To Rescue the Runaway Bride by Kelsey McKnight

Author:Kelsey McKnight
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781954894051
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2021-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Claire

When Claire awoke the next morning to the sound of early songbirds, she was alone in a dark, cool bed. When she rolled over to where Théo had been, there was a piece of paper on the pillow.

Claire,

Went for a swim. Pool is outside beside the archery range. Join me when you get up if I’m not back. Bathing suit optional.

-Théo

She nearly laughed, as if she had a bathing suit. When she’d packed her small, crossbody bag before going to the bar, she’d had a feeling she might end up at Théo’s. She had makeup remover wipes, a small hairbrush, and toothpaste and a toothbrush, although the one he had given her on her first night’s stay was in the holder beside the sink in his attached bathroom. It was an odd thing to find there among the men’s aftershave and bottles of cologne. But she figured he probably just hadn’t thought to throw it away.

After pulling on his T-shirt from the night before that she found at the foot of the bed, she brushed her teeth and went out into the open living space. All was still in the pocket of the world Théo called his, but she still asked aloud if he was back yet.

When he didn’t answer, she padded over to the bookcase she’d admired before and ran her fingers over the cloth and leather bindings. He had all the classics she could think of neatly standing between framed photos of him with an older couple she assumed were his parents, and a few of him on movie sets next to flaming cars and one with a well-known actor she had once thought did his own stunts. There was also a collection of exotic coins in a jar and a series of flowers pressed in glass, their vibrance suspended in time. It was orderly disorder.

It felt voyeuristic to be sifting through the pieces of his life. They were only snapshots of who he was, little slices that nearly fit together but left spaces for her to fill. At the apartment she’d half-lived in with Matt, things were showroom perfect. There were no personal pictures on the shelves and the only books on the coffee table and the bookcases were ones placed there by an interior designer.

Claire had a vague idea where the pool house was, having seen it from the balcony on her first morning there. After pulling on her boots, she wandered through the lodge, which suddenly felt so large without Théo there to guide her. She tried to picture how it would be when it was full of guests: families hiking the many mountain trails, couples in the lobby waiting to check in, and kids running down the wide staircase. They were brushes of life in an empty space.

She went out the back door and stepped into the early morning sunlight. The air was fresh and tasted of sunshine and greenery. Birdsong carried her down the thin, paved path that led toward the outbuilding Théo had first pointed out to her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.