Page 35 of Sunset Cove
Chapter Fourteen
They were having so much fun that Claire completely lost track of time. Her initial plan had been to get back to the cabin after an hour, maybe an hour and a half, if service was slow.
Yet Chip kept her captivated the entire evening. He told her about the history of Orcas Island and the Lummi tribe, and they pored over the black and white photos in the book he’d brought along.
It wasn’t just the island’s past that he was interested in – he was interested in her past, too. It wasn’t even that he was interested in hearing more about the money. He didn’t seem to care about that at all.
Perhaps Marty was right. Chip already knew that she was “rich,” even if Claire didn’t think of herself that way, and the truth of where it came from didn’t matter.
Chip was more focused on her transformation into an orphan and a mom of three all at once. He asked her about the jobs she’d held, and loved her stories from working in the public defender’s office. He loved hearing about her friendship with Margie and the antics their girls had gotten themselves into over the years.
He even slipped in a clumsy question about her dating life, asking if the girls had a stepdad of sorts. She told him no, and that her last boyfriend broke things off because he couldn’t see himself as a father, even to older children.
Claire wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but he seemed relieved by this. Though he quickly changed the topic, she wondered if he might be...interested in her?
That seemed silly, though. She reasoned he was likely relieved that there wasn’t another person he had to deal with for the hotel. It was just her and Ken, which was bad enough.
Not long after that question, Claire peeked at her watch and saw that it was fifteen after ten. A jolt of shock hit her and she stood up from her seat.
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “I have to get home.”
“Are you staying at the hotel tonight?” Chip asked. “There must be rooms you haven’t gotten to yet.”
Claire nodded, gathering her things. “Yes. I’m on the first floor tonight. What time do you want to meet tomorrow? I think Ken is supposed to bring some plans.”
Chip shrugged. “You’re the boss. You tell me.”
“I don’t feel like the boss,” she said, shaking her head. “But how about eight?”
“Sounds good to me.”
She said her goodbyes and rushed back to the cabin, worried that it was late enough that Marty might already be asleep.
That quickly stopped being her main worry, however, when she got to the cabin to find a car parked in the driveway. Her stomach dropped and her breathing froze. She had to force herself to keep driving.
She crept up the driveway slowly and when her headlights swung onto the car, her panic faded as she recognized it. It was Lucy’s car.
Claire opened the cabin door to find a bit of a scene – Lucy was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, staring at Marty.
“Lucy!” she said, throwing her purse down. “I didn’t know you were coming to visit!”
“And I didn’t know you had company,” Lucy said, eyebrows raised. “I thought this guy might’ve broken into your cabin.”
Claire laughed. “Oh, well, not exactly. Haven’t you met?”
Lucy stood up, shaking her head and giving Claire a hug. “No, we haven’t. I got here twenty minutes ago and he wouldn’t tell me who he was.”
“Well,” Marty said, “that’s because I sort of did break into the cabin and I wasn’t sure whoyouwere.”
Lucy’s eyes darted between them. “Is this a prank or something?”
Oh dear.Claire had her work cut out for her. “Lucy, honey, why don’t you take a seat?”
“What? Why?”
“Because what I’m going to tell you is quite shocking.”
“Oh no.” Lucy lowered herself onto the couch, never breaking eye contact. “Is he your boyfriend?”
