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I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Beau and what he’d said about how much he cared about me. I knew he did, in his way. Which, honestly, wasn’tnormal. The man was all or nothing with everything in his life.
Right now, I was his comfort. All of it, apparently. Soon, that would change. He’d get bored with me and maybe even travel to Australia to see Daphne, who hehadsaid was the love of his life once, even if he didn’t remember it.
Like me, Daphne served a purpose in Beau’s life. Whenever another woman expected more from him romantically than he was willing to give, she became the woman he’d parade in front of them until they got the hint that there was no future with him. I wondered why Daphne put up with it. Maybe, like me, she found it impossible to say no to him.
“What do you think the man has up his sleeve now, Wanda?” I muttered to my cat. When Beau said things like, “I’ve figured out just the thing to lift your spirits,” it could literally mean anything from picking up my favorite muffin from the Olallieberry Diner to, God forbid, some extravagant purchase he was sure would thrill me, but instead, made me miserable.
The worst had been several months ago when he showed up, asking me to go for a drive with him.
“Whose house is this?” I’d asked when he pulled up to an oceanfront bungalow on Moonstone Beach Drive.
“First, tell me if you like it,” he’d responded.
After several minutes spent trying to get a straight answer out of him, he’d finally confessed his intention to buy it—for me. I’d gotten out of his car and walked home so furious I didn’t speak to him for several days. It was only after he promised never to do anything like that again that I relented.
God, I hoped he hadn’t conveniently forgotten.
4
BEAU
“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” read the message on the website of the place where Sam was employed. It went on to say that, in order to allow the staff time to enjoy the holidays, they’d be closed until the seventeenth of January. Which meant my plan was a go.
It took two hours to get all the pieces in place, and that had been no easy feat. I hoped that by the time I finished, Sam would be done with the things she had to do. If not, I could wait. However, not too long, given how early it got dark at this time of year.
My last stop was Seahorse, where I grabbed the bag I kept packed in case I needed to leave at a moment’s notice. I set the override on Press’ alarm system to turn off in fifteen minutes—plenty of time for me to be out of the house, through the gate, and on the road to Sam’s place.
“Hello,”I said when she opened the door. I peeked into her apartment to gauge whether she might be ready to leave once I presented my plan. Not that I would necessarily notice the difference, but the place did seem tidier than it had been when I left earlier.
“How did it go at the laundry?” I asked when she waved me inside.
Sam cocked her head. “I doubt you really want to know.”
“I do, actually.”
She laughed. “No, you don’t.”
“Either way, I’ve returned with your surprise.”
Her eyes scrunched. “Is it an olallieberry muffin?”
“That is one of them, yes,” I said, relieved I’d remembered to stop there to pick some up.
She sat down on what was now her sofa rather than her bed. “You know I don’t like surprises.”
I took the seat beside her. “I believe what I said when I left was I’d come up with something to lift your spirits.”
She sighed. “Please, just tell me.”
“We’re going to New York to visit your property.” I can’t say what I thought her reaction would be, exactly; however, it wasn’t that she’d burst out laughing, then continue to do so for what felt like several minutes.
“No,” she stated emphatically when her giggles finally subsided.
“What else have you got to do for the next two weeks? Besides, this is important, Sam. It’s your inheritance.”
“I won’t dignify your question about my plans with a response. As far as the property is concerned, I haven’t spoken with the attorney yet. It might still be a scam.”
“About that…”
