Read Between the Pages: A Novel for Free Online Page B

lovely,” I say, taking my suitcase from Brady.
    “Yeah. It’s pretty great. His first two books were optioned by Paramount, so he took that money and invested it in this house.”
    “Is he married?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound too clueless.
    “Nah.” He chuckles, and I’m left wondering why he thought my question was so funny. He locks the car and I follow him to the blue front door. He punches in a code, and the door clicks open. “The code is Emerson’s first publication date: December eleventh, 2008. 121108,” he adds, as if I didn’t comprehend the numbers the first time around. He pushes the door open for me and I walk into a small foyer.
    A stack of mail lies on a small, vintage wooden table right next to a coat rack. The wood floors give the place a rustic, charming feel. I follow Brady down the hallway, passing a casual living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room, and a large kitchen with stainless steel appliances.
    “Feel free to use anything in the kitchen. Emerson and I both like to cook, and some nights my brother will join us.”
    I nod. “Okay.”
    My eyes graze the wine rack and the cookie jar. I think I will be just fine here, especially if there are cookies and wine. Brady continues the tour, pointing to the large floor-to-ceiling window opposite the kitchen.
    “The deck is out here. Behind it is a private beach. Again, make yourself at home.” He continues up the stairs to the bedrooms. The first door is open. “This is your room.” He gestures to a quaint bedroom. I smile and walk in, setting my suitcase down.
    A massive, white plush rug covers the floor, and a substantial four-poster queen-sized bed with luxurious white linen sheets looks too good to be true. The room is painted a light grey, and most of the furniture is either white or raw wood. I love it.
    “You have an en-suite bathroom, too,” Brady says, pointing quickly to the white-tiled bathroom and claw foot bathtub. Yes!
    “Awesome,” I reply, giddy. Brady just laughs and walks out, pointing to three other rooms down the hallway.
    “Next to your room is Emerson’s office. He’s very secretive about it. Don’t go in without permission.”
    “God,” I laugh, “does he keep dead hookers in there or something?”
    This makes Brady laugh. “You know, I’m not sure. I’ve always wondered, though.” He looks at me with amusement. “But now I’m not going to stop thinking about dead hookers.” It seems I’ve found a friend with a quirky sense of humor like mine. This could be fun. “Next to the study is my room. I don’t stay over most nights, but Emerson likes to keep my room furnished. Isaac has a house close by, so I usually just stay with him. And the one at the end of the hallway is Emerson’s bedroom.” The door is closed, but I want to see what it looks like. I’ve always been extremely nosy, and with Emerson’s mysterious past, I’m particularly intrigued. “I’m going to go downstairs and make lunch. You can get settled. Do you have any allergies or aversions?”
    I smile. “I dislike green peas and chunky peanut butter. No allergies. Thank you, that’s so thoughtful of you,” I say, grinning.
    “No problem,” Brady says abruptly, turning quickly and walking down the stairs.
    As weird and as stiff as he is, I think I’m starting to like Brady.
    I close my bedroom door. The first thing I do is take my shoes off and climb up onto the bed, jumping and squealing like a giddy schoolgirl. I reach into my pocket and attempt a SnapChat to Hannah, but I can’t connect to WiFi.
    Shit. I forgot. No Internet. No TV. I never could afford a data plan, so I rely solely on WiFi. This might be more difficult than I thought. I call Hannah instead. She doesn’t answer, so I leave an excited voice message.
    When I’m done bragging, I hang up and jump off the bed. I begin to unpack, laying my clothes neatly in the drawers of the birch dresser topped with white marble. I walk to the bathroom and put my