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“Don’t wait too long. This is a prime opportunity to get some deep-sea experience handling a real boat. Here,” he says, handing me the keys. “Try it out for a night. See if you think you’d be able to feel at home on it, and then let me know.”
I bound away from work feeling like I’ve just fallen ass-backward into the first real opportunity of my life in this small town.
I know exactly who I want with me while I try out Captain Jack’s boat for tonight, and I want to make it extra special.
I hit the Kissme Sweet Shop, saying hi to Lily Velasquez. She already knows what I want when I tell her I need a “Frenchie salad” — a variety of M&Ms to mix together in a bowl. I then hit the supermarket for something healthy—cucumbers and tomato salad with fresh basil from her own garden. She always needs to have her vegetables.
When I arrive at Frenchie’s trailer to pick some of her basil, I don’t get the chorus of barks from the neighbor’s pugs. They’re usually sitting vigil in the window and bark at anyone passing by.
Adalee’s RV is dark, and I don’t see anyone anywhere.
I don’t know if this is a good sign or a bad sign.
Then, I see Justin approaching from his lot next door.
“She walked my pugs and brought them home. Then I saw her leave and walk to the end of the park lot with another man, and they headed that way.”
I scratch my head and try not to panic. I sign back to him, “I’ll let Frenchie know.”
I text her right away because my hackles are raised. I tell her what Justin told me.
Frenchie thanks me and then says she’ll contact her mom. “Can you stay there in case something is fishy? In case we need to go looking for the cats or my mom?”
I answer yes as if that was ever a question. I would die for this woman and her spoiled little felines.
I resume picking some basil for the salad and let myself into her trailer to assemble the salad. The only cats that greet me at the door are Butter and Jelly, which really makes me sense something is wrong. If I’m not mistaken, Peanut is the diabetic one.
To my relief, Frenchie texts me back to say her mom and her friend took Peanut and a menagerie of animals to the beach, and all seems to be well. She brought Peanut in a carrier so she wouldn’t be late in giving him his injection.
Something about it doesn’t sit with me, but I don’t push. Who is her mom meeting with, and why does the worst-case scenario always pop up in my head?
When I’ve got everything put together, I tap out an order to Cherry Pie Pizza and finally make my way back to Captain Jack’s boat. If I do this right, I’ve got the perfect night planned for my Adalee and me.
Chapter 5
Adalee
I’m just waiting for Amethyst, my most reliable employee, to arrive to take over the late shift. On weekends, the Ferris wheel runs as long as the amusement park stays open, which is midnight. Amethyst’s main job is to take photographs of people riding the wheel. The Ferris wheel mainly runs itself, but I always need someone there to make sure everything is running smoothly and safely, and Amethyst has been a quick learner in that respect. At first, I worried about her manning the wheel on her own. She’s petite and very pretty, and lots of male tourists would linger and stare at her when I first took her on. Lately, though, her much-older boyfriend, a guy everyone calls “Big,” has been hanging around. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but as long as he keeps Amethyst safe while I’m not around, I’m good with that.
In the hour since Tony and Tiny left, I had a heart-to-heart with myself, with the help of some of my favorite love songs.
Tony is right. I have to tell Hudson how I feel.
The dream I had this morning was not a fluke.
When Hudson shows up to pick me up, he bowls me over with a great big bear hug that lifts my feet off the ground.
My heart doubles in size at the feeling of being wrapped up in him. I inhale the scent of his button-up shirt deeply.
“Wait a minute,” I say, laughing as I step back. I look up and down at the blue oxford shirt, chinos, boat shoes.
“Are you running for office? What is happening with this outfit?”
He laughs and runs a hand over his face, and that is when I notice even his hair is combed.
“I have a surprise for you. I grabbed an overnight bag for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
I’m blown away. He’s the only person I trust to pack an overnight bag for me, so I’m not even mad about it. Not only am I not annoyed, I’m shocked and thrilled. He’s taking me somewhere overnight! I can’t believe this. Is this actually happening? Are we going to have a talk? Is he going to initiate it? Does he feel the same way?
