Jude didn't answer her right away. He was watching the trees, scanning the outlines of branches as if expecting one to blink back at him. The wind had died down, leaving everything far too quiet. Even the usual chorus of crickets seemed to hold its breath. Layla's question echoed in his mind. Do you think everyone saw it?
He thought of Scarlet's pale face in the early morning, of Natalie's nervous eyes, of the prints in the sand that led nowhere. He thought of the silence around the fire and the way even Lucy had clung tighter than usual to Serena's arm. Every face had held the same tight look behind their smiles, the same distant calculation. Like they were all waiting for someone else to be the first to say it.
"I think," Jude said carefully, "they're all pretending they didn't. But I think we're all seeing the same thing."
Layla leaned against him again. Her body was warm, grounding. "So what does that mean?"