Page 76 of Sunset Tides
If he did die, however, she wouldn’t be thinking about how he’d gone after the hotel. She’d think of him struggling to eat an oyster, or of him trying to convince her not to run off on a cruiseship, or the way his lips found hers in the shining moonlight on the ship…
“I don’t want him to leave,” Lucy said, her voice cracking.
“Tell him that.”
“I can’t.” Lucy’s voice was high, almost a whine.
“You can,” Lillian said gently. “You can be afraid and still do what needs to be done.”
She was going to say she wasn’t afraid, but that was a lie. She wasn’t sure why it was a lie, but it was.
There was a primal fear deep in the pit of her stomach, one that made her nauseous and cold, one that was trying to convince her she would not be okay unless she stayed far away from Rob.
At the same time, there was a longing in her heart, a softer, squishier feeling, pulling her in and promising everything good – ice cream, baby goats hopping, hand holding while walking alongside the ocean at sunset…
Lucy took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Yes you can,” Lillian said. “I believe in you.”
She rubbed her face. It seemed impossible. Her gut was telling her to run, but her heart felt sick over the idea of never seeing him again. How was she supposed to sort this out? “Maybe I’ll just go and say hello. Catch him before his flight.”
“Good idea!”
She ended the call and immediately dialed Rob. The phone rang and rang before hitting his voicemail.
“Hi, you’ve reached Rob Coolidge. I can’t get to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number – ”
She hung up. She wasn’t ready to leave a voicemail. She had no idea what to say to him.
It’d be better to give her message in person. She could pop over to the airport and come up with something to say on thedrive. Fiona wouldn’t mind if she took a little break. They’d been slow all day.
Now wasn’t the time to think or second-guess. Lucy grabbed her coat, locked the farm shop door, and sent a message to Fiona. “I have to run, but I’ll be back soon. Sorry!”
Her heart pounded in her chest as she got to her car. It didn’t feel quite like facing her fears – maybe running alongside them. That was good enough for now, as long as she kept moving.
The airport in Eastsound had a sleepy, empty parking lot running along the landing strip. Lucy got out of her car and eyed the small planes sitting nearby, baking in the sun.
Were these the broken ones? Why were they just sitting out like that? How often did they break down? How often did the white paint blind the pilots and cause crashes?
Lucy shuddered. This was a dangerous place, one she would never come to unless she was experiencing the sort of madness she felt now.
She walked past the plane deathtraps and through the front door of the airport. It was less of an airport and more of a large room. There was only one other person inside, and disappointingly, he didn’t look like Rob at all.
“Hi, I was wondering – ”
The man’s mouth popped open. “You’re Lucy Woodley, aren’t you?”
She paused, smiling reflexively. “Yes.”
He rushed around the counter to shake her hand. “I watched you at the council meeting and read about how you saved Grindstone. I’m a huge fan.”
Now there was something she hadn’t expected – she was a bonafide island celebrity. “Thank you!” she said, beaming. “That’s very nice of you. I’ve never had a fan before.”
He laughed heartily. “We were all impressed with what you’ve done around here. Really, just wonderful.”
“You know, I’m here to serve.”
He laughed again. “I’m sorry for gushing like this. Is there something I can help you with today?”
