Page 66 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
“It’s just some confusion. Nothing to worry about.”
She picked up her teacup with both hands and turned to Eliza. “I’ll give your grandma a call. I’m guessing she has nowhere to stay.”
“Sounds good. I’ll text you the number she called me from.”
She left, and Eliza felt a pressure settle into her chest. She didn’t know what it was, but something was off. Her mom was hiding something.
It was time to call in her sisters and see what they knew.
Twenty-nine
He thought he must be getting sick, or having a heart attack, or both. Every time Russell closed his eyes, he saw Sheila’s face and his chest would constrict, like a vise around his heart. His breath was heavy, a chill ran to his core, and sweat pooled on his brow.
He couldn’t stand staying at his house. By noon the next morning, Russell was halfway to Arizona. One of his fellow wolf enthusiasts had invited him to visit ages ago, but he’d never had the time to make the trip.
Then, two days ago, the guy left a breathless voicemail with some news. “One of the female wolves traveled north,farnorth. Above I-40!” he’d said. “We think she’s looking for a mate. She could make it to Colorado.”
Looking for love. Russell thought she’d be better off staying at home.
Nevertheless, he needed to get away from the island, and he wanted to learn more about the Mexican gray wolf population. They were stunning little creatures, the smallest wolves in North America, and had been totally wiped out by the 1970’s. It wasn’t until 1998 that conservationists had reintroduced eleven of them into the wilds of Arizona.
Now, a quarter century later, there were nearly three hundred wolves living, hunting, and playing in Arizona and New Mexico. They were thriving and doing so in a new world that had seemed impossibly hostile to them a short time ago.
It was inspiring and even if his mood was sour, he could be thrilled for the little wolf venturing out of her comfort zone.
When he got to Phoenix, Russell rented a car and made a call to the realtor who’d sold him his place on San Juan Island.
“I think I’m ready to put the house back on the market,” he told her.
“Oh no!” She groaned. “You don’t like it? Are you sure you’ve given it enough of a chance?”
“I’m sure. Let’s list it.”
Driving always helped clear his head, but this time, it wasn’t working. His thoughts were thick with regret.
Why did he think he could trust anyone, especially someone who had showed up in his life so randomly, pretending to be a friend? Who was he to think he could live like a normal person? That he could move to a new place and build a new life?
It was impossible. The stain of his career would never leave him. People looked at him and saw one thing: an opportunity.
Read my script. Loan me a million. Free my whale.
At least Sheila had been original. He could give her that. He wouldn’t have expected someone to fake a friendship with him to get to awhale.
The things people wanted from him were endless, and he couldn’t anticipate what would come next. There was no chance at real friendship for him. There was no chance of falling in love. He was ashamed he’d even allowed his mind to go there. Not that he’d had much of a choice, but still.
Until he could accept that he was never going to be part of a community again, he’d be the perfect target. It was best if he sold everything and moved to a cabin in the woods. The kids could still visit, and at least he’d get to see the wolves once in a while.
His phone rang, and for a moment, his traitorous heart hoped it might be Sheila. “Hello?”
“Hey, Russ,” the familiar voice said. “It’s Holly.”
He stopped himself from saying, Just what I needed. A call from you. There was no need to spread his misery. Instead, he went with, “Hey, Holly.”
“I don’t have a lot of time to talk, so I’ll just get to it.” Her voice was tentative, polite. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to do Thanksgiving, and I feel awful.”
Ah. As he’d expected. “Where are you shooting that movie again?”
“We’re in Vancouver. It’s really nice, but yeah. We’re running behind and the studio wants us to do some reshoots. It’s a mess.”
