Page 30 of Wild Tides
We plotted like naughty schoolgirls, laughing and joking through the rough sketch of the idea that started when Lee admitted his part in my status as Friday Harbor girl most likely to stay single.
“You don’t think it’s too much?” I finally asked Anya.
She pursed her lips. “I think that’s your family motto. Embrace it. Pretty sure Lee already knows the score. If he isn’t expecting payback, he should be.”
On that ominous note, she said goodbye, leaving me to help the last couple of customers who browsed the store before I closed. The chatter of the shop quieted as they drifted out with their paper bags, the bell over the door giving one last cheerfuljingle. I flipped the sign toClosed, enjoying the hush that followed.
For a moment, it was just me, the faint smell of spices and the muted hum of traffic outside. I stepped toward the front window, ready to draw the blinds. That was when I saw him.
A bulky man with a beard and leather jacket leaned against an SUV parked across the street. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I dipped my chin. Something about the sardonic twitch of his lips I received in return made me think he wasn’t a local after all.
Tourists passed through all the time, but something about him made the hair on my neck rise.
Chapter 15 – Lee
Plotting a romantic gesture when you lived with someone and lacked mobility added extra difficulty, but I didn’t let that stop me. It took a few days, but I wrangled Drew into helping, since it was his slow season at the salt farm. With him as my driver, I stopped in at Buds ‘n Blooms, then the consignment boutique.
“You really feel that guilty?” Drew slipped me an amused glance from the driver’s seat. Like he couldn’t believe I was so far gone.
“At the time, did I feel that way? No. But now? Yes.” I scrunched my nose. “We were pretty awful.”
Drew shrugged. “We didn’t do anything Gran wouldn’t do.”
“Low bar.”
“Hell, we didn’t do anything Gran didn’thelpwith.”
“Again, the bar is in Hell. I don’t think we can use your grandmother as the arbiter of good sense or good taste.”
“But she sure is fun,” Drew said with an unrepentant grin. “Are you sure this is really about the past? High school was a long time ago.”
I stared at my hands, catching myself mid-knuckle-pop. “We hurt her, Drew…Ihurt her. Telling myself it was for her own good worked then. But now?” I blew out a heavy breath, wishing I could let the guilt go as easily. The urge to crack my knuckles cramped my hands – old habit, old cowardice. I laced my fingers together instead. “I need to show her I’m sorry.”
Drew cleared his throat, drawing my gaze. “I’ll ask again: is this about the past – or the future?”
“With Violet, it’s always going to be about both. She’s an important part of my past, but also all I see in my future.Ifshe’ll have me.”
A quiet grunt was the only commentary Drew added. Maybe he sensed that I’d already said more than enough for the day.
“Thanks for helping me out today.” I slipped from the truck cab, careful not to put too much weight on my bad foot.
“You’re welcome. Be sure to tell Vi I helped. Maybe she’ll finally forgive me too.”
“Don’t bet on it.”
He chuckled, waving, before pulling away in his truck.
I hobbled into the house. All the moving around had left me achy, but at least it was progress. And I’d suffer that and more if it meant Vi forgave me.
My office welcomed me — messy, just the way I liked it. Quiet and calm. It was my sanctuary. The place I could think and create. It took me a solid five minutes to realize what was missing: my laptop.
Frantically, I glanced around, shuffling stacks of paperwork on my desk. Shifting empty mugs and glasses, searching for the sticker-covered computer. I thought I’d left it on the coffee table, but maybe Vi moved it to my desk? Nothing but a few scribbled-in notebooks. The front door was locked when I arrived home. There were no signs of forced entry.
My writer-brain activated. Had someone been in my house? A crazed fan, overeager to read my next book, maybe? While I didn’t keep my location in the San Juans a secret, I didn’t advertise it either. The likelihood of someone being that obsessed was slim. But people were weird.
I dialed Violet, waiting impatiently as her phone rang once. Twice.
“Lee. Two phone calls within weeks? Is the world ending? Are you okay?”
