Audra scowled. “I have. Several times.”
“Really?” Benita’s skepticism was annoying.
“Why don’t you believe me?”
“Because I know you.”
The hissing sound in the background indicated her manager was making coffee. Audra checked her watch. It was just after ten o’clock in the morning, which meant it was seven o’clock in Los Angeles. Benita started her days early to accommodate her East Coast contacts. She pictured Benita standing beside the coffeemaker in her sterile office. This probably wasn’t her first cup of java, though. And there was no guarantee additional caffeine would improve her mood.
Audra returned her guitar to its case and leaned back against the overstuffed sofa. “I’ve gone fishing, hiking and jogging. I’ve also explored your hometown. It’s very pretty.”
“Pretty boring.” Benita snorted. “There’s nothing to do. And most of the inmates are crazy.”
Audra thought about yesterday’s hike with Jack, fishing with him at Pearl Lake, talking with the townspeople at Books & Bakery. She’d enjoyed those experiences more than she’d expected. Maybe over time it would become boring, but she couldn’t imagine that.
“There’s plenty to do. And the people here are nice, which is probably why you think they’re crazy.”
“Who’d you go fishing and hiking with?” Benita’s rapid-fire question dismissed Audra’s response.
Audra propped her feet on the honey-wood coffee table. “Jack Sansbury, the guy you didn’t tell me owns the cabins.”
“No way.” Benita tapped a couple of keys on her laptop. “I heard Jack became a recluse after his daughter died. How did you convince him to leave his cabin?”
“I asked him.” A wave of sadness rolled over Audra as she thought of what Jack had been through.
Audra set her papers on the coffee table and pushed herself off the sofa. She crossed to the front window, poking the curtain aside. How could his ex-wife have left him and their daughter? What kind of person was she? Audra couldn’t fault Jack for tucking himself away in the cabins. What would she have done in his place?
Benita hummed. “That’s it?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” Audra listened to stainless-steel tap against a ceramic surface as Benita stirred her much-needed coffee. Her manager usually took three packets of sweetener and a third of a cup of French vanilla creamer. Audra’s teeth ached at the thought of that much sugar.
“Listen, Audra. I’m glad you’re getting out and trying new things. That’s what I wanted for you when I booked you into the cabins.”
“So you said.” She turned from the window.
“Yes, I did. I was sure the change of scenery would cure your writer’s block. Just be careful.”
“Of what?” Audra gave her manager her full attention now.
“You’re coming off of a bad relationship. Jack’s had some things happen in his past, too—”
Audra interrupted the other woman. “His daughter died and his wife left him.”
“So you see? You’re both vulnerable right now.”
Audra circled the sofa. “I know. You don’t have to remind me that Wendell was a mistake.”
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Benita grunted. “Wendell is a jackass. Kerry’s the mistake.”
Audra frowned. Benita had lost her. “Who’s Kerry?”
“Jack’s ex. Listen, just be careful. Don’t become distracted by a vacation romance.”
Audra planted her right hand on her hip. “If I’m on vacation, why are you calling me?”
Benita’s sigh blew through the cell towers. “How’s the writing coming?”