Page 63 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
He sighed. “Yeah, sure. We can figure it out.”
We.Did he trust her to make those decisions for him?
“There’s something else I wanted to say to you. Needed to say to you.”
Sheila couldn’t break her eyes away from him. “Okay.”
“It’s about the day before I left. At my house. I wanted to apologize…”
Her heart leapt. So she hadn’t imagined it. He had been trying to kiss her.
“It’s fine,” she said, putting up a hand. “Honestly. Like, not a big deal. Happens all the time.”
Happens all the time?As though clients were falling over themselves to try to kiss her?
A smile faltered on his lips. “Well, you know, it’s…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m bad at this.”
She laughed. “It’s okay. I get it.”
“I value you. As a friend. I like having you as a neighbor, too. And…”
He trailed off again.
No wonder he was an actor. He really did need someone to write his lines for him.
She interrupted his struggle. “As a bookkeeper?”
Russell laughed. “Yes. That too.”
“I was happy to help you with that. You weren’t as messy as many clients I’ve had in the past.”
“Oh?” He nodded. “That’s good to know.”
Maybe this was how she could tell him? He clearly wasn’t too sensitive about his expenses. He probably didn’t care about the park – it was a product of the divorce. What were the chances he even knew Lottie existed?
Yes, this was how she could tell him the truth. “You’ve got some interesting assets.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t think of you as the judgmental type.”
Sheila laughed. “I’m not! But that amusement park? With that whale? I mean, honestly, you’re better off getting out of that.”
He groaned. “Yeah. It’s been a sore spot. I’ve spent a lot on it.”
“I saw.” She paused. “Maybe it’s best to shut it down. All that maintenance…and let that whale go, too.”
He was quiet for a moment. “The whale?”
“She’s probably your worst asset. I don’t judge the others, but that one…” She made a face.
“That bad, huh?” he said, his voice soft.
“Not bad, no,” she said. “It’s just, you know, she…” Sheila sighed. “She’s – I wanted to talk to you about her.”
“About Lottie.”
Oh. So he did know her name. “Yes. You know, orcas are a lot like wolves. They live in families, and removing one from a family is detrimental. Think of what would’ve happened in Yellowstone if Wolf 8 had been captured and forced to perform circus tricks.”
He was silent.
