Page 4 of The Beachside Cafe 6
Jaymee slid off the bed and grabbed her robe, which was on the round cushioned chair beside the door to the room. She pulled it around her shoulders and went to the door, opening it and sticking her head out to look up and down the hallway. There was no one there.
She stepped out into the hallway and went to the stairs to look down into the living room. She could also see across the foyer to the front door from where she was.
She was met with silence.
Shaking her head, Jaymee went back to her room to get dressed.
It wouldn’t have made sense for anyone to be talking outside her room. Since Cheyenne had moved out, she was the only one living in the enormous house. Her boarder, Carmine, was in an adjacent apartment meant for guests.
She got dressed thinking about Cameron. She was scheduled to have lunch with him today and she wanted to go somewhere other than her own café. The food was very good but she was craving something other than what was on their menu. Maybe they would go have Chinese or get a pizza. He’d left it up to her and she hadn’t quite decided yet.
Once Jaymee was dressed, she went downstairs to get something to eat from the kitchen. If she ever sold the house, it was her kitchen she would miss the most. She’d purchased the most recent, state-of-the-art appliances a person can buy. She’d had the kitchen designed in a way that several people could cook easily in the large space provided. There was a lot of counterspace and two double sided sinks on opposite sides of the room.
She went straight to the fridge and pulled it open. The first thing she saw was orange juice. She pulled the container out and opened it, drinking straight from it as she backed away while closing the door.
After getting her fill of the orange juice, Jaymee swept her eyes around the kitchen, wondering what she was going to eat for breakfast.
Her eyes stopped on a box sitting on the island at the far left end by the cutting board surface. She didn’t remember seeing that before. A chill ran over her skin. After hearing voices in the hallway, seeing a mysterious package in her kitchen was somewhat disturbing.
The first thing Jaymee thought to do was go to the knife rack and take out the biggest, sharpest knife she had. Whoever had brought in the package could still be in the house. What if they meant her harm?
She pulled a long, sharp knife and stepped to the edge of the kitchen, looking around corners.
“Is anyone here?” she called out, her voice smooth and not shaking, which surprised her. She continued in a more confident voice. “Hello? Is someone there? Who is in my house? Whoever you are, I will defend myself.”
She heard a shuffling noise and her heart went into overdrive. The door to the deck outside slid open and closed again. Jaymee’s alarm peaked and she held the knife in front of her, waiting for the person to emerge into her view.
A few seconds later, Cameron came around the corner, his eyes down on the phone he was holding in both hands in front of him.
Jaymee let out a little squeak that caused him to look up, alerted. His eyes went from her face to the knife she was pointing in his direction and he froze in place.
“Jaymee?”
Jaymee completely relaxed from her defensive stance and pulled in a deep breath. “Good Lord, Cameron. What are you doing scaring me like that? What if I’d had a gun?”
Cameron smirked. “You do have a gun. And you know how to use it, too. There’s no way you would have shot without seeing who it was first. Especially when you have the surprise on your side.”
Jaymee went to the knife rack and slid the blade back in. “That’s not the point and you know it.”
“Hey, I’m really sorry, I scared you, Jaymee. I’ll start whistling and leaving signs that it’s me. Like my car outside. Which I’m sure you didn’t have time to check. Or that package there that I brought in from outside. You’re welcome, by the way.”
Jaymee narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t you be coy, Cameron Smith.” She went to the package, taking it in both hands and turning it over to examine the bottom. “What is this anyway?”
Cameron came to stand beside her, sliding his phone into his back pocket. He read the front over her shoulder. “Looks like it’s from someone in England. That’s weird, isn’t it?”
“It is. And I don’t know if that little town is actually in England or not. It’s just got a UK address. Could be anywhere in the UK. No name.”
“Well, open it up and let’s see what it is.”
“Let’s go in the living room.”
The two of them went back to where Cameron had come from and sat down on the large couch side by side. Cameron leaned forward and watched her, a curious look on his face.
Jaymee set the box on her knees. Whatever was inside was covered in thick brown paper and tied with a twine on all sides, like they did in the old days. The postage was affixed properly and was much more than normal delivery prices.
“This is an odd way to package something, don’t you think?” she asked.
“Yes. That’s why you gotta take the packaging off so we can see what’s inside. It’s got to be even more interesting.”
