length of time. If Noah arrived, she could always leave. “Okay. I’ll head over there now.”

21

Adelaide wore her flapper costume and left her ghost creation wadded in a ball under her backseat. She wasn’t thrilled with what putting a sheet over her head had done to her hair, but the headband with its big feather helped camouflage that.

Ted’s house was impressive. Located about five minutes outside town on a fairly large piece of property near the river, it was several levels high and loftlike. He’d apparently renovated an old mill.

She didn’t see Noah’s truck on her way in, but he was there, dressed as a caveman. He looked over as she entered, his tan perfect for pulling off a costume that required a loincloth, and she immediately regretted that she hadn’t chosen to stake out Stephen’s place instead. She was embarrassed that he’d seen her driving by the store earlier. She didn’t have a good reason for that, except the obvious—her crush was far from over. But the obvious once again contradicted the rest of her behavior, and she could tell he wasn’t happy about the inconsistencies.

When she glanced away instead of returning his smile, he didn’t get up from his place on the couch, where he was holding a beer. He didn’t say anything to her, either. He just watched as the others greeted her—Ted (a pirate), Kyle (a fireman), Riley (a doctor), Eve (an old-fashioned barmaid), Dylan (a bad-boy biker), Cheyenne (a bad-boy biker’s chick), Brandon (Frankenstein’s monster) and Olivia (a vampire). But a few minutes later, when she caught his eye again, his expression itself was a question: What’s going on with you? Didn’t we have fun together? What’d I do?

Noah’s anger made it easy to avoid him, because once she’d set the tone he avoided her. Addy tried not to think about him, but she couldn’t deny that regret tore at her restraint. Fortunately, she liked his friends, found them pleasant to talk to. After two glasses of wine, she began to relax and have a good time.

She didn’t go home after an hour, as she’d initially planned. They played liar’s dice and a couple of card games. They laughed, talked, ate snacks, including meatballs in a bloodred sauce on ceramic skeleton plates, and watched Psycho, in honor of Halloween.

The movie was over and Noah was in the middle of a game of pool with Dylan when Ted suggested they get into the Jacuzzi.

Addy knew this was the perfect time to head home. She told them she’d forgotten her swimsuit, even though she hadn’t brought it because she hadn’t planned on attending the party in the first place. But Eve spoke up to say she had an extra one. And Addy felt she couldn’t leave without apologizing to Noah. She kept thinking she’d feel better if she did. Then maybe she could go on her way without the sinking sensation that made it so difficult to leave things as they stood.

She’d blame her hot and cold reactions on her divorce, she decided. If she admitted she was attracted to him, but claimed she’d been too burned to get involved with anyone else, at least she’d be giving him a reason why she wouldn’t follow up on their night together.

Now that she was hoping for a chance to talk, she agreed to get in the hot tub. Ted tried to convince Noah to join them, too, but he stayed at the pool table until Cheyenne persuaded her husband to finish the game later. Then Dylan dragged Noah out, but he was the last to join them and—purposely, it seemed—he walked around to the other side of the Jacuzzi to sit as far from her as possible.

The warm water felt good but Noah’s cold shoulder didn’t. Addy tried making up for her initial unfriendliness by smiling at him a few times. But he ignored her, got out a few minutes later and went to dress.

Ted, who was sitting next to her, nudged her and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry about Noah. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“It’s okay.” She could hardly hold Noah’s reaction against him when she was to blame.

“He’s had a bad week,” Cheyenne concurred.

Eve swished the steam and bubbles away from her face. “I wish Baxter had come. I know that would’ve made Noah feel better.”

“It would’ve made us all feel better,” Kyle said.

Cheyenne motioned for them to be quieter. “Noah will get angry if he thinks we’re talking about him.”