Page 56 of The Curse of Redwood

My stomach knotted.

Charlie had been in love with Z? Funny that the thought of them fucking didn’t bother me at all, but the idea that they were romantically involved did. Mainly because Z kept me at a distance emotionally. Had he been more open with Charlie?

Had Z loved him too? He had told me he didn’t… but he could’ve been lying.

“What’s with that face?” Taylor asked, poking my cheek.

“I’m not making a face.”

“Yeah you are. You’re frowning.”

“What else did your uncle say about the blond?” I asked, hoping I didn’t soundtoointerested.

“Not much.” Taylor sighed before finishing off his drink. “He talked about the blond man’s silky hair and how his lips were like snowflakes. Romantic stuff I’m sure he didn’t want anyone to find.”

“Why not?”

“My dad said he didn’t know Uncle Charlie was gay until after he died,” Taylor answered. “Makes me think it was something he wanted to keep to himself. What he wrote about the blond felt more personal, like he was jotting down random things so he’d never forget them. A few passages mentioned meeting the guy at Redwood. I guess that’s where they always met to hook up, maybe because it was abandoned and no one would see them.”

Taylor obviously hadn’t considered the idea that his uncle had been screwing a ghost. I didn’t want to be the one to suggest it either. Because what if it made Taylor want to go back to Redwood and find Z for himself? I couldn’t risk it. Z didn’t want that kind of attention.

“So what don’t you understand?” I asked. “Sounds to me like you have it figured out.”

“I don’t know.” Taylor rested his head on the back cushion and stared up at the ceiling fan. “Who was the blond guy? Is he still alive and living in Ivy Grove? Maybe he played a part in my uncle’s death.”

“No, he didn’t,” I said without thinking. Then, I backpedaled, “Um, I mean, it doesn’t sound like he would’ve had anything to do with his death. I’m sure it’s unrelated.”

“Maybe.” Taylor’s lids fluttered closed, and his cheeks were flushed from all the drinking. “Guess I’m more like Uncle Charlie than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

His mouth curved in a half-smile, but he didn’t answer. He started snoring a few minutes later.

I checked the time and saw it was after one o’clock. There was no way he was driving home that night, so I grabbed a blanket and spare pillow from the linen closet before returning to him on the couch. I took off his shoes and lifted his legs onto the cushions before placing the blanket over him and putting the pillow under his head.

He made a sound in his sleep as he nuzzled the pillow. With his eyes closed, his long dark lashes kissed the top of his cheeks. His lips parted as a small sigh escaped them. Taylor was so hot it used to be intimidating to be around him.

But then I’d met Z, and I knew I was ruined for anyone else. No one would ever compare to him.

As I brushed my teeth and got into bed, I tried to visualize a happy ending for us. Ben and Theo had made a relationship work despite their differences. Could Z and I do the same?

It was too early to tell.

Chapter Eleven

Saturday morning, I stood on the back patio at Redwood and knocked on the door for the fifth time. “Hello?”

Z usually let me in before I could knock even once. Was he engrossed in a book in the sunroom and couldn’t hear me?

I knocked again. Then once more, but louder.

William appeared on the other side of the door before stepping through it and standing in front of me under the awning.

“Mr. Warren’s preoccupied,” he said, putting his little arms behind his back and rocking on his heels. “He told me to send ya on your way.”

“What? Why won’t he tell me that himself?”

It made no sense. Z was home every second of every day. There was nothing he could be doing in there that would warrant him being too busy to see me. Unless… he didn’twantto see me.