Page 66 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
“That’s what he told us he was doing, but who knows what he actually did?” Addy pulled two slices of bread from the toaster. They were hard and cold. She tossed them into the sink.
“What did that bread ever do to you?” Sheila asked, biting her lip.
Addy cracked a smile. “Nothing. I forgot about it when I was arguing with Rick and now it’s gross.”
Plus one of them had been for Rick, but he wasn’t going to need it. He’d gotten his walking papers and stormed off.
“So he told you he was pulled off the assignment and walked out? Just like that?” Sheila scrunched her nose as though something stank. “That doesn’t seem like him.”
“He didn’t tell me anything. I got a call from Shane. He was livid that he had to hear about this at all, then blamed me for being dramatic.”
“Wait, heard about it from who?”
Addy put her hands over her face. “Rick. He called Shane and told him it was inappropriate for the company to end his contract, that I needed to be protected. “
“Oh.” Sheila nodded slowly. “I see where this is going.”
The tightness in her chest eased. Finally, someone was listening to her.
Addy took a breath. “Yeah. Then Shane called and scolded me, told me I’m a child, and said he’s done indulging me.”
Sheila’s eye twitched. “He saidwhat?”
“I know.” Addy shook her head. “It’s embarrassing, but maybe he’s right.”
“No, he isn’t! Your brakes werecut. Those guys are after you, Adelaide.”
“Yeah, and that was my own fault,” Addy said. “Apparently, if I leave them alone, they’ll leave me alone, too. It had nothing to do with Shane’s case. None of that even mattered.”
“Shane’s being a jerk and you know it. He’s always done stuff like this. He’s probably having a bad day and took it out on you.”
Addy stared at the floor. He had sounded very annoyed, and he was terrible at handling his emotions. To everyone else, he was a stoic judge, ruler of all, but to Addy, he was a man who couldn’t deal with getting the wrong cheese at a restaurant.
“I said gorgonzola,” he’d once hissed through gritted teeth. “What’s the point of going out to eat and paying for things when you don’t even get what you want?”
He could be ridiculous sometimes.
“Shane’s the child. You know this,” Sheila said gently. “Don’t let him get to you. Not anymore.”
Rick had treated her like a child, too. Going over her head, excluding her.
She’d thought he was different. She’d thought he’d seen her for who she was.
Ah, unless…
Maybe he did see her for who she was, and that person couldn’t be trusted. She was foolhardy, and reckless, and…
“I can’t believe Rick called him,” she went on, shaking her head. “We were arguing about it and he just turned and walked out the door.” She walked to the window and peered out. “His car is gone, too. I guess he’s done with me.”
“I’m sure he’s not done with you. Why don’t you call him?”
Addy rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to call him. He can apologize when he’s ready.”
A smile crept across Sheila’s face. “Looks like this is about something else.”
“No, it isn’t. It’s about respect.”
Sheila did a little dance with her shoulders. “Respect. Right.”
