We did our best to put the news Captain Paulson had brought us to the back of our minds as we celebrated New Year’s Eve. Norma and Frank came round for dinner, and though my mom tried to stay up until midnight, she was asleep in bed by ten. My father didn’t last much longer.
I usually watched the fireworks at midnight from the beach, but I was feeling jumpy after our conversation about William and didn’t feel comfortable going down there on my own. So, when midnight neared, I asked Noah if he wanted to join me.
He was happy to keep me company, and we walked down to the sand together. Lots of people were already gathering on the beach close to the house, so we wandered a little farther down. Even once we were well clear of the crowd, we kept on going until it felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves. Suddenly I realized we’d walked so far we’d reached the secluded cove where we’d shared our first kiss.
Neither of us mentioned that fact, but it was impossible for either of us to ignore. I felt a wave of nerves as Noah lay out a rug on the sand. It was the first time we’d been alone since Aspen. The first time since my feelings for him had come roaring back to life.
We sat close to each other, tucking our legs under the small blanket I’d brought to ward off the cold. Even with the heat I could feel radiating from Noah, it was still chilly tonight, and I found I was leaning into him. I couldn’t help myself.
We sat in silence as we stared up at the starry night sky and waited for the fireworks to go off. It was peaceful with the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore, and even though it was dark, the moon was bright, and I could clearly make out Noah’s features. His expression was thoughtful as he looked out at the waves, and when he tuned and caught me watching him, he gave me a careful smile.
As he looked into my eyes, my body thrummed with a sense of uncertainty. All week he’d been so sweet and caring, but he hadn’t once asked me if I’d done what he’d asked in Aspen—if I’d taken time during the break and thought about us. And if he asked me now, I wasn’t sure how I’d answer. Because while this week had strengthened my resolve that Wes and I were better as friends, the thought of being something more with Noah still scared me.
“You’ve been quiet this evening,” Noah said.
“You’ve been quieter.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I have.”
“You still thinking about your grandfather?”
“Among other things.”
The thought of William made me shiver, and as a chill ran down my spine, I pulled my arms a little closer around myself. “You don’t honestly think he did it, do you?”
Noah lifted his eyebrows. “You know what he’s capable of. You know what he’s done in the past.”
“I know, but why would William come after my mom and me? We weren’t the ones who took his company.”
“No, but Matthew and I were,” Noah replied. “We took the thing he cares most about in this world, so he tried to do the same. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you. He knows that.”
“So, he had motive, but that doesn’t mean he torched our home.”
“He was also here in Rapid Bay that night…”
I drew back from Noah, and an icy chill wrapped around my body and seeped into my blood. “What do you mean?”
“Matthew has been paying off several people in my grandfather’s employ for information on him,” Noah explained. “He wanted to make sure William wasn’t going to do anything stupid after we took his company. We know he hired a private charter plane the night of the fire. It was supposed to be going to L.A., but the itinerary changed at the last minute. None of our contacts found out in time to warn us…” He shook his head. “It’s not the kind of proof that would put him behind bars, but it’s pretty damning.”
I suppressed another shiver as I stared out at the water. It was one thing to guess Noah’s grandfather had started the fire but another to know he was in town the night of the blaze. It was certainly enough evidence to attribute guilt in Noah’s eyes, and I was starting to feel convinced too.
“You know you can’t go after him, right?” I said. “If he’s crazy enough to start the fire that nearly killed my mom and I, who knows what else he’s capable of.”
Noah’s mouth formed a hard line, and he didn’t respond.
“Noah, I’m serious. He’s dangerous.”
“I’m dangerous,” Noah growled. “I’d do anything to protect you, Isobel. Anything. And if that means going after my grandfather, I’ll do it a million times over.”
“Noah,” I whispered, but he kept talking.
“After all we’ve been through this year, there’s one thing I’ve learned: you are all that matters to me. I nearly lost you this week, and I won’t let anything happen to you again.”
My heart was racing, and my chest was swirling with butterflies. Noah had been telling me how he felt about me since he revealed the truth in New York, but it was only this past week I’d begun to understand the depth of his feelings. He really did love me.
A soft pink glow lit up the sky, and the crack of a firework exploding quickly followed. I didn’t look upward though. I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off Noah. He seemed unable to look away either, and he slowly lifted a hand to cup my face.
“Happy New Year, Isobel.”
“Happy New Year, Noah.”
