Page 77 of Falling Madly
Did you hear about Gavin?
Underneath, he’d added a link to a news article. When I saw the headline, my heart lodged in my throat.
Billionaire Gavin Hellsten Questioned About Missing Tourist
I browsed the article, which contained little information other than that a female tourist was missing in Cozy Creek. A search was underway, as well as an investigation. She’d disappeared right outside her cabin, which sounded suspicious.
“What is it?” Teresa asked.
I closed the message and dropped the phone on the counter, contemplating my choices. Was it possible Gavin had something to do with this? The article alluded to the possibility of a crime, but there was no hard evidence, not even a body.
“It’s… an article about the missing tourist. Boris sent a link.”
She smiled. “Is he concerned you’ll be captured by the evil lurking in Cozy Creek?”
I bit my lip. If I said something about Gavin, I’d open a can of worms. And she looked so relaxed right now, sitting by the window as faint morning light flooded into the room.
She sighed. “This place is so gorgeous.”
Just as we finished our coffees and waffles, there was a knock on the door and Charlie barged in. “Somewhat dressed,” he informed Bess, who stepped in from behind him, holding a bag of pink, heart-shaped biscuits.
“Thank God.” She smiled. “We thought you might be… you know.”
Teresa glanced at me, and pink blotches appeared on her cheeks. That’s all my imagination needed to run through every intimate moment we’d spent together. I took a breath, trying to keep my partial under control.
Bess placed the cookies on the counter. “Look, fifty percent off! But you were right about the coffee, so we decided to take everything to go.”
“There’s another cafe down the road,” Teresa piped up. “Cozy Coffee. My mom says their coffee is great.”
“Well, too late. Can you make us coffees?” Charlie pleaded. “I hear yours are amazing.”
I nodded and got to work as they peeled off their winter gear, shaking snow everywhere.
Before she made it back to the kitchen, Teresa grabbed Bess’s arm, pulling her towards the bedroom. “I need to borrow her for a sec, sorry.”
“What was that about?” Charlie asked me, taking a seat across the kitchen island.
“I don’t know,” I said, although I was suspected it was about underwear.
I worked on the coffees, my mind on Teresa’s naked body, until my phone pinged again, reminding me of the news article. My neck twitched.
“Are you okay?” Charlie asked. “You look pale.”
“I’m Scottish and it’s winter.”
He fixed his sharp stare on me. “Something’s up.”
He knew my subtle tells. I took a breath, grateful for the opportunity to unload my conflicted thoughts. I picked up my phone and opened the article, this time reading all the way to the end. It was worse than I’d thought.
I handed Charlie the phone and watched his face also turn white. “Gavin? They’re questioningGavinabout a missing tourist? Seriously?”
“I always had a bad feeling about him. There was a reason I didn’t want him working with Teresa. And now…”
He nodded at the bedroom door. “Does she know? Did you tell her?”
“No.”
“Why not? She needs to know! This is relevant information.”
