Who needed the social scene when she had her work, a friend like Ivey and wonderful goals? She didn’t. She didn’t need her family, either. Could she forgive them? Yes. But four years had passed and not once had they said they were sorry. Why would they when they’d never acknowledged that she was a victim?
The stroll down memory lane lasted right up until she turned the curve in the drive and saw the man looking around her house. She hit the brakes so hard, dust and gravel spewed up around her, drawing his attention.
Shading his eyes, he looked toward her.
Her heart jumped into her throat and lodged there, making it difficult to draw a breath. Backing out in a quick escape seemed like a good idea, but he smiled and waved to her. When she didn’t drive forward, he started to approach.
He was as tall as Corbin, a little bulkier with strength, and from what she could see of his face, very handsome.
She didn’t care.
Holding a white ball cap and wearing reflective sunglasses, he could be anyone. His clothes looked like the typical summer T-shirt and cargo shorts with sneakers, except that the body beneath was different. More honed with muscle.
Locking the doors, Hope put the car in Reverse in case she needed to speed away. Didn’t matter how idiotic she might look, not when fear ran rampant inside her, urging her to flee, making her fight hard to remain in control.
“Hello,” he called out, pulling off the glasses, showing friendly light brown eyes and dark lashes. Yep, very handsome.
And it still didn’t matter.
When he reached the side of the car, he leaned down to look in. For a second, he just stared, then his smile warmed even more. “I’d about given up hope of finding anyone home.”
Hand shaking, Hope opened the window a tiny bit. Knowing she frowned, that she didn’t look the least bit welcoming, she asked, “Who are you?”
“Lang Meyer, Corbin’s brother.” He waited for her to introduce herself, to maybe open the window more, and when she didn’t, his smile slipped. “I wanted to surprise him with a visit, but he’s not home and not answering his cell. Any ideas?”
Yes, she had ideas. Like maybe he should go wait at Corbin’s house instead of hers. “He lives in the bigger house over the path in the woods.”
Bracing a hand on the roof of her car, he nodded. “Right. I have his address and I tried there first. When I didn’t find him, I went down to the lake in case he was swimming. Saw this house through the trees and figured—”
“He’s not here.”
Straightening again, he slowly replaced his sunglasses, put the cap back on his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. He wasn’t smiling now, but his tone still sounded congenial. “Got it. Sorry I bothered you.”
Hope watched him turn and stride away, and in that moment she hated herself for being such a coward. Her fears had made her unkind, bordering on outright mean.
Lowering the window more, she called out, “Wait.”
He paused, but three seconds passed before he faced her again. She could see his dark eyebrows raised over the top rim of his sunglasses.
Clearing her throat didn’t remove the vise of uncertainty trying to steal her voice, but she forced the words out anyway. “Corbin was with my friend earlier. She might have an idea where he’s gone. If you’d like to wait, I’ll call her.”
After a long hesitation, he nodded. “Thank you. If I hadn’t been so long on the road, I’d head into town and kill some time until he returns, but—”
“It’s not a problem. Just let me get parked first.” Hope reached for the garage door opener, but then withdrew her hand. Being inside the building with him would feel too confining, so instead she stopped the car right outside the garage. Taking her phone from her purse, she put in a call to Ivey.
Her friend answered on the third ring. “Hey, chickie, what’s up?”
“Well, Corbin’s brother is here?” Yeah, that didn’t explain anything, especially since she posed it with so much uncertainty.
“Here, where?”
“My new place.”
Sharpened awareness came through in the way Ivey asked, “You’re okay?”
Lowering her voice, Hope whispered, “In my car, doors locked. He’s just standing there.” Looking gorgeous and waiting. “He does resemble Corbin, so I believe him.”
“You want me to shoot over there real quick?”
God bless her, she could always count on Ivey, even when it was horribly inconvenient. “No, I’m...” Fine? Was she fine? Hope shook her head. It didn’t matter. “He said he’s been calling Corbin but no answer. Any ideas where he might be?”
“I’m sorry, no. But if they’re on the beach, Corbin’s signal might have dropped. You know how it is there. For every phone service that works, another doesn’t.” Then with decision, “I’m coming over. Stay in your car. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“You don’t need to—” Hope realized that Ivey had disconnected and wondered what to do with Lang.
As if he sensed her unease, he kept his distance this time when he asked, “Any luck?”
That in itself was a surprise. Most men either ignored her nervousness or tried to tease through it. Mind made up, Hope lowered the window enough to poke her head out. “She’s...um, coming over. She’ll be here any second.”
“You say my brother was visiting with her?” As if relishing that idea, he nodded. “I’d love to meet her.”
“Yes, well...” She couldn’t continue to cower in the car. Anyone with eyes could see this man and Corbin were related. And he certainly didn’t act threatening. In fact, he was considerate, keeping his distance while not making a big deal of it. “I’ll try calling Corbin, too.” Going for stealth and likely failing, she asked, “What’s his number?”
Taking two measured steps closer, Lang rattled off the number while Hope put it into her phone. It rang three times before Corbin answered.
It startled Hope to hear his voice, since she’d believed Lang that Corbin wasn’t picking up. But he had known Corbin’s number by memory, so that counted as something. “Hey.”
“Hope?” Corbin murmured something, probably to Justin, then asked, “Everything okay?”
“I think so.” Keeping a wary eye on the guy, she said, “Your, er, brother is here?”
“Lang?” He laughed. “No kidding?”
Watching Lang smile again, she explained, “He called but you didn’t answer, so he...came to my place. That is, the guesthouse.”