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“Waffle Hut? You had breakfast?” Lexie didn’t think she could eat at the moment, but her stomach had growled all night due to the fact that she’d been too nervous to eat yesterday, too.
“I got you some Tastykakes and ginger ale.”
Lexie groaned as she moved toward the bed. A bag of cinnamon doughnuts, two cans of Canada Dry, and a prepaid phone lay on the bed, along with shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, and some clothing.
“I’ve been thinking. It’s more than possible that someone saw you board the Sea Hopper last night. The lake was busier than most weekdays, with all the tourists in town to catch your wedding. It’s probably only a matter of time before someone realizes that it wasn’t a big marshmallow they saw getting crammed into a flying tree frog.”
Jimmy had a point but her brain was too scrambled to think beyond the black sweatpants, red “Spirit of Sandspit” T-shirt, and pair of knockoff Uggs.
“What if someone asks about it?”
And a fish hat. “Don’t tell the truth.” Not just a regular fish hat, either.
“You want me to lie.”
Lexie picked the cap up and turned it from side to side. “No, prevaricate.”
“Same thing.”
A red salmon head stuck out the front and its tail out the back. “What the heck, Jimmy? I thought we decided that I need to blend. I can’t blend with a fish on my head.”
He shrugged. “It’s a cool hat.” This from the guy who wore an old aviation helmet and goggles. He pulled out a wad of Canadian bills and handed it to her. Jimmy was like an undercover spy and had argued against her using a credit card that could be traced within minutes of use. Instead, he’d paid for the hotel in advance and had taken money from his own card. “Gotta go. I’ll be back in two days to get you and Sean.”
Lexie decided not to argue about his taste in hats. She was grateful for his help, and really, what had she expected from the man who’d always dressed as if he was engaged in a fashion grudge match? “Thank you. I’ll pay you back. Promise. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” She hugged her friend, and he wrapped his comforting arms around her. “I owe you big.” She stepped back and looked into his eyes on the same level as hers.
“I know,” he said through a grin. “But what are old friends for?”
“Do you want your coat back?” She pointed to the leather jacket hanging in the small closet.
“No. I’ll get it day after tomorrow.”
“Thanks again.” The pocket in the leather jacket was ripped out, but she was glad to have it.
He took a few steps toward the door and laughed as he opened it. “Don’t get into any more trouble while I’m gone.”
“God no.” She shook her head. “I’m not leaving this room.”
She locked the door behind him and returned to sit in the middle of the bed. A can of ginger ale rolled against her bare knee and she picked it up. She popped it open, then hit the mute button on the television remote control. She wore the flannel shirt she’d borrowed from Sean the night before. Had it really just been the night before that she’d run out on her wedding, hopped into Jimmy’s plane, and ended up in Sandspit, BC? Had it been less than twelve hours ago when she’d looked up into eyes the color of jade and the five o’clock shadow of a man who looked like he’d jumped off the cover of Men’s Health magazine? Had it been less than twelve hours ago that he’d given her his shirt? So much had happened that it felt more like forty-eight hours had passed.
Once they’d landed in Sandspit, they’d all piled into a green Subaru. The keys had been in the ignition, and Lexie had wondered if she was now involved in grand theft or if the car had been left at the docks for Sean. She’d figured the latter, but by that point, she’d been exhausted and freezing and hadn’t cared. He’d dropped her and Jimmy off at the Harbor Inn without even saying good-bye. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d left the smell of burnt rubber in the air.
He didn’t owe her anything. He’d helped her with her dress, given her a drink and his shirt to wear, but . . . it might have been nice if he’d waited until Jimmy checked in before he’d sped away like he was driving a getaway car, leaving her to hide outside in her Louboutins, his flannel shirt, and Jimmy’s bomber jacket.
She took a drink of ginger ale and made a face. Ginger ale always reminded her of being sick as a kid. Not only had she looked like a tacky hooker, she’d felt like a prison escapee hiding in the bushes, but she couldn’t exactly walk into the hotel lobby and request a room.
Instead, she’d waited around one side of the building while Jimmy had rented two rooms. The doors to each faced the parking lot. She didn’t think anyone had seen her enter number seven; at least she hoped not. Especially now that Hoda and Kathie Lee were getting into the hunt for her.
Next to the fish hat lay a pay-as-you-go phone that already had the minutes loaded for her. She stared at it with anxiety and dread, but she couldn’t put off the inevitable and picked it up. Her heart pounded as she dialed, and with every ring it grew louder in her head.
“Hello.”
The corners of her lips trembled and her voice broke. “Hi, Dad.”
“Lexie? Where are you?”
“Sandspit, British Columbia.”
“Where?”
