Page 6 of The Library on Plum Island
“Speaking of your expensive champagne bath, how many of my bottles have you and your merry band of champagne thieves stolen from me now?” Alex asked.
“Not enough, I’m afraid,” Harriet told him. “You need to have quite a few more parties.”
Alex sighed and leaned back against the leather seat. He was tired, and his hand ached severely. It had been a crazy day, one that could’ve easily had a worse outcome than it did. Alex suppressed a shudder thinking about what could’ve happened. He closed his eyes and started to doze when the car stopped.
“Alex, we’re here,” Harriet’s voice pulled him from his slumber. “Let’s get you inside and into bed.”
“Yeah!” Alex nodded in agreement. “Will you stay in a guest bedroom tonight, please?”
Harriet nodded. “I’ll go back to the hotel and get some clothes. You put something waterproof over your arm, take a shower, and get into bed. I’ll be back within half an hour.”
“Will you order something to eat?” Alex asked. “I’m starving.”
“Sure,” Harriet said. “What do you feel like?”
“Pizza!” Alex grinned at the surprise on her face. “What? I eat pizza!”
“Really?” Harriet looked at him skeptically. “When was the last time you had a pizza? The gourmet kind you get at your fancy restaurants doesn’t count.” She frowned. “That’s not pizza; that’s just fancy bread crust with one of the restaurant’s overpriced dishes served in a way that you think is different. But all you’re doing is adding empty calories with the bread crust.” She raised her brows. “You do know that here on Plum Island, you’re not going to get a gourmet pizza. It’s going to be a real pizza.”
“You seem to know a lot about pizza!” Alex observed. “We can discuss that when you get back with a thin-crust pepperoni and three-cheese pizza. Don’t put olives or mushrooms on it—no veggies or fruit either.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, you can put peppers on it, though.”
“Got it.” Harriet nodded. “Anything else?”
“You can get some corn chips,” Alex said. “And I need more water. I’m out.”
“Sure.” Harriet tilted her head. “Is there anything else you want to add to your grocery list?”
“No, that’s it.” Alex smiled smugly. “I’ll text you if I think of anything else.”
Harriet glared at him before climbing back into the limo, adjusting her time frame for getting back to his house.
Alex stepped into his house, a sigh escaping him at the sight of the disarray in the living room. The place was finally starting to look like home again after a recent break-in left it thoroughly ransacked. Harley had promised to come by the next day to repair the front door. For now, the latch still functioned, ensuring Alex could at least secure it for the night.
His gaze swept over the room, taking in the plush leather furniture and the shattered glass coffee table—a casualty of the break-in, not the subsequent chaos when thugs had stormed in, incapacitated him with drugs, and transported him to Boston. There, he had come to in a chair, bound and disoriented, in the eerily familiar surroundings of his late ex-sister-in-law’s renovated house.
Weary to his bones, Alex rubbed a hand over his face, the weight of exhaustion settling in. The living room’s state was more than he had the energy to confront tonight. With heavy steps, he ascended the stairs to the sanctuary of his second-floor bedroom, leaving the chaos below for another day.
Alex slipped off the sling his arm was resting in and then struggled to get undressed while thinking about what waterproof material he could wrap the cast in. He remembered he had a drawstring bag that he’d put a sweater, his keys, and his phone in when he went sailing in the dinghy. Alex found the bag and pulled it over his cast, tightening the end. Feeling proud of himself, he went to shower, not realizing just how difficult that could be with only one hand.
An hour later, Alex was sitting on the sofa in the living room of his bedroom suite when his phone rang. It was Harriet. She was at the door loaded with stuff needing help. He yawned as he wandered downstairs to let her in, thankful that Tanner, who was helping Sam Donovan with the limo service, helped her with her luggage. There was no way Alex would’ve managed all her bags without him.
“Are you moving in for good?” Alex asked. “Because that’s a lot of luggage for one night.”
“After discussing your condition with Daniella, Ethan, Brad, Dawn, and Harley, we decided that I’ll stay with you until the cast comes off,” Harriet informed him.
“And when did this meeting of people who have absolutely no say over my life take place?” Alex asked her.
He followed the mouthwatering aroma of the two pizzas Harriet was carrying along with a paper bag into the large ultra-modern kitchen that any chef would envy.
“Where’s the sling for your arm?” Harriet asked him, placing the pizza on the marble center block and starting to unpack the groceries.
“I was battling to get it back on,” Alex told her.
He walked toward the pizza, watching Harriet pull an amazing amount of groceries from the paper bag. It reminded him of Mary Poppins pulling all sorts of things from her carpet bag. Alex wondered if she was going to draw a large kitchen appliance from it.
“Oh, Daniella gave me these.” Harriet pulled a small bag out of the bag and put it on the counter in front of him. “She said you should take two before going to bed.”
Alex’s heart jolted at the mention of the beautiful doctor. He opened the bag and found ibuprofen, and while he didn’t like medication, he was grateful for it as his arm was killing him. Alex went to the refrigerator, got a bottle of water, and noticed a variety of nut milk.
