Page 79 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
She took it from him. “I was just about to leave a message for you.”
“Oh?” Ben looked at her surprised as he patted Hicks.
“Yeah, can we go somewhere and talk?” Dawn glanced around.
“Sure,” Ben said, bending to pick up Hicks’s leash. “What do you want to do with him?”
“Donna,” Dawn called around him, “I’ll take Hicks with me.”
“Thank goodness!” Donna sighed in relief. “I wasn’t too sure I could keep him much longer until Liam got back from Boston.”
“What?” Dawn and Ben said in unison, turning to stare at Donna.
Here, eyes widened in despair. “Shoot. I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Please don’t let him know I told you.”
“Why did he go to Boston, and why doesn’t he want anyone to know?” Dawn’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I don’t know,” Donna said, stepping behind the reception desk as if it were a shield. “I’m sorry. He didn’t say.” She glanced down at the desk. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”
“Do you want to take a tour of Alex’s new yacht?” Ben asked her.
“Yeah… no!” Dawn shook her head. “I don’t know how you managed to work some magic earlier by relieving me of my nausea.” She glanced toward the extensive windows in the sitting area. “But I’m not going to change it.”
“Then let’s go for a walk there, and we can chat,” Ben said. “There’s no one around, and the crew are all out and about in Newbury Port today.”
“Okay,” Dawn said. “Some fresh air would be great.”
They walked through the sitting area and out onto the path that led to the jetty.
“Oh, do you have a laptop?” Dawn asked him.
“Yeah, on the boat,” Ben replied. “Why?”
“How good are you on it?” Dawn asked.
“As good as your brother.” Ben eyed her suspiciously. “Are we hacking into something?”
“Sort of,” Dawn told him. “I’ll explain when I’m sure there’s no ears around.”
“Can you give me a clue?” Ben glanced around. “There’s no one around us.”
Dawn sighed and told Ben that everything that had happened was similar to the plot of a book she’d written.
“Really?” Ben said as they stopped on the jetty, wedged between two superyachts. “What if no one’s doing this, and you’re some magic storyteller whose books have come to life,” he teased.
Dawn sighed. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I’ll do it on my own.”
“Of course, I’m taking this seriously,” Ben assured her. “I was just trying to make you smile because I can see how it’s upsetting you.”
“Sorry,” Dawn said, shaking her head. “I guess I’m tense. I’m worried about Wade. He doesn’t look too good and…” She swallowed. “I’m worried about the phantom director starting the next chapter of my book.”
“Phantom director?” Ben frowned.
“That’s what I’m calling whoever’s behind this,” Dawn told Ben. “I feel like they’re directing the course of my life right now.”
“Yeah, I like that name,” Ben said, his frown deepened. “How’s Wade?”
“His head is hurting him,” Dawn said. “I forced him to take the pills the doctor gave him, then put him to bed.”
