Page 57 of The Cottage on Plum Island
Jennifer gave her a reassuring smile and nodded.
“Jennifer, why don’t you let me give you a ride back to the hotel?” Andrew offered.
“No thanks,” Jennifer’s tone was once again clipped as she addressed him. “My cab’s here. I was just asking Georgia if Molly needed anything I could bring with me this evening.”
“You’ve given her the most wonderful gifts already,” Andrew told her. “All she wants now is for you to visit.”
Jennifer nodded and smiled at Georgia. “Bye. Tell Molly I’ll be here by six.”
With that, she turned and headed for her cab. When she returned to the hotel, there was still no sign of Harley, and the front desk said he hadn’t yet returned.
Jennifer was feeling emotionally drained by the time she got to her suite. Meeting Molly had been such a joy, and Jennifer had instantly felt a bond with her. She was Jennifer’s little sister, and she was ill. Why couldn’t her family catch a break?
As she entered her room, she found a note on the floor. When Jennifer opened it, her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was from Harley, and he’d written the time in the top right-hand corner—seven am. Jennifer must have just missed him. Unable to sleep, as she felt like she was trying to swim in a turbulent sea of emotions, Jennifer had gone for a walk just before seven. After her walk, Jennifer hadn’t returned to her suite. She’d gone straight to breakfast. She read the note:
Dear Jennifer
I’m sorry I won’t be able to go with you for your tests. I have some urgent family business to take care of.
I’ll make it up to you, Ipromise.
Harley x
“Is that a kiss?” Jennifer looked at the little x next to Harley’s name and couldn’t contain the fluttering it caused in her stomach. “Geez, Jennifer, what are you? Sixteen!”
Jennifer rolled her eyes as she walked into the suite, kicking off her shoes. She strode through the living room and into the bedroom, where she kicked off her shoes. She needed a shower to wash the hospital off her.
As she showered, she wondered who the evil man was that had Georgia react like she had. Jennifer made a mental note to ask Aunt Betty what she knew about Georgia’s and Andrew’s family. As far as Jennifer knew, Andrew’s father was a judge, and his mother was a nurse or something.
While Aunt Betty never said anything, Jennifer and Liam always suspected she kept apprised of what was happening in Andrews’s life. No matter what she told Andrew, Jennifer had never allowed herself to Google him or his family—it was her golden rule to herself. There was no point poking at an old wound, and while she didn’t look, she could keep making herself believe she didn’t care.
It was seven-thirty in the evening when Jennifer returned from the hospital after visiting Molly, and Harley was still not back. Jennifer was getting worried as she checked her phone for the millionth time, but Harley still hadn’t called or messaged.
Jennifer thought about going to the dining room for dinner as she was hungry but decided to have room service instead. She’d just had a shower, put on a comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants, and was about to curl up in front of the television while waiting for her dinner to arrive.
Her eyes kept going to her laptop lying on the coffee table, and she itched to break her golden rule and dig into who the evil man Georgia referred to might be. She was about to give in and do an internet search when there was a knock on the door.
“Saved by room service!” Jennifer sighed, putting her laptop on the coffee table. “I’ll take that as a sign the universe doesn’t want me to pry.”
But as she walked to the door, Jennifer knew that as soon as she’d gotten her dinner, she would get back onto her laptop. Jennifer needed to understand why Georgia had looked so angry and then terrified that Jennifer was going to say something to Andrew. She grabbed her wallet from her purse, yanked the door open, and froze.
A petite blonde woman with uncertain hazel eyes who was at least a head shorter than Jennifer’s five-foot-nine stood staring at her. The woman’s hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days and had a few twigs stuck in it. The woman’s face was smeared with dirt, as was her pale yellow sweats, blue t-shirt, and hoodie. The woman looked at Jennifer nervously, fidgeting with her hands.
“You’re not room service.” Jennifer said the first thing that popped into her head. “Are you lost?”
“I’m looking for Lee,” the woman’s voice was barely audible, and Jennifer had to strain to hear her.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know a Lee,” Jennifer told her.
The elevator dinged, and the woman jumped in fright and shot behind Jennifer, nearly knocking her flying. Jennifer turned to see the woman cowering in fear. Her brow creased, and alarm bells rang in Jennifer’s ears. Her attention was drawn away from the woman by the clatter of dishes drawing nearer.
“It’s okay,” Jennifer said, giving the woman a reassuring smile. “It’s just room service.”
The woman moved behind the door.
“Miss Gains,” the server stopped at the door. “Your room service order.” He looked into the suite. “May I set your dinner out on the dining table?”
“No.” Jennifer shook her head, pulling a few bills from her wallet and handing them to the man. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you.”
