Page 76 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
“Are you hungry? I have some food in the car.”
Addy shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
“Joey is waiting for us,” Rick said. “We can fly back now.”
“Thank you.”
It was a short trip to the docks. Mia talked nonstop, guilt exploding from her. “I tried to find you. I went to the boat place, and it was so creepy, Addy! I got so scared, and then –”
Addy appreciated her concern, but it was getting harder to pay attention. Maybe she had managed to stay up for most of the night. Or maybe she just felt too sleepy around Rick.
She thanked Mia for her help and assured her she wasn’t to blame. “This one’s all on me,” Addy said, giving her a hug.
Joey stood on the dock, doing a little hop when he saw them. “You found her!”
“I did,” Rick nodded.
“How did you find me?” Addy asked, looking up at him.
“I’ll tell you everything when we get back,” he said softly. They took their seats and he spoke again. “Can I get you anything?”
“I might just rest my head on you if you don’t mind…” Addy said.
She certainly wouldn’t fall asleep with the loud engine, but she could at least rest her eyes. In seconds, she had drifted off again.
It was too bad she couldn’t have held out a minute longer. She missed Rick whispering, “I’ve got you,” before Joey started the engine.
Twenty-nine
The sun peeked from behind the house. The water was flat, and the air was filled with the chirping of birds as they carried out their important work.
Rick checked all the rooms in the house. Empty. Apparently Russell was tied up at the sea pen site, and Sheila was staying in Seattle to record her album.
He made a sandwich and cup of tea for Addy, then sent her upstairs to take a nap.
“I feel like I’m in trouble,” Addy said with a laugh.
Rick shook his head. “You’re not the one in trouble. I am. I’ll tell you everything after you get some rest.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t argue. Rick sat on the floor outside her room until she emerged three hours later.
“It’s sort of embarrassing,” she said after she opened the door, her hair pressed to her forehead, her skin crossed with red creases. “To be sent away to nap like a baby.”
“Not a baby. Like someone who was kidnapped.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I wasn’t kidnapped. I got trapped in the back of the van by my own accord.”
He stared into her eyes. He’d thought he might never see them again. What a horrible world that would’ve been. If
something had happened to her, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself.
“Would you like another cup of tea?” he asked.
“Tea would be great.”
Downstairs, he put the kettle on and set out two mugs. It was time to confess. “I’m going to start from the beginning. I never should’ve taken this job. I wasn’t fit to, and it was a selfish move.”
Addy sat on a stool, her head slightly tilted. “What are you talking about? You’re a great bodyguard.”
