CHAPTER 41

I've always wanted to ask him about the lipstick smudge on his collar, but I should rein in my desire to know everything all at once. I'd be able to use that bit of information against him...and Amber!

"The house is dark," I noticed when we returned at Clayland. If not because of the sounds coming from frogs and crickets, the silence would be deafening.

"Most likely a power outage," he replied.

“I’m sure there’s a backup, right? Solar or perhaps a generator set?”

"Don't worry, the power will be restored before midnight," he assured me but I suspected he was just lying to make me feel at ease.

His assurance, however, did not help when it began to rain even before we arrived at the front porch. It could be late but I wouldn’t mind getting wet under the rain. “Just go inside first,” I told him.

“Why?” He inquired.

“I’m going to stay here for a bit.”

“You will get wet!” He exclaimed in disbelief.

“That’s the main purpose,” I told him, and his mouth gaped open in shock. “If you are worried