Page 35 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
“No more spontaneously throwing yourself into Liam’s arms, Dawn,” she muttered to herself as Carl’s door swung open.
Carl’s eyes widened when he saw Dawn standing at his door with a large cane corso at her side and a harnessed iguana in her arms.
“Miss Vanderbilt,” Carl greeted her, his eyes sliding to her companions. “Is everything okay?” His eyes narrowed. “You and Miss Joyce didn’t rob a zoo again, did you?”
“How did you know about that?” Dawn asked him, her brow crinkling.
“It’s in your files,” Carl told her.
“And we didn’t rob the zoo,” Dawn corrected him. “Harriet was relocating a few of its abused animals.” She raised her eyebrows. “I was merely helping her with the relocation.”
“Noted.” Carl nodded.
“I’m here because Liam and I need your help,” Dawn told him and went on to explain what was happening after she made him promise not to tell her brother Scott.
Carl was reluctant to promise anything like that at first, as Scott was his boss. But Dawn could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. She got Carl to agree to her terms for the mission ahead.
“Give me a few minutes to get ready,” Carl told her.
“Sure. I’ll be up in my suite,” Dawn told him.
“Are you sure it’s wise to be there on your own, Miss Vanderbilt?” Carl looked at her worriedly.
“I’m not on my own,” Dawn told him and looked pointedly at her companions.
“He’s a beautiful dog,” Carl said, reaching out his hand for Hicks to sniff before he patted the dog’s head. “The iguana is beautiful too. But she probably needs a bit of warmth right now as the evening cools down.”
“You know about iguanas?” Dawn looked at him, impressed.
“Yeah, I’ve had a few,” Carl told her. “They can be quite the characters, too.”
Dawn nodded. “I’ll see you upstairs.” With that, she turned and went back to her room, worried about Ritz getting cold.
When she was inside the living room of her suite, Dawn took Ritz’s harness off and put her into Hicks’s cuddly bed. She turned the heat up in the living room. Noticing that her balcony doors were still slightly open, she went to close them. Dawn froze when her gaze was drawn to the hotel’s yacht jetty. Her gaze settled on the gleaming hull of the superyacht moored there. Its imposing presence was unexpected and, for some reason, sent warning bells off in her head. She stepped out onto the balcony to get a better look. The night air was thick withthe scent of the sea, and the gentle bobbing of the boat instantly made her feel queasy.
“You really need to get this motion sickness under control,” Dawn told herself and was distracted by a knock on her door.
She pulled the glass door closed behind her and locked it before going to answer the knock. Dawn pulled the door open to find Liam armed with three flashlights.
“Hi,” Liam said, smiling and holding up the flashlights. “I think these will do nicely. Just one looks like a spotlight. I think three will light up the entire tunnel system.”
Dawn’s eyes drifted to the flashlights while her mind was on the yacht. “There’s a superyacht docked at the jetty where Alex’s boat used to be.” Her brow furrowed. “Do you know when it arrived?”
“Just a couple of hours ago,” Liam replied, watching her closely. “I believe it’s a surprise for Alex, Daniella, and Emily from the Blackwells.”
Dawn nodded as she absorbed his words. “Do you know who sailed it here?”
“I can find out.” Liam pulled out his phone. “I know the captain is booked into Harriet’s old suite next door to yours.” He dialedthe reception desk. After a brief exchange, he hung up and turned to Dawn. “It’s a Captain Jet.”
Dawn’s heart jolted, her jaw clenched, and her fists balled at her sides. “Dang it,” she said through clenched teeth before she stormed out of her room.
Dawn’s stride was purposeful and swift as she made her way toward the suite where Harriet stayed before she got married. Dawn heard Liam hurrying behind her and the click of Hicks’s claws. They reached the suite next door to hers.
Without caring that it was almost midnight, Dawn pounded on the door with a force that resonated along the hallway. It didn’t take long before the door swung open to reveal a tall, ruggedly handsome young man in his early thirties with violet eyes and dark hair styled neatly on the sides and shaggily on top. His expression shifted from surprise to a disarming grin when he saw Dawn.
“Dawn,” he greeted warmly. “Where did you come from?”
Ignoring his pleasantries, Dawn shot straight to the point. “Don’t act all innocent like you didn’t know I was here.” She poked him in the chest with her index finger.
