On cue, Jennifer walked out of the building in a pair of cut-offs, and slipped into the car.

“Thanks,” he said, and pulled onto the road, heading in the direction of the lake.

“Where are we going?”

“To my grandfather’s place.”

“I get to meet your grandfather?”

Steve shook his head. “He died after I graduated. The property is mine but I haven’t been at the cottage in a little over two years.”

“Oh.” She watched the scenery pass in silence. Her gaze turned in his direction and her brow creased. His eyes squinted from the bright sun, staring through his bangs with an intensity she didn’t remember ever seeing before. The line of his jaw set tight, moving ever so slightly as he ground his teeth together.

Jennifer went to ask him a question and thought better of it, looking back at the road until he slowed down and took a right turn into an unpaved road.

Steve stopped the car on the dirt driveway, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, his grip making his hands ache. Taking a deep breath, he moved his hand onto the stick shift, put the car in first gear, and released the clutch slowly. His heartbeat pulsed in his ears as the woods closed in, the car easing around one of the sharp turns in the driveway. “I’m not sure I can do this.” He slammed his foot on the brake, stopping, floundering.

“Why?”

“The last time I was here I found Peg.” He glanced at Jennifer then back at the rambling driveway.

Jennifer placed her hand on his. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I gotta face my demons.” He glanced at her hand. It was warm and soft on top of his and gave him the strength to roll forward again. He took a deep breath and rounded the last curve. The neglected cabin stood out among the trees. A slightly overgrown expanse of lawn surrounded the cottage bordered by the shimmering lake. Steve let out a little grunt of surprise.

“What?”

“I wasn’t sure if the landscaping company had been out here yet. Looks like they came when I called a couple weeks ago.” He parked the car and shut it off but didn’t make a move to get out. He stared at the last place he saw Peg alive and let his eyes wander to the gazebo at the water’s edge. They were supposed to get married in the gazebo. The benches lining the makeshift aisle were still sitting on the lawn in the same position they had been two years before. The pain seared through him and he took a deep breath.

Jennifer followed his gaze and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Steve.”

Steve shrugged and got out of the car. The sympathy in her voice brought the anger back and with it the nerve to move. “Apparently, I wasn’t what she wanted.” He slammed the car door.

* * * *

Jennifer didn’t respond. She could see the fire in his eyes—the sadness and hurt overlaid by an anger and ferocity she didn’t think he was capable of. She got out of the car and slipped to his side, never taking her eyes off him.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he said without looking her way.

“Like what?”

“Like I’m gonna explode into a million pieces and take everything in my wake with me.”

Jennifer huffed at the analogy until he shot his eyes to her. “Sorry.”

He nodded and headed to the door, digging the key out of his pocket. He put his forehead to the old wood and closed his eyes for a moment as the pain broke through the anger. He felt her light touch on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, but this is hard for me.”

“If it wasn’t hard, I’d think there was something wrong with you.”

“I knew I brought you for a reason.” He met her gaze. “You always made me feel stronger than I really was.” He flipped the lock and pushed the door open.

Jennifer ran her fingers down his arm and clasped her hand in his. He took it without reservation and together they stepped in the cottage.

It was exactly the same way he left it; things in slight disorder but neat nonetheless. A thick layer of dust covered everything and it stirred in the gentle breeze.

Jennifer sneezed.

An underlying smell of mold and rotting wood drifted around them, along with something more sinister.

Steve gripped her hand tighter as he walked toward the bathroom. “I found her in here.” He reached for the doorknob and hesitated, bringing his hand away. Shaking his head in defiance, he grasped the doorknob again and turned it.

The slow creak gave Jennifer goose bumps and she clamped her jaw against the shiver that threatened. Steve threw open the door and the moment Jennifer stepped into the bathroom, the room changed. She gasped and her grip tightened, clamping down on his hand like a vice.

Candles flickered around the tub, filling the room with the scent of lavender. A pretty blonde sat in the water, glancing at the array of items she had lined up on the shelf. She reached for the prescription pills and emptied the bottle, downing the pills with the glass of wine sitting on the edge.

The woman closed her eyes. “I can’t do this to him,” she whispered, looking out the window toward the lake. “I just can’t.”

She reached for the shiny razor blade and deliberately slit from wrist to mid-forearm. Deep crimson red flowed from the open wound.

With less dexterity, she switched the blade and repeated with the other wrist, the gash not as deep, but equally as devastating.

She gently set the razor on the edge of the tub and lowered her arms into the hot water, tears streaming down her cheeks, waiting for death to take her away.

“Jennifer!”

His voice cut through the vision like the razorblade slicing through the woman’s wrist and she blinked, back in the dusty baron bathroom. “I smell lavender and red wine.” And then the room went black.

* * * *

Steve caught her and looked around frantically. “Wake up.” He softly tapped her cheeks. “Come on, baby, wake up.” Repeating the words he said two years ago drove panic into his voice. He glanced at the tub and back at Jennifer. “Jesus, wake up!” He shook her more violently than he intended.

Jennifer snapped her eyes open. The fear in his expression brought her around with lightning speed. “I’m awake,” she said as he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against him. “I’m awake.” She looked around the room. The vision ebbed into her foggy memory. “You’re crushing me.”

Steve pulled away. He touched her face and sat back against the doorjamb, watching as she blinked away the cobwebs. “What was that?” he asked when he was certain his voice wouldn’t shake.

“I saw her.”

Steve’s eyebrows creased, etching skepticism in his rugged features. “What are you talking about?”

“There were candles and she had a glass of wine.” She glanced at him. “Lavender scented candles, and a bottle of prescription pills. She emptied it with the wine.” Jennifer looked at the tub. “It was filled so the water was over her body, but not to the rim. There was a good four to five inches between the water line and the lip of the tub.” She took a deep breath and looked at her wrists, tracing the path of the razor blade. “She cut her wrists the long way and put the razor on the edge of the tub.” Jennifer closed her eyes. “And she was crying.” When she opened her eyes and looked at Steve, she was sorry she had gone into such detail.

Steve stood and slowly moved away from Jennifer. She had described the room exactly as he had found it, as he found Peggy. He wanted to believe her, he really did, but his life was based on fact and tangible evidence and this was as far from tangible as it got. A high pitch whine drowned the sound of his breathing and he reached for the doorjamb, the air sharp, suffocating. He needed fresh air and he turned and walked out the door.

Jennifer followed him, her legs still wobbly even when they reached the end of the dock.

Steve glared at her. “What the hell are you doing? Do you think this will make me feel better?”