Page 153 of No Headlines Please

Whenever I imagined going back, I envisioned a long drive, followed by that familiar ferry ride. I cocked my head. "The plane?"

"Well, we're not gonna swim there."

"But I don't have a plane ticket."

"Good. Because you don't need one. We're taking my jet."

Wow. "You have a jet?"

With a mock frown, he asked, "What, you don't?"

I snickered. "Oh, shut up."

His gaze softened. "So, are you gonna come?"

Desperately, I wanted to – and not only to be with Maddox. Maisie was almost certainly still living on the island. It was her home, after all. And then, there was Tessa. Was she still on the island, too?

By now, the tourist season was pretty much over. Soon, the hotels would be closing along with most of the restaurants and shops. Eventually, even the ferries would stop running once the waterways froze and there were hardly any tourists left to ride them.

As for Tessa, for all I knew, she was already back in Chicago. I still couldn't decide if I was ready to see her, assuming, of course, that she had any interest in seeing me.

I'd debated stopping by her apartment while I was in town, but I'd postponed the decision by coming to see Maddox first.

I bit my lip. If I hopped on that plane of his, seeing Tessa would almost certainly be off the table.

I was still sorting it out when Maddox asked, "Should I start negotiating?"

"For what?"

"You look undecided."

"Sorry." I smiled. "I'm just trying to figure things out."

His eyebrows lifted. "Don't tell me you're actually considering Toledo?"

"Oh, stop it," I said with a little laugh. "But you're being awful mysterious. Is it a big secret or something?"

He smiled. "Not a secret, but a surprise."

A surprise?

For who, exactly?

I searched his face for clues. "Okay…now you're making me nervous. So, where are you staying?"

He leaned back in his seat. "With friends – or rather one friend and his fiancée."

"Oh." Yeah, that would be a surprise, mostly for them. I could just imagine their faces as Maddox walked in with a total stranger who was uninvited. "Are you sure they'd want another guest? Especially with no notice?"

"Trust me. They'll be thrilled."

"But how can you be sure?"

He didn't answer right away. And when he did, something in his tone shifted. "Because the friend is Ryder Vaughn." He paused. "And the fiancée – well, that's your sister."

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