His eyes dipped to my lips, and the look of longing in his gaze nearly broke me. I still felt so scared of my feelings for Noah, but right now, my heart didn’t seem to care. There was only one person I wanted. Only one person I needed. And his bright green eyes were currently staring into my soul, asking for me to give him just one more chance.
My breath held as Noah lowered his head toward mine, and my heartbeat slowed to thump in tandem with the drawn-out pop of the fireworks in the distance. It felt like time stilled as he moved closer until his lips finally met mine. His kiss was perfect and beautiful, and a part of me felt like it was only now that I was truly at home.
Just one kiss, and I was overpowered by my feelings for Noah. They broke free of the carefully constructed cage I’d trapped them in and flowed through me so hard and fast I thought I might be swept away by them. I didn’t know how to cope with the strength of them, but I somehow found myself pulling back from Noah.
“I need more time,” I gasped as I broke our kiss. Kissing Noah felt far more perfect than I’d been prepared for, and I needed space to strengthen my heart and feel confident I was making the right decision before giving us a second chance.
Pain flickered through Noah’s gaze, but it was followed by understanding, and he nodded as he pulled away from me. “Take all the time you need,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be ready when you are.”
His words alone made me want to kiss him again, but I turned my gaze to the fireworks overhead. They were building in number now, constantly crackling and flashing as they drew toward their dramatic conclusion. When the last one burst and they finally blinked out of the sky, the darkness that took over felt so much colder.
“We should probably get back to the house,” I said.
Noah nodded and helped me from the sand. We made our way back up the beach, both of us quiet as we walked. I had so much to consider, especially when it came to my relationship with Noah. But I found my focus was on William Hastings.
After what Noah had told me about William being in town the night of the fire, I felt certain he’d been the one to start it. The blaze had nearly killed my mom, and I wasn’t sure I could sit and wait for the fire department to do their job. Even if they somehow found incriminating evidence on William, I knew Noah’s grandfather would probably make it go away with ease.
When we eventually arrived at the house, I reached out to Noah and stopped him before he opened the door. “I know you and my father are already discussing how to prove William started the fire, and I want in. I want to know your plans. I want to be a part of them. And if it involves confronting William, I want to be there.”
“Isobel…”
“No, Noah. He tried to kill me. He nearly killed my mom. I deserve to be included in this.”
He ran a hand through his hair, and his jaw tightened as he weighed the determination in my eyes. “I don’t trust you within a hundred miles of that man.”
“I don’t care,” I replied. “I’m not going to be kept in the dark on this. Not again.”
My gaze was like steel as I stared him down. I refused to back down. I had just as much right to go after William as either of them.
Noah released a hard breath. “I don’t like putting you at risk. But you’re right; this is your choice. If you want to be involved, we’ll include you in our plans.”
“Good.” I released a breath, and my exhaustion from the night seemed to hit me all at once. “Okay, let’s get inside and try to get some sleep.”
But despite what I’d said, I wasn’t sure I’d get much sleep that night—if any at all.
I WAS A CRYING mess when I had to say goodbye to my mom the next day. My parents might have convinced me I should return to Weybridge Academy, but it didn’t make leaving Mom when she was still recovering any easier.
Noah and I didn’t talk much on the flight back to school, and when we arrived on campus, he walked me back to my dorm before we parted ways. I’d thought a lot about the kiss we’d shared the night before. Everything about it had felt so right, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to accept that we should be together. It felt too soon after my breakup with Wes, and the last thing I wanted was to go back to Noah when it was exactly what Wes had feared. There was no easy way forward, and I figured the best thing to do was to give everything time.
Agreeing to be with Noah again felt like agreeing to jump off a cliff without checking my parachute first. I cared too deeply for him. He meant too much. And if we didn’t work out again, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the fall.
I’d also spent a lot of my trip home thinking about William Hastings. After the fire, I was scared about what he was capable of and what he might do next. I found myself worrying about my mom, about Noah and my dad, about everyone who was close to me. William was still searching for a way to force my father and Noah to give him the company back, or punish them for taking it, and I was terrified of finding out how far he might go to achieve either outcome.
It was dinnertime when we returned, and I went to the dining hall to meet up with my friends. When Anna and Cress saw me across the room, the two girls launched from their seats and rushed over to hug me.
The three of us stayed bundled in that hug for nearly a minute, and when they finally let go of me, I was surprised to find their eyes were glistening with tears.
“I can’t believe we nearly lost you, Isobel,” Cress said.
