Chapter 1

The moment I, Nolan Westcott, pulled into the vacation lodge's courtyard, I thought I'd made a wrong turn.

Three cars already occupied the parking area. One had its trunk wide open, stuffed with children's bicycles, pool floats, and two enormous suitcases.

I checked the GPS. Same address. Same property I'd booked three months earlier.

Dad climbed out of the back seat and stopped short. "Are there other guests?"

"There shouldn't be."

Frowning, I went to open the gate.

We had rented the entire place for four nights: six bedrooms, a private courtyard, and a small swimming pool. It was supposed to be just six of us: Sabrina and me, her parents, and mine.

I'd even complained about having more rooms than we needed.

"So what?" Sabrina had laughed. "We hardly ever get away. It might be nice to spread out for once."

But the instant I stepped through the gate, I knew something was wrong.

Smoke rose from a grill in the courtyard. Sabrina's older sister, Kendra, wore an apron and flipped meat while ordering her husband, Travis, to film her. Sabrina's younger brother, Brady, sat nearby with a beer. Several children raced around the flower beds, shrieking. One was crouched beside the wall, ripping blooms off the hydrangeas I'd specifically asked the manager to leave untouched.

The terrace was even more crowded. My mother-in-law's two older sisters, Aunt Carol and Aunt Joyce, sat sipping tea with their husbands and children. The table was covered in prepared fruit and pastries.

Fruit and pastries I'd asked the lodge to have ready.

I stood in the doorway, speechless.

My mother-in-law, Diane Davis, spotted me first.

"Nolan!" she called, rising with a smile. "What took you so long? We've been waiting forever."

I checked my phone. 2:05 p.m. The reservation clearly said check-in began at two.

I didn't answer. I just counted the people in the courtyard.

Kendra's family of four. Brady's family of three. Aunt Carol's family of three. Aunt Joyce and her husband.

Twelve extra people. Not one missing.

With the six of us originally booked, that made eighteen.

"Nolan!" Kendra waved a skewer of chicken wings. "Come over! The first batch is almost ready!"

She sounded as if she'd been part of the plan all along.

Then I saw Sabrina emerge from the open kitchen, holding a bag of ice.

Our eyes met. She visibly stiffened.

"Honey."

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, feigning confusion.

I gestured at the courtyard. "All these people."

Diane jumped in. "Oh, they're family! You two rented this huge place, didn't you? None of them had plans for the holiday, so I thought it'd be more fun with everyone together."

She smiled as if she'd done me a favor.

"You've already paid for the house. A few extra people won't make the rooms cost more."

I turned to Sabrina. "You knew?"

She touched her nose. "Mom only brought it up at the last minute."