Page 32 of Home Team Advantage
“Is that why you asked Ian to look into her background?”
Matt wondered if Kieran had said something, but Kieran wasn’t the type to share that kind of information. Ian was. Croies talked, and Ian’s wife, Lexi, was co-owner of the Goddess. They knew a hell of a lot more than the guys gave them credit for.
So, Matt told her about Eddie Campbell hiring a PI. He didn’t mention that he’d seen the PI tailing Anna in town because then he’d have to admit that he was doing some investigating of his own. When he finished, Faith was frowning.
“What?” he asked.
“I saw Eddie tearing out of Mrs. Campbell’s driveway a few days ago. I was getting ready to head out myself and had to slam on my brakes to avoid getting hit.”
“Was Anna there yet?”
“I think so. I’m not exactly sure when she started, but I bet that’s when Eddie found out about her.” Faith was quiet for a few minutes, then sighed and said, “You know, if we want to know more about Anna, maybe we should try to get to know her the old-fashioned way—by talking to her.”
He didn’t tell her that Ian had suggested the same thing.
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s as easy as that,” he said with a wry smile.
He told her about “running into” Anna at the diner. He didn’t admit that he’d been following her, for obvious reasons. Or that Mrs. Campbell had slipped the fact that Anna would be alone and unchaperoned into casual conversation.
“She shot you down, huh?” Faith hummed, trying not to smile. When he nodded, she said, “Leave it to me.”
“What are you going to do?”
Her response was a crafty smile.
All it took was a phone call to Mrs. Campbell the next day. Faith laid one or two subtle hints that Matt wanted to know more about Anna—not the why of it, of course—and Elsa took it from there. She’d already been riding the Matt-and-Anna train, and she was thrilled to have an ally in Faith.
Chapter Nineteen
ANNA
“Anna, dear, would you put the kettle on? Faith is coming for a visit.”
“Of course.” Anna’s heart began to do that weird fluttering thing as she wondered if Matt would be visiting as well. She filled the electric kettle with fresh water, then prepared a tray with Elsa’s favorite tea set and some snacks. She was just finishing when the doorbell rang.
When Anna stepped into the living room, Elsa already had the door open and was welcoming Faith, who, sadly, appeared to have come alone. Anna swallowed her disappointment and chastised herself for caring one way or the other.
“Where would you like to have tea?” Anna asked.
“In the kitchen is fine, dear”
Anna set everything out. Tea, sugar, milk, nibbles. Neither woman asked her to join them, and that was a relief. Chances were that at some point, they’d try to include her in the conversation and ask personal questions she couldn’t answer.
“I’ll be in my room. Just let me know if you need anything.”
“It’s a beautiful day. Too nice to be cooped up inside. Why don’t you take a few hours for yourself and go into town?”
It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the temperature was supposed to approach the seventy-degree mark. But where would she go? What would she do? Transportation was also an issue. She didn’t want to drive around in Mrs. Campbell’s specialized van in case she needed it.
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
“Nonsense. You haven’t had any time off since you started. And Faith is here, so you needn’t feel as if you’re abandoning me.”
“I wouldn’t feel right, taking your van. What if you need to go somewhere?”
“Anna has a point,” Faith agreed.
“Hmm,” Mrs. Campbell hummed, and then her eyes brightened. “Didn’t you say Matthew was going into town today?”
