Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 23 - Enid

Ch.23 - Enid

Sunday was hot, with temperatures reaching the triple digits, not the best day to be cooped up inside with a bunch of paint fumes.

It is what it is. Enid let out a long sigh and pulled her short, brown bob into a ponytail, the bundle of hair jetting out behind her.

She swiped her forearm along her brow, wiping away beads of sweat. She'd already taken down the blinds, covered the woodwork with tape and poured the paint into a pan. Now all that's left is to give these walls a much needed makeover. A splash of color was in order, she was tired of always playing it safe. She'd finally decided on a light shade of Silky Tangerine to cover up the Classic French Gray that had been there before. Enid added paint to the roller and started a slow rotation along the middle of the wall. Swipe by swipe, she made a large patch of color then stepped back to admire the transformation.

Perfect. So much better than dumb ol' gray. She smiled to herself and got back to her chore.

As she worked, her thoughts drifted back to the cookout at Charlie and Talia's. An afternoon out had been a welcome addition to an otherwise hectic day. Relaxing and having fun with good company was therapeutic, and something she didn't typically allow much time for. It was nice to finally let off some steam, even if she did have to come home to a big, empty house afterward. I need to make more time for fun. That beautiful granddaughter of mine won't be young forever. . .

Smiling to herself, she thought about how happy the baby had been having a little friend to play with. The girls were so adorable together, and Betsy is such a wonderful lady. Not at all what I imagined Ryan's wife would be like. Not that that's a bad thing. . . they say opposites attract.

As gruff as he was, she thought Ryan was a hoot, and the differences between him and his wife only balanced them out. He'd been a good friend to Charlie over the past year. Charlie had mentioned the trouble he'd been having. Ryan was a military man, three tours overseas. Apparently, he'd seen and done things he kept bottled up inside. Charlie said he suffered from PTSD, and she could sense that unease when she looked in his eyes. Ryan was a troubled man, a casualty of war. Like so many brave men before him.

So sad, she sighed. If she didn't know better, she would swear Charlie suffered from Post Traumatic Stress himself. As hard as he tried to hide it, something had changed in him over the past few years. And she understood why, how could she not? What he'd been forced to do. . . She prayed Talia would be able to convince him to see Dr. Blair. Everyone needed someone to talk to and Charlie definitely had things he needed to get off his chest.

Jackson. . .

The image of their new neighbor gave her a chill. There was something about him that made her uneasy. He'd certainly been pleasant enough both times she had seen him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was off. The odd feeling had nagged at her conscience the entire night before.

I don't like him, she admitted. Although she couldn't say why. With any luck, he wouldn't be in town for very long. She hoped he wrote his articles quickly then went back to Louisiana where he belonged. But Charlie seemed to like him, and he was normally a good judge of character. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. . .

But she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and that typically meant trouble. Jackson seemed guarded, as if he was being careful not to say too much. And a man with secrets could be a dangerous thing.

Even though the room was quite warm, the hair along her arms stood at attention. She hadn't felt this uneasy about someone in quite a while. The last time had been. . .