Page 67 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
Addy stared at her. “What are you getting at?”
“I think you wouldn’t bethisupset about him if you didn’t care about more than just respect. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. You went on that romantic kayak excursion and came back as giddy as two kids after a night at a theme park.”
Addy put a hand up. “I’m not having this conversation.”
“All right, that’s fine.” Sheila cackled a laugh. “I have to run anyway. Joey’s flying me to Seattle. I’m supposed to record three more songs for my album today.”
Addy sucked in a breath. “Are you serious? Can I come? Or at least hear the songs?”
Sheila shook her head. “I’m not ready to share. The album will only be done if they’re good. If they’re not good, then people can wait.”
“I thought you needed to get the album done before Russell’s movie came out?”
She pulled her coat on. “I do. I mean, I’m supposed to, but you can’t rush art.”
Addy smiled. Such integrity, her sister. Addy always admired her for it. “Well, good luck. I’m rooting for you.”
Russell came downstairs, rushing by to put on his coat and catch a ride to Stuart Island.
Addy was on her own.
She hadn’t been alone in weeks and, to be honest, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Outside, the sky hung above her head, a monotone gray. There was no sign of the sun. She got in her car and drove to town, parking in an open spot on the street.
She walked until she found a café overlooking the harbor. Addy walked up the wooden stairs, and inside the cozy warmth of the shop, ordered a breakfast sandwich and the tea latte of the month.
It came out quickly and she sat at a cold metal table outside, enjoying the beautiful drink drizzled with caramel, whipped cream, and cinnamon.
Her napkins kept trying to escape in the wind. She weighed them down with her phone, then picked up the breakfast sandwich. A bagel, egg, and cheese for $14. The beautiful drink had been an extra six.
Her phone rang out and her heart leapt. It had to be Rick.
“Hello?”
The napkins took off, dancing on a gust.
“Hey, Addy. It’s Mia.”
She really needed to start looking at who was calling before she answered. “Hey, Mia. How are you?”
“Good,” she said slowly. “Hoping you won’t be mad at me.”
Addy smiled and took a sip. It tasted like fall. Maybe once in a while it was okay to get a six-dollar drink if it warmed her like this. “I doubt that will happen. What’s up?”
“Well, I didn’t want to tell you about this unless it panned out, but I think it has panned out.” Mia cleared her throat. “I have this friend from college who became a private investigator.”
“Okay.” This was going to take a while. Addy took a bite of sandwich. It was good, but she liked her own sandwiches more. And the ones she made didn’t cost $14.
“He’s an interesting guy. He was a programmer and worked in cybersecurity for a while, but he transitioned into being a private investigator. Not a traditional one, though. He’s a digital private investigator.”
“Digital,” Addy repeated.
“Yeah, like, everything he does is online.”
Another bite. The bacon was a nice addition. “Oh.”
“I asked him to look into your guys and Flex Knock.”
