Page 75 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
Mom set the box down and put a hand over her mouth. “What on earth is going on?”
They scrolled through the emails until they found one offering some clarity. “Is this the tea shop on the island where Russell Westwood lives?”
Her mom frowned. “Do you think someone spilled the beans that Russell lives next door?”
Eliza shook her head. “It wasn’t me, but I’m mad I didn’t think of it first.”
She pulled up a search for “Russell Westwood tea shop” and immediately got ten news articles all repeating the same thing. The one with the catchiest title got her:Star Russell Westwood Reveals Where He’s Been Hiding All This Time!
The article managed to sneak in five hundred words of nothing before referencing a post on Russell’s new website. Eliza immediately went straight to the source and found a video of him.
“Hey everyone, it’s Russell Westwood.” He smiled, but knowing him in real life, Eliza could tell how uncomfortable that smile was. “I know I’ve fallen off the face the earth for a few years, but I’m back. I, ah, moved to an island off the coast of Seattle called San Juan, and, uh…” He trailed off, laughing. “Can you tell why I need someone else to write my lines for me?”
Eliza laughed and snuck a glance at her mom. Her eyes were focused on the screen, her expression unreadable.
“I’m re-discovering all the good in the world,” he said. “The first place I found it was at this tea shop – A Spot of Tea. It’s run by a lovely grandma who is an expert in all things tea and baked goods. Seriously, check it out. Granny Patty is one mean baker, and uh, please stay tuned, I’ve got more to come.”
Eliza turned to her mom, a grin on her face. “I can’t believe it! Do you think Granny made him do that?”
Her mom shook her head. “I don’t think anyone couldmakehim do that.”
Eliza kept scrolling through Russell’s website and found another video:An open letter to Lottie the Whale.
Her mouth dropped open. “Have you seen this?”
Mom shook her head, her eyes wide, her voice small. “No.”
“Hey everyone, Russell here. Do I need to say that every time? It seems arrogant not to. Though I guess it’s my website.” He laughed and scratched his eyebrow. “Well, anyway. I haven’t spoken much about my divorce, and I’m not planning on starting now, but let’s just say I lost a lot, but I gained some things, too. One of those things was a park called Marine Magic Funland.
“This place – it wasn’t something I ever planned to be involved in. You’ve probably have never heard of it. It’s a little park out here with roller coasters and cotton candy and all of those delightful things.
“The park is also home to a beautiful killer whale named Lottie. I didn’t know much about killer whales before – I’m more of a wolf guy myself – but it was recently brought to my attention that Lottie is a member of the endangered southern resident killer whale pod, a group who happens to live here around this very island.
“Life is strange and serendipitous. I never knew about Lottie, just like I never knew about the whales in this place I now call home. And while my partners are not going to be happy with me, my plan is to find a way to get Lottie out of our park. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people on the island, and there are many researchers and experts who believe she can be retired from performing and into a sea pen.
“Unfortunately, that means the end of retirement for me. I’m devastated, of course, but I need to raise the funds to get Lottie into her new place. To that end, I’m going to shoot another movie, and I have a poll on my website where you can vote what kind of movie I should do. All the proceeds will go directly to bringing Lottie home.”
He paused and squinted. “Right now it looks like zombie rom-com is winning…” Russell shook his head. “I will do whatever the votes demand, but please don’t let a zombie rom-com movie happen. You have until Christmas to get your votes in, so hurry on over.”
The video ended and Eliza turned to her mom. “You didn’t tell me he was going to help with Lottie!”
Her eyes were wide. “I didn’t know.”
“Have you talked to him?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think he wants to talk to me.”
“But look!” She pointed at the screen. “He’s listening to you!”
She put a hand on Eliza’s shoulder. “I’m just happy things are falling into place.”
Her mom turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
Thirty-five
The air in Sheila’s lungs escaped so rapidly it felt like her sternum would snap.
The entire time she watched Russell’s video, she was frozen, waiting for him to mention her, waiting for even a hint at her existence.
