Page 31 of Sunset Tides
The extra set of hands would be helpful, and it wasn’t like he could sabotage her pamphlets…
She cleared her throat. “Fifty bucks.”
“Deal.”
They shook on it and she heaved a box into his arms. “You can help me carry these.”
“Where should I start?”
She walked out to her car and he followed. “Marty and Emma are doing Orcas Island, and my friend Margie is doing San Juan with her husband and daughters.”
“What does that leave?”
She let out a disgusted sigh. “How do youstillnot know the other islands?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”
“We’ll go to Lopez, and I think that’ll be all we can do for the day.”
“Sounds great.” He loaded the box into Lucy’s trunk and slammed it shut. “Should we get a flight there to save time?”
Lucy stopped and spun to look at him. “Absolutely not. I’m not flying anywhere.”
He smiled at her, amused. “Why not?”
She got into the driver’s seat and started the car.
Rob followed her lead, a goofy smile still on his face. “We could drop the pamphlets from the air.”
“No. That’s littering.”
He nodded. “Fair point. Alternatively, we could fly a banner on the back of the – ”
“No!” She turned to him. “Are you done?”
Rob forced himself to look serious. “Yes. I’m ready to win this bet.”
Unbelievable.
She turned on some music and started the drive to the ferry.
Chapter Sixteen
The day of the auction finally arrived, and Lillian was awakened at four that morning by the clanking of pots and pans.
She wandered into the kitchen to find Lucy crafting a multi-course breakfast for them while also trying to rally a last bit of support from the local Facebook groups and making phone calls to people who were clearly still asleep.
Lillian had expected a rampage like this. She was ready for it.
Well, most of it. The Facebook fight Lucy had gotten into at six that morning was an unexpected bump in the road. Lillian had managed to get Lucy away from the computer after only fifteen minutes of arguing, which wasn’t bad.
It was her own mistake for not intercepting it earlier. Lillian had foolishly thought she could get up at seven and still have the Lucy situation under control.
Her plan had to be adapted once she walked into the kitchen and saw the pile of waffles, a bowl of hard-boiled eggs, and a plate of sausage and biscuits. Lucy had her battle station set up at the kitchen table, with stacks of papers balanced precariously between rows of coffee mugs.
They ate breakfast quickly, then Lillian got busy packing the leftovers away. They’d have enough breakfasts for the rest of the week, maybe two. Lillian was debating making breakfast sandwiches from the biscuits and freezing them when she heard Lucy let out a giggle.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