“It’s so good to have you back,” Anna agreed before they hugged me close again.
I smiled at their enthusiasm. “A fire didn’t kill me, but a hug from the two of you just might. I can’t breathe, you guys.”
They laughed and let go of me but seemed reluctant to stray too far. They kept close to my side as we walked over to our usual table. We’d talked a lot over the break, so we’d already covered what had happened back in Rapid Bay. But, even so, they still seemed to be reeling from it.
They had lots of questions for me, and we talked quietly about them as we ate our dinner. When they suddenly fell silent, I looked up to find Wes and Sawyer taking their seats at our table.
I’d had so much on my mind today I’d hardly considered what it would be like to see Wes again for the first time. He gave me a gentle smile, and though he didn’t take his usual seat next to me, he didn’t seem apprehensive about talking to me.
“I’m really happy you’re okay, Isobel,” he said.
“Yeah, Grace, you gave us all a scare,” Sawyer agreed. “We’re all so glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Thanks, you guys.” I gave them both a smile. “How was your break?”
Luckily, the twins took the hint I didn’t want to talk about what I’d been through, and Sawyer launched into a play-by-play of the Montfort family Christmas. I looked down at my plate of food as he talked, but I wasn’t that hungry. I was exhausted and stressed, and food just didn’t hold any appeal to me right now.
I sat back and listened as my friends chatted away, trying to relax as they smiled and laughed about their holidays. I didn’t really feel up to much conversation, so after a few minutes, I excused myself from the table and told them I was heading back to my room. I started toward the exit and was surprised when Wes jogged after me.
“Hey, can I walk you back?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Wes was silent as he wandered by my side. He didn’t speak until we got outside. “I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re okay.”
I smiled up at him. “I’m okay.” Wes was always so thoughtful—even now when we weren’t together anymore. “And thank you for the flowers you sent. They were beautiful.”
“That was the least I could do,” he said. “I feel like an idiot. I broke up with you because I couldn’t handle my jealousy, and then the next day, you nearly died in a fire.”
There were other students passing us on the main path we walked down, so I took him by the elbow and guided him to the edge of the courtyard and past the hedges to one of the small gardens that lay beyond. It was dark here, but at least there weren’t other students about. It felt like we needed a little more privacy for this conversation.
“Wes, you don’t need to feel like an idiot. You didn’t cause the fire, and you were right about ending our relationship. We weren’t working.”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed. “I just don’t want things to be weird between us. You’re one of my closest friends.”
“They might be weird for a little while,” I admitted. “I’m not sure how they can’t be. But maybe if we can both accept the weirdness and agree to work on our friendship, we’ll get there in the end.”
He slowly started to smile. “With talk like that, you’re going to make me fall for you all over again.”
I laughed and shoved my shoulder into his.
My phone started to ring, and when I saw an incoming call from Matthew, I glanced up at Wes. “I should probably take this; it’s my dad. He might be calling about my mom.”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll leave you to it.”
We smiled at each other as I lifted the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“There’s footage of William,” Matthew said, a grave tone to his voice.
“What?”
Wes hadn’t gone far, and he stopped and turned back when he heard the alarm in my voice.
“The police have contacted us,” Matthew said. “A store across the road from the café has CCTV footage of William on the street just before the fire started. He’s wanted for questioning.”
“Oh my God.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at school.”
“But where?”
The increasing panic in Matthew’s voice was worrying. “I just left the dining hall, and I’m walking to the girls’ dorm with Wes.”
Wes started back to me. “What’s going on?” he said, but I just shook my head. I barely knew myself.
“I want you to go back to the dining hall,” Matthew ordered. “Stay with Wes.”
I shot Wes a worried look. “Matthew, you’re really freaking me out here.”
“I had eyes on William, but he’s disappeared,” he replied. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but I don’t want to take the risk.”
I suddenly regretted pulling Wes away from the brightly lit courtyard. No one could see us because we were behind one of the hedges, and it was much darker here. The chances of William coming into the school weren’t high, but I suddenly started looking at the bushes surrounding us like he might jump out of them.
“Go back to where it’s crowded and there are teachers,” Matthew said. “Stay there until I call you back. I’m going to call Noah to come find you, and I’ve got security outside the school. They’re coming in now.”
“Okay, I…” My voice trailed off, and I lowered the phone from my ear as I looked behind Wes. My father’s men were going to be too late because William Hastings was already on the school grounds, and he was standing right across from me.
