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“Not too busy today,” Drayton said.
“But such a pretty place,” Theodosia said as they rolled to a stop.
Nearby was a large white barn, a smaller red barn, and a good-sized open-air stand with displays of vegetables. There was also a large fenced yard that contained a flock of ducks and, just past that, what looked like acres of rolling green fields. Beyond that was a tall fence that must have been some type of large animal enclosure. It was all very rural and Norman Rockwell in its charm.
“Are we going to buy our produce at the stand over there or pick our own?” Drayton asked.
“Pick our own,” Theodosia said as she stood in dappled sunlight while a cool breeze stirred the trees overhead. “It’ll be fun.”
But just as she walked around to the back of her car, a green Jaguar came bumping into the parking lot.
“No, it can’t be,” Theodosia said as her heart skipped a beat.
“Hmm?” Drayton said. He wasn’t paying much attention as the Jaguar pulled in and parked some twenty feet away.
“Drayton, the green Jaguar—that’s Lamar Lucket’s car.”
Drayton turned to look. “An older model, at that. A classic.”
But Theodosia had more on her mind than classic cars. “What he’s doing here? Did he follow us?”
Drayton frowned as he jingled the change in his pocket. “Perhaps you should go over and ask him.”
Theodosia was already striding toward the Jaguar. And when the door opened and Lucket popped out, she said, “What are you doing here?”
When he recognized her, Lucket did a kind of double take. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Did you follow me?”
His eyes fluttered. “Follow you?”
“It’s a straightforward question.”
“Then my answer is no,” Lucket said. Now he looked flustered. “Look, I’m picking up produce for my chef. We’re hosting a private dinner tonight at Nusa Dua and he needed a few extra things.”
“Like what, cilantro?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t looked at the list yet.”
“Right,” Theodosia said. “Sure.” When Lucket failed to respond, she turned and walked away. “C’mon, Drayton.”
But Theodosia was in for another surprise. Because as they drew closer to the produce stand, she suddenly noticed another familiar figure standing near the red barn. “Philip’s here,” she said to Drayton. “That’s weird.”
“I thought we drove out here precisely to grab his produce and ferry it to his restaurant,” Drayton said.
“So did I. Something must have changed.”
They walked toward Philip as he smiled and waved at them.
“I came out here to pick up my produce,” Philip told them with a friendly smile. He was wearing jeans, a beige western shirt, and boots. He looked casual and relaxed, as if he’d been hanging around the old corral all day.
“I thought that’s what we were supposed to do,” Theodosia said. “I think we got our wires crossed somewhere along the line.”
Philip held up a hand. “No, no, it wasn’t you. I just talked to Holly and she said you were driving out here, as a favor to her, to grab my order. But she hung up before I could get your cell phone number so I could tell you the trip wasn’t necessary.” He spread his arms wide. “I didn’t want to call Holly back because she was all excited about some clients coming in.”
“I know,” Theodosia said. “Holly’s terribly worried about money.”
Philip breezed past Theodosia’s money comment.
