Page 36 of Wild Tides
“There’s always the patio at Harbor Brews. It has a good line of sight for the ferry dock,” Rae suggested.
“Plus, beer.” Lucy’s head bobbed in approval.
Zach’s coffee shop-slash bookstore-slash beer and wine establishment sat just off the marina docks with a beautiful view of the boats floating in the harbor. It also made an excellent vantage point to watch the ferry docks.
“You’ll all join me?” I glanced around the table. Our lives had changed since my brothers and Clay had become linked with my friends.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Lucy’s eyes sparkled. “I love to see a big man crawl.”
“He’s not crawling; he’s playing.”
She snorted. “Same difference. He’s crawling for you, and I approve.”
“You’re so bloodthirsty,” Anya scolded.
“You’re all so confident he’ll show.” I shook my head. “It’d be just like him to find a loophole and slip free.”
Rae snorted. “Lee’s not looking for loopholes with you, Vi.”
“He might be looking for knots.” Lucy added a wink.
“You should think about a safe word,” Anya said.
“I don’t need a safe word for Lee. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“But you want to,” Lucy pointed out. “Don’t deny it.”
I almost rejected her claim, but the words caught in my throat. What remained of my honesty kept me quiet. I wanted Lee. But wanting him meant risking everything: our friendship, my brothers’ judgment, the carefully balanced life I’d built.
Still… it was time.
Time to stop pretending I didn’t know what we were building toward. Time to stop hiding behind old wounds and what-ifs. I wasn’t playing anymore. I was ready.
He just needed to suffer a bit first.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to wear tonight?” Anya asked.
I glanced down at my jeans and sweater. “This isn’t good enough?”
“I think tonight calls for something special,” Rae said.
Hitting up one of the clothing boutiques in town would take time I didn’t have. He’d already seen the one dress I’d packed. I’d have to make do with something else from my closet at home.
A familiar figure strode by on the walkway, only made more recognizable by their attempts at camouflage. She wore dark slacks under a long navy puffy coat with a beautiful scarf, sunglasses, and a beanie pulled low over her grayish-blonde hair. Dr. Underwood.
She trotted down the boat dock. At a more leisurely pace, I’d assume she was just taking a walk at lunch. But her intent expression indicated a different purpose.
“What’s Dr. Underwood doing at the marina?”
Rae turned to the dock, eyes narrowed. “Is Chaz out on bail? Do you think he’s talked someone into flying him to Victoria?”
“I don’t know, escaping from one island to another doesn’t seem like the best way to run from the law.”
“There’s no way he was using their dog to create art for the gallery and she didn’t know about it,” Lucy said.
“Maybe not, but it was the money laundering the authorities cared about,” Anya said.
“I’d be getting the hell out of town and disappearing if I had his clients. Wouldn’t want them thinking I’d turn and getting nervous,” Rae said.
