Page 17 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
Inside his own room, he opened the window. Clean, crisp air blew in. He closed his eyes, breathing deep breaths. A good end to a long day.
Rick broke away from the window and took a shower. It was a fancy thing, white marble and glass walls. The shower head sprinkled above him like a summer rain, relaxing his muscles.
After the shower, he laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. The stars had been blocked by clouds.
The next morning, he woke with a start when he heard Adelaide’s shower kick on. He got dressed quickly and stood outside her bedroom door.
She screamed when she opened it and walked into him.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to surprise you.”
“No, I’m sorry. I never knew it was so easy to sneak up on me until now.” She smoothed her hair with her hand. “How’d you sleep?”
He could only remember one nightmare, and he’d gotten at least three hours. “Pretty well. And you?”
“I had a weird dream about someone following me. I guess I’m more creeped out by the threat than I realized.” She rubbed the back of her head. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
The company had provided him with a credit card for his expenses. He’d grab something on the way or eat a protein bar from his bag.
She turned, walking down the stairs. “I make a mean breakfast sandwich. If I made one and left it in front of you, would you leave it there? Or would you eat it?”
“Uh…”
“Would you waste a sandwich, Rick?” She leaned in, forehead creased. “Or do you have some dietary restrictions I should know about?”
“No, but –”
She spun. “One sandwich, coming up!”
He sighed and followed her to the kitchen. She had four slices of bread in the toaster and a frying pan heating up within seconds.
Rick stood to the side, arms hanging uselessly at his sides. That wouldn’t do. He found the coffee pot and dumped out the old filter and grounds. A rolled bag of coffee stood next to it. He opened it, the sweet aroma filling the air.
“Mugs are in there,” Addy said, pointing to the cupboard.
He pulled out four. Presumably Russell would wake up soon, and Sheila might show up, too.
If no one else wanted coffee, he could drink the entire pot himself. Caffeine had no effect on him. The insomnia left him chronically exhausted. At this point, his body didn’t want to sleep. It would be unfamiliar, too much like a threat.
Russell came down just as Adelaide finished the sandwiches, and Sheila popped through the front door. Their appearance plunged him into a parallel universe. Russell burst into song and grabbed Sheila by the hands, swinging her around.
Like last night during the card game, he caught a glimpse into a life he hadn’t chosen, where people enjoyed breakfast together and meant it when they laughed. Adelaide watched them, cheering, serving up fried egg sandwich after fried egg sandwich.
Rick’s was the first. The edges of the egg were slightly browned and perfectly crispy. Melted cheese oozed over the edges of toast. Adelaide lined his plate with fresh strawberries and blueberries.
It beat a dry protein bar, and he didn’t have to sing or dance for his.
Once Russell finished his song, he released Sheila to settle in with Adelaide and babble a mile a minute. From what Rick could pick up on, their mother had already begun requests for the day, but Adelaide had staved her off by telling her they were going to Bellingham to talk to Lawrence about the missing money.
“Mom’s being very cagey about it all,” Adelaide said, taking a sip of coffee. “She keeps telling me not to mention her missing money to him.”
“She’s up to something.” Sheila shook her head. “I’m not looking forward to figuring out what that is.”
Rick got up to pour a second cup of coffee as the front door opened. A young man walked in.
Rick moved quickly, stepping in front of Adelaide. “Can I help you?”
