Page 57 of Sunset Cove
Chapter Twenty-one
A week passed and Lucy couldn’t help but marvel that her scheme of hiding Marty in plain sight was working. True, he was getting a bit antsy, and housekeeping wouldn’t stop asking about coming in to clean. But, other than that, it was going swimmingly.
The local news had picked up the story about the possible fugitive on the island, and though people became more aware of it, no one seemed to actually think it was true. It was more of a “Isn’t that funny?” sort of thing, which Lucy was happy to encourage any chance she got.
Claire remained concerned, but from Lucy’s perspective, it seemed like the people of Orcas Island had a hard time believing that a so-called criminal could live among them.
Criminal.What a joke. Lucy was confident that Marty’s name would be cleared as soon as they got a chance to talk to the attorney Claire had found. She’d gotten his name from her old coworker – the now Attorney General – and he was the best. If anyone could save Marty, it was him.
The only problem with being the best, however, was that he was busy. They still had another week to wait before they could meet with him.
It all seemed silly to Lucy, especially if Marty’s old coworker could clear things up. Why spend thousands of dollars on an attorney when a conversation with an old friend could do the trick?
That was, at least, what she told herself when she first found David Marilyn’s dating profile. She hadn’t beenlookingfor him, but he’d appeared nevertheless.
It was all by chance, really. Out of boredom one night when she and Marty were watchingLove It or List Itat the hotel, she’d updated her location on her dating profile to the Seattle area.
It wasn’t her fault that the algorithm showed her David Marilyn, or that she recognized him, or that when she sent him a wink he messaged her back within a few hours.
They’d chatted, and he asked her out. What was she supposed to say?No?
That would be spitting in the face of fate, and of dating algorithms. Who was Lucy to do such a thing?
Their date was set for Wednesday night – drinks at a bar for an early happy hour. A very noncommittal sort of date, and Lucy appreciated that David must be a pro. There was no need to subject themselves to a full dinner together if they didn’t hit it off at first – or if David didn’t want to talk about Marty.
Lucy took the express ferry to the mainland on Wednesday morning, allowing plenty of time before her date. There was no chance she’d let something as annoying as the weather or rough seas ruin her hopes of saving Marty.
She told no one her plan. That way, if it failed, they didn’t have to worry about it. Instead, she’d claimed to have a job interview. The perfect cover.
Lucy got to the bar early and scoped out a seat with some privacy. There weren’t many options, though, so she decided that the end of the bar would have to do.
As she waited, she reviewed David’s profile again. It said he liked golf, baseball, and sunsets. Lucy was more of a group fitness and sunrise kind of girl, but perhaps opposites would attract?
David arrived a few minutes early, waving when he spotted her.
“Lucy?” he asked, approaching with his hand outstretched.
She accepted his handshake and smiled. “Hi, David. It’s good to meet you.”
“You look nice,” he said, before adding, “absolutely stunning.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said. “You look nice, too.”
He ran a hand near his stiffly gelled hair. “Yeah, baby!”
Ah. An Austin Powers impression. Not a good one, but it was the thought that counted.
They took their seats. He was a cute guy. Maybe a little nerdy, but Lucy liked nerds. As long as they weren’t condescending.
“What are you drinking?” he asked, pulling a menu toward them.
She tapped her chin. “I had my eye on the cranberry sangria.”
“I don’t hold alcohol well myself, so I might just start with the soda.”
“Oh!” Lucy flipped the menu over to look at the non-alcoholic options. “I’ll get a soda too, then.”
“It’s not that I don’t drink,” he said. “It’s that I shouldn’t drink.”
