Page 38 of Sunset Tides
Not yet, at least.
“Do you want to celebrate our victory?” Lucy asked.
“That would be nice.” He paused, adding, “I am happy for you, whether you believe it or not.”
“Eight o’clock at The Plum Spoon,” she said, turning and pulling Lillian away.
“Where is that?” he asked.
“Right in the lobby of Claire’s hotel.”
Oh right. He’d forgotten Claire was involved with a hotel on the island. She might not appreciate him going after one of the hotels, but on the other hand, she might be appreciative of him taking out one of her competitors.
“Is it called Claire’s Hotel?” he called out.
“No. It’s The Grand Madrona.” Lucy called over her shoulder as she walked off. “Don’t be late.”
Chapter Eighteen
It wasfinallyover.
All of a sudden, it felt like Lucy was moving in slow motion. Though her chest felt light, her limbs were heavy, and her skin was suddenly cold.
There was still work to be done, though. She broke off from Lillian and updated Fiona and the rest of the crew about dinner plans. After that, Lillian wanted to get lunch in town, but Lucy couldn’t imagine sitting upright in a restaurant.
Instead, she drove straight back to her apartment, walked through the front door, and collapsed onto her bed.
She awoke three hours later. It took her a minute to remember what had happened, and when she did, she smiled and whispered, “Check and mate.”
It hadn’t been a perfect victory, but it was still a win in her book. They’d managed to save the most important equipment, and they had a plan for how to pay for the rest of what they needed. The most tense moment for Lucy had been when some stranger started bidding on the goats.
She’d taken that personally and planned to outbid them, no matter the personal cost. Luckily, Fiona managed to edge the guy out.
Lucy rose from bed slowly, rubbing her face and yawning. She’d fallen into bed fully clothed, and just now she was realizing her pants had sprays of mud on them.
Farms. Ugh.
She took them off and tossed them into her laundry basket before getting into the shower.
When she finally got herself to the kitchen, Lillian was waiting for her.
“You’re alive!” Lillian stood from her seat at the kitchen table. She had her work laptop set up, but didn’t seem particularly involved with it. “I had pizza for lunch. I saved you some, if you’re hungry.”
Food had not crossed her mind at all, but now she had a hard time ignoring the gnawing hole in her stomach. “Thanks, Lil!”
Lucy pulled the fridge door open and saw the slices basking under the dull light in all their glory – the cheese hardened, the mushrooms and onions dry and stiff, the crust dusted with flour.
Cold pizza. Heaven.
She pulled the plate out and took a seat at the table. “How did you know exactly what I needed?”
“I’m just good like that,” Lillian said. “Are you feeling okay?”
Lucy had to swallow before she could respond. She was eating like a starved woman, taking bites that were far too big. “Yeah, I’m fine. I kinda crashed after the auction, but I’m good now. I was working off very little sleep.”
“I know. It seemed like you were running purely on excitement and a touch of rage.”
“My special blend,” Lucy said, her mouth again full of pizza.
