Page 16 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
Sheila walked over. “Russell! You told me you got it working.”
“I thought I did, but turns out I was just flipping through the settings every night.”
She shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
“We’ll need to address that,” Rick said. “I’ll also need to walk around the property to see if there are any vulnerabilities.”
Sheila crossed her arms over her chest. “The biggest vulnerability is Russell forgetting to close the door. Last week I came over and it was wide open. Blowing in the wind.”
Russell laughed. “That was bad, but in my defense, Patty had told me Eliza had just pulled a cinnamon apple cake out of the oven and she needed someone to try it.”
“You left the door open because of cake?”
Russell shook his head. “I left the door open because ofPatty.”
Seemed fair. Though Marilyn ruined every quiet moment with her demands and musings, Patty was the one Rick needed to watch. She was the gravitas granny.
He looked down. Was that what this job would end up being? Assessing grandma threat levels?
“Should we do the walk-through now?” Rick asked.
“Sure.” Russell nodded. “We’ll drop your bags off and start upstairs.”
“Do I have to come along for the walk-through?” Adelaide asked.
Rick looked at her. She was perched on a stool at the kitchen island, a glass of white wine in her hand. He didn’t want to disturb her, but… “It shouldn’t take long.”
She nodded, smiling brightly. “Okay!”
“I’m coming too!” Sheila said, rushing over. “I don’t want to be left out.”
Rick followed Russell up the stairs and dropped his bags in his room. He had a private bathroom and a window with a view of the ocean through the trees. Above the bed, a deep window cut through the ceiling. He’d still have a view of the stars.
They wove through each room, checking window locks and dark corners while Adelaide and Sheila chatted behind them. Outside, they walked the property line down to the shoreline. Sheila made a video call to Russell’s daughter, Mia, and asked Rick to say hello.
“I’ve never met a bodyguard before!” Mia said, waving and smiling.
He nodded. “Hello.”
He never knew what to say when people commented on him being a bodyguard. In truth, it wasn’t so different from being in the army. Hurry up and wait. Boredom randomly interrupted by terror.
Hopefully there wouldn’t be any terror this time. He needed this job to stay easy. Enough of a challenge to keep him sharp, but not enough to rouse his nerves. The confidence boost might be all he needed to get back to normal. To himself.
If anyone suspected him of being less than capable, they didn’t betray their thoughts. The trio followed Rick as he walked on, inspecting the dock on Russell’s property, then returning inside to set up the security system.
It was more advanced than he’d expected, and impressive in a way. Russell didn’t know what he had going for him.
He was busy fiddling with the keypad when Sheila offered him a glass of wine.
Rick didn’t look up from the security keypad. “I don’t drink on the job.”
Or ever, but that wasn’t for her to know or for him to explain. So much of life was knowing what to keep private. That was what most people were missing. Talking too much, telling everyone their problems. It was probably half the reason Marilyn got scammed. The lady couldn’t stand birds getting a chance to be louder than she was.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. Even if this job wasn’t high stakes, he couldn’t keep letting his mind wander. He had been hired for a reason, and he was going to do it to his own standard.
Once the alarm was set up, he took a seat on the couch. Sheila asked him to join their game of cards, but he declined. It was never a good idea to get too comfortable with the clients. They should get comfortable with him – view him as part of the scenery, even – but he always needed to be on guard.
When Adelaide announced she was retiring for the night, Rick walked her upstairs and cleared her room before shutting the door.
