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“Are you really going to make me wait before I come back to work?” she asked as Gram turned down a side street and into one of the oldest neighborhoods on the island.
Her grandmother chuckled. “Absolutely. You need some time to just be yourself.”
“Come on, Gram,” Lila said. “You know I don’t do idle.”
More fallout from spending her formative years with parents who rarely were up and about in time to get her to school. But everything inside her smiled when she fell in with her grandparents’ early-start routine. Gram once said that being a baker was genetic and Lila was thrilled to have inherited the important baking genes.
“You’ll be running the whole show soon enough,” Gram was saying. “And everyhealthybusiness owner needs to learn how to relax.” She glanced at Lila’s suitcase. “Is that all you have?”
She’d made a habit of shipping gifts directly home, rather than dragging them with her from one temporary place to the next.She would set up a video call and Gram would open the boxes and listen to the stories behind each acquisition. It had been one of her favorite ways to stay in touch.
The rest of her belongings were stored in her old bedroom, the one she expected to stay in until she could find the right house on the island. “The result of being a nomad for so long. It’s good to be home. Better to know I’ll be staying.”
Gram pulled into the driveway and parked the car. She cut the engine and turned to Lila. “You aren’t obligated,” she said. “If it’s not right, you tell me. Tell me before it makes you bitter.”
Lila swallowed the immediate protest, knowing where this was coming from. “You’ve never made me feel obligated for any of it,” she reminded her grandmother. “And you’ve sent me away to see the world.” Reaching out, she covered Gram’s hands with her own. “I’m back. I’m here. Because I want to behere. Because nowhere else in the world is home.”
“You’re sure.”
It wasn’t a question, but Lila responded anyway. “I’ve never been more certain of anything.”
“If it changes—”
“I promise to say something.” She smiled. “Now let’s go get that barbecue.”
Chapter 5
Travis watched Lila walk away with her grandmother. Though he’d been too far away to hear the conversation, it was obvious how excited they were to be reunited.
That was one worry crossed off his list.
He’d nearly made himself nuts trailing after Lila once Connor had confirmed she was taking the ferry across to the island. If she’d been so keen on getting home, why not hire a car? He’d assumed she had doubts or reservations about going back to island life, but those had all been put to rest.
Based on Connor’s latest intel, he knew she had the money to get home by any route she preferred. The woman didn’t have a dime of debt. Her credit card—singular—was paid off each month. Mostly recurring charges for her cell phone and streaming services. She didn’t have student loans and she’d pretty much banked every dime since starting with Juliet.
Travis had done the same thing. When lodging and most meals were covered, when transportation was covered by a fleetof vehicles owned by the client, the paycheck stretched a whole lot further.
More than once this evening, he considered telling her what he was doing and why, but she’d seemed so content to wander, he hadn’t wanted to wreck her peace.
And then he’d spotted the woman tailing Lila and his worry took on a sharp edge and a new angle. It had been quite a balancing act, sticking close enough to intervene if necessary without being spotted by either woman.
Talk about a rush. He hadn’t been in such a complicated field exercise in years. He liked it, though he didn’t like the potential real-time consequences for Lila if he made a mistake.
“If you’re getting off, best do it now,” said the man standing near the gate. “Once I start letting passengers on, you’re stuck.”
Travis decided not to make an issue of that incorrect assumption. If he wanted to get somewhere, he had the skills to make it happen, gate or no gate. “Sure. Thanks for the lift.”
He headed down the gangway, scanning the scene. He was primarily concerned with the woman who’d tailed Lila and approached her on the ferry. As if on cue, he noticed her standing too close to Lila’s luggage.
Was this the exchange they’d planned?
He expected the stranger to steal the suitcase. Instead, she rolled it closer to Lila before going on her way. Travis wasn’t buying it. The woman wasn’t here by coincidence, she was involved. He texted Connor, only to get a response that facial recognition was still working.
Fine. He knew how to do things old school.
Knew the value of putting in the legwork.
He messaged Connor about Lila’s departure from the ferry dock with her grandmother and went in search of the new woman in this puzzle. He caught up with her at a busy restauranton the main street, but she didn’t meet up with Lila or anyone else. She placed a to-go order and headed down to a picnic area.
