Page 2 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
“What on earth are you doing? Littering for fun?”
Addy spun around. That voice was too high to be real. It couldn’t possibly be… “Mom?”
“The one and only.”
New fear unlocked.
A grin spread across her mother’s face, red lipstick on her front tooth. “Why are you throwing trash into the ocean? I know I taught you better than that.”
Addy blinked. Six years ago, her mom had showed up at Christmas without warning and complained there were no gifts for her. She looked remarkably the same, though her lipstick had changed from a maroon red to a lighter pink.
“I’m cleaning, actually.” Addy bent down and picked up the bottle. Her right arm hung at her side, aching.
“No you’re not! I watched you throw that.”
“What are you doing here, Mom?”
“What kind of welcome is that for your mother?” She stepped back, her lips pressed into a scowl. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
She sighed, tucking the bottle under her arm. “Of course I’m happy to see you. I’m just surprised.”
“Well, I didn’t expectyouto be here, either. Where’s Shane?”
The throbbing in her shoulder intensified. Addy used her left arm as a sling. “We got a divorce. I called you.”
“I can’t be expected to remember every little thing,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Did you know things are rocky with my boyfriend too?”
“What boyfriend?”
“Then, worst of all, someone stoleallof my savings! Right out from under me!”
“What? Who?”
“Scam artists! I was trying to save the house for me and Lawrence. He’d fallen behind on payments, and when I tried to help, they tookeverything! What am I supposed to do? You’re going to have to help me.”
“I –”
“Oh my, is that your new man? A bit young for you, don’t you think?”
Her mother had never been all there, but now she really must have lost it. “Mom, what are you talking about?”
“That fella right there. He’s got his eyes on you. Don’t play coy.”
She pointed and Addy turned. Walking down the hill from the tea shop was a dark-haired man in jeans and a black shirt. The wind blew against the shirt, outlining a hard chest. His eyes were covered by sunglasses, and his face was pinched in a scowl.
Addy laughed. “That’s not my boyfriend. I don’t know who that is.”
“Well,” she dropped her voice, “he’s headed right for you.”
Two
He scanned the area. Sand, sea. No boats on the water that could reach them. A perfectly boring scene, and two women looking up at him.
“Adelaide Ashbourne?” Rick asked when he reached them.
The younger one raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”
She matched the pictures he’d gotten. Rick put his hand forward. “I’m Rick Hayle from IronClad Elite.”
