Page 37 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
“No!” Dawn stepped in front of her brother, holding up her hands. “No. You can see the Ritz in the morning. Right now, you need to get some rest.”
“Oh, come on.” Wade looked at her with disappointment, shining in his gorgeous eyes and reminding her of how he’d looked when he was a kid, and she’d let him down.
Dawn swallowed down the guilt that flooded her heart as she stared into her brother’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Wade, but I’m tired as well. I have to speak with Carl about Harper and then need to get some sleep as I’m researching hotel management for a new script.”
“Okay.” Wade nodded and stepped back into the suite.
“Why don’t we have breakfast together tomorrow in my suite?” Dawn offered.
“Sure,” Wade said, and she could hear the hurt in his voice. “I’ll call you in the morning.” He nodded toward Carl and Liam and patted Hicks once more before pecking Dawn on the cheek. “Goodnight.”
With that, he stepped back into his suite and closed the door, leaving Dawn whirling back to their youth. All the times he’d gone to his room because she couldn’t spend the time with him she’d promised.
“Dawn, are you okay?” Liam asked, his eyes filled with concern. “Your brother seems nice.”
“He’s a complicated man,” Dawn said with a tight smile and glanced at Carl. “Carl, can you get someone to keep an eye on Wade?”
She hated even having to do that, and she so wanted to trust her little brother. Still, past experience had taught her that Wade always needed supervision.
“Of course, I’ll organize that right away,” Carl promised as they made their way back to Dawn’s suite.
While Carl organized a security detail for Wade, Dawn battled with her own conscience and guilt over her brother. She’d always felt partly responsible for the trouble he’d gotten himself into. Harriet had once told her to give Wade the benefit of the doubt and stop being so hard on him. Dawn had done so too many times, but Wade hadn’t just let her down; he let himself down as well. To this day, Dawn didn’t think he’d been telling the truth when his troubles had begun.
She drew in a deep breath and shook her head.Push it aside, Dawn. The past is in the past, and Wade paid for his mistakes.
“Dawn?” Liam’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Are you ready for our trip into the tunnels?”
“The person is probably long gone,” Carl pointed out. “We should call the police now.”
“We will,” Dawn told him. “Once we’ve recovered some old journals that are down there.”
“But the personal trail will have gone cold by then,” Carl told them.
“That’s why we’re bringing you, Carl,” Dawn told him with a grin. “You can use your ex-FBI skills to scout the place out.”
“Your brother sent my credentials to you, didn’t he?” Carl looked at her questioningly.
“Yup!” Dawn nodded and looked at Liam. “Are we ready?”
“Here you go.” Liam handed them each a flashlight. “Do you want to take Hicks?” He gave Dawn the leash.
“Do you think it’s wise to give Miss Vanderbilt Hicks’s leash?” Carl asked. “Hicks is a strong dog, and if he’s going to dart, he could seriously injure her.”
“I’ll be fine, Carl,” Dawn promised. “I’ll drop the leash the minute I get a hint that Hicks wants to dart.” She smiled down at the beautiful, shiny black dog with his lovely red eyes. “Besides, he makes me feel safe walking with me.”
“Alright then,” Carl said, following Dawn, Liam, and Hicks into her bedroom.
Liam pushed on the mirror, and Carl’s eyes widened in disbelief when it clicked open.
“Welcome to Narnia,” Dawn told him. “Only, this is a portal to the ghost of Summer Inn’s past.”
“You really are a writer, aren’t you?” Liam laughed.
Carl stepped around them, switched on his flashlight, and walked into the passages. “I’ll take the lead.”
“I’ll take the rear,” Liam said.
“Hicks and I have no problem with being in the middle of two big human shields,” Dawn stated, and Hicks looked up at her with what she took for a grin in agreement.
