Page 24 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
“It’s always been one of my favorite spots,” Liam admitted, watching her reaction with a soft expression. “It’s peaceful, isn’t it?”
“Very,” Dawn agreed, her gaze lingering on the horizon. The moment felt suspended in time, the troubles of the day temporarily forgotten.
Their peaceful interlude was interrupted by the cheerful chatter of Lila and Harper as they came rushing in, followed by Melton, Caroline’s large ginger-striped cat, Sandy, the German shepherd, and Blue Beard, the blue and red macaw.
“After we’re finished here, we should do a pizza night to go over those articles we found,” Lila suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We can have pizza night at my house.” She looked at her father. “Please, Dad?” She looked at Harper. “Do you want to stay over?”
“May I?” Harper looked questioningly at Dawn and Liam.
“It’s fine by me,” Liam looked at Dawn. “If it’s okay with you?”
“Sure,” Dawn said with a nod.
“What about the pizza night idea?” Lila pressed.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dawn said, smiling at their enthusiasm and looking at Liam, realizing he might have plans. “Unless you’re busy?”
“No,” Liam said. “It sounds fun, and it’s my turn to host dinner.”
“Great,” Dawn said, her heart flipping at the idea of having dinner at Liam’s house. She glanced at the animals sitting, watching her intently. “They’re not staying here alone, are they?”
“No, Uncle Sam stays here when Caroline and Brad are out of town,” Lila answered Dawn. “So the animals aren’t on their own.”
As they left the lighthouse, the last of the sun’s rays dipped below the horizon, signaling the end of the day. The drive back was quiet, each lost in their thoughts. When they pulled up at the hotel, Harper and Dawn climbed out.
“We’ll walk over to your house in about forty minutes,” Dawn told Liam.
“Great,” Liam said. “We’ll have the pizza ordered.”
“I’ll bring the information,” Harper said, patting her beach bag.
They waved goodbye and walked into the hotel. Dawn was just about to get in the shower when her phone rang. She saw a number she didn’t recognize and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Is that Dawn Vanderbilt?” a familiar male voice asked.
“Yes,” Dawn replied.
“Hi, this is Chris Nicol, Tiger’s vet,” Chris said. “How is Tiger?”
Dawn suddenly realized with everything going on, she’d forgotten to call him to ask about the Peters siblings.
“He’s fine,” Dawn told Chris. “Tiger is with a good friend of the family, Betty Swan, for the night as my niece and I are going out to dinner, and I didn’t want to leave him on his own.” Well, it wasn’t a lie.
“How wonderful,” Chris said. “I know Betty well. She’s a wonderful lady. I’m glad Tiger is with such thoughtful people.”
“Talking about Tiger,” Dawn said. “Daniel Peters visited me last night wanting Tiger back. Daniel said that Tiger jumped out of his travel box and then out of the open back window of his car.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Chris told her. “Daniel and his sister Kelly are not the nicest people. I think they take after their awful mother. I don’t know how Mrs. Peters’s son ever married that woman in the first place.” He paused. “None of them like animals, and that’s why Mrs. Peters stipulated that Tiger has to be taken care of in her will. She hoped that they might take Tiger in, and he’d somehow reform them.”
“They seemed to be worried about Tiger.” Dawn knew she wasn’t telling the truth. The man and his sister had creeped her out. “What should I do if they come for Tiger again?”
“That’s why I was calling,” Chris said. “After you left, I contacted Mrs. Peters’s attorney, who also happens to be my fiancée, and Jackie got a judge to grant you custody of Tiger.” He paused again. “I hope that’s okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry into your life, but I found out that you would be the best guardian for Tiger and not just after the money that comes with him.”
“I don’t mind being Tiger’s guardian,” Dawn said, smiling. Harper and Lila were going to be pleased. “What does this mean, though?”
“It means that you’re now Tiger’s owner until Mrs. Peters’s estate has been sorted out,” Chris told her. “Tiger must notunder any circumstances go to the Peters family. Mrs. Peters’s son will be back from a business trip in a week to speak to Mrs. Peters’s attorney about Tiger and the rest of the estate that her grandchildren are rather angry about.”
