Page 2 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
“Who’s going to be the male lead after the current one gets killed off?” Liam asked.
“We’re not killing him off this time,” Dawn answered. “We’re sending him away to take over his family business after his father dies suddenly, and his mother is left holding a mess of a failing business.”
“Ah!” Liam nodded. “Nice one. So the new male lead will become the new police captain in the series?”
“Yes, and the lead actress’s new love interest,” Dawn told him. “But we’re going to keep that at bay for now and just have a growing chemistry between them. Or the lead actress will look too flighty in her romances as she’d just started one with the police captain that’s leaving.”
“Good thinking,” Liam said, impressed. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“It’s a joint effort between Caroline and me,” Dawn said modestly. “I’m really enjoying writing with Caroline. She’s so creative, and we always seem to be on the same wavelength.”
“Caroline always had an overactive imagination.” Liam smiled as he reminisced. “She was great for spooky campfire stories.” He laughed as he admitted, “And we’d always get an A on our English assignments as she’d help us.”
“Isn’t that cheating?” Dawn’s eyes narrowed as she teased him.
“No.” Liam shook his head. “When I say helped us, I mean she’d make us come up with an idea and then feed us ideas to pull our creativity out of us.”
“Good for her,” Dawn said. “Caroline showed you that with the right prompting, anyone could tell a story.”
“Now you sound just like her.” Liam grinned and shivered. “I’d better get out of this wetsuit.”
“I must finish my walk and get ready to fetch Harper.” Dawn turned toward the Beach Hut with Liam.
“I’ll speak to Lila and call you about her going with you to Boston,” Liam told her. “Thank you, Dawn. I have so much to do today with the hotel and my finance business in Boston.”
“Oh, how is the sale of your Boston firm going?” Dawn asked.
“Just a lot of paperwork and getting everything together,” Liam told her, running a hand through his wet hair. “That’s why it’s such a relief that Lila will be occupied today, and I don’t have to be constantly worrying about her mooning around the house all day.”
“It’s not a problem,” Dawn assured him. “It will be nice to have company on the drive to the city, and I’m sure Harper will love having another teen around to go shopping with.”
Before they parted ways, Dawn hesitated, then mentioned her missing watch. “Liam, sorry, before you go.” Her eyes met his. “Can you ask your staff who look after my hotel suite if they found my watch? I can’t find it. I was sure I put it on my nightstand last night, and this morning, it’s just gone.”
Liam looked at her thoughtfully. “You think someone took it?”
“I don’t know.” Dawn sighed. “I wouldn’t usually say anything, but the watch is a family heirloom that’s been in my mother’s family for a few generations. It has a lot of sentimental value and is special to me.”
“The watch you always wear?” Liam’s eyes darted to her bare wrist. “The gold Cartier?”
“Yes.” Dawn nodded in confirmation.
“I’ll speak to my staff,” Liam promised, clapping a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’ll ask the maid service to keep an eye out for it.”
“Thanks, Liam. That would be great,” Dawn said, grateful for his help.
With that, they went their separate ways. Liam walked toward the Beach Hut, turning to wave before jogging off. Dawn watched him for a few seconds before turning and continuingher walk, feeling a little lighter and more confident about finding her watch.
Two hours later, Dawn and Lila headed to Boston in Dawn’s rental car. As the SUV sailed over the road, Lila chatted excitedly with Dawn.
“Thank you so much for letting me ride along with you,” Lila told Dawn. “I love going to Boston. We used to live there until a few years after my parents got divorced.” She sighed.
“I’m sorry,” Dawn said, glancing at the teen. “That must’ve been difficult for you.”
“Not really,” Lila surprised Dawn by saying. “My mother is a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, so we hardly saw her. She was always away. Then, when my mother applied to be a pilot for the U.S. Marines, it meant she’d have to move even further away. My parents split up.”
“Oh wow!” Dawn said. “I didn’t know your mother was in the military.”
“Yeah,” Lila nodded. “Her parents were also military, so I guess it was in her blood.”
