Page 79 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
She patted him on the hand. “You’re still young. You’ll find a way to put yourself together again, in a way that’s not tangled with old ideas.”
His chest floated, light and airy, the crushing weight drifting off like steam, disappearing into the air.
“I hope you’re right.”
She sat up straight. “I won’t preach anymore. I’ll give you a break. Plus, I need to know how you found me.”
A smile pulled at his lips. This was much easier for him to talk about than the rest of that stuff.
He told her all about it – how once he had seen Cliff at IronClad Elite and gotten intel on him, he’d discovered Cliff was in charge of four other companies in the area, one of which was Lighthouse Bay.
That was the first place he’d checked after talking to Mia. He’d picked the lock at the trailer and watched the security footage. He’d watched footage of Addy walking around the Lighthouse Bay building and confronting the scumbags. Then, after seeing Addy disappear into the van, he checked the other two businesses in Bellingham.
The second one had the locked parking lot with the deserted van.
“It was easy, really,” he said. “I’m just sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you! I wish I could pick locks,” she laughed.
“Oh, right, about that.” He walked over to the door and picked up a bag. “I found the safe in the trailer, but I couldn’t open it.”
“Ah. Bummer,” she said.
“But the money wasn’t in the safe. It was hidden at the bottom of a suitcase.”
Her jaw dropped open. “No! Rick! You found it?”
He grinned. “I did. Well, most of it. I’m not sure how much is left.” He dropped the bag on the kitchen island and unzipped it. “There’s a lot of cash in there.”
A white sheet of paper sat folded on top.
“That’s my mom’s handwriting!” Addy clutched at the piece of stationery with roses at the top. “This must’ve been her idea of a contract.”
“Looks binding to me.”
They erupted into laughter.
“I can’t believe this,” Addy said. “I can’t believeyou.You’re amazing.” She paused. “Even if you hadn’t done any of this, you’d still be amazing.”
He held up a hand. “All right, all right. I can’t let this go to my head.”
“I can’t imagine it would.” She shook her head. “This is unreal. I have something to tell you, too.”
“Oh?” He settled into the seat next to her. He could listen to her talk for the rest of his life. “I’m all yours,” he said.
Thirty
The story rolled out of her, like coins pouring into a fountain. Addy started from the beginning with the call from her husband. The things he’d said. How the words hitjustthe spot they needed to, pushing the buttons that sent her over the edge.
“I know it was stupid to do what I did,” Addy said.
He held up a hand. “There’s no judgment here. It wasn’t stupid. It was human.”
It was embarrassing that her ex-husband could still get to her like that. Then again, that was why he was herex-husband.
She told him the rest: Mia’s findings, how Flex Knock had paid off a judge, the text messages about the money being hidden away.
“I know there’s more to this now,” Addy said, tapping a finger on the counter. Her tea had gone cold, but she didn’t need it. The blood pumping from her chest was red hot. “I can feel it in my bones. It’s much bigger than stealing homes from desperate people.”
