“You always did take care of everyone around you, Archer. Even me.” I finish my wine. “You’re still taking care of me, it seems.”
He looks like he’s about to say something, but we’re interrupted.
“Hey, guys.” Lindsey grins as she approaches the table. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I could say the same about you,” I reply. “You don’t usually work this late.”
“I had a late client, and then I had some inventory to do. Being the boss sucks sometimes.” Her gaze shifts between Archer and me, but I don’t offer any information.
I know I’ll get drilled later.
“So,” Lindsey says, “Archer didn’t leave town, after all.”
“Nope,” he says with his charming grin. “Ally decided she wanted me to stick around for a while.”
“He’s like the plague,” I reply. “He just never goes away.”
Lindsey laughs. “Must be nice, having someone so handsome sticking close.”
“Don’t make his head any bigger than it already is.”
Lindsey’s cell rings, and she checks it. “Sorry, have to take this. Have a nice dinner.”
She waves and hurries away to take her call.
“She’ll insist on lunch soon so she can ask all the nosy questions that friends do.” I watch as Archer signs his name on the receipt. “Which is fine. She’s a good friend.”
“I’m glad you have someone here. I hate the thought of you being alone.”
“I have Lindsey and my coworkers, who are all great. I have a fulfilling life here, Arch. I’m not sad or bored.”
“I’m glad.”
The waiter brings out to-go boxes full of desserts, and we stand to leave. As we walk out the door to the parking lot, Archer’s phone rings.
“Hello? Yes, she’s right here.”
He passes the cell to me, just as a car catches my eye. It’s the black SUV. A man is in the driver’s seat, but the windows are tinted enough that I can’t see his face.
And the license plate is from Washington.
My stomach jumps into my throat.
“Ally?”
I look up at Archer. “Yeah?”
“Phone’s for you.”
“Oh, right.” I take it from him and fumble with it before pressing it to my ear. “This is Ally.”
“This is detective Garcia. I wanted to update you on the case. We arrested two suspects today. When we found your iPad in the backpack of one of the boys, they confessed to the break-in and robbery of your house.”
“Wow.” I blink at Archer as he holds the car door open for me. “Thank you so much. I didn’t even realize my iPad was missing.”
“It had your name on it,” he says. “Inside the cover.”
“That’s mine. I appreciate your work on this, detective.”
“You can pick up the iPad at the station anytime.”
“Thank you.”
I hang up and sit in the car, then pass Archer his phone.
“Good news?” he asks.
“It was kids, after all.” I fill him in on what the detective told me. “So, yeah, good news.”
“That’s great.”
He starts the car and pulls out of the parking space. The SUV is gone.
Part of me knows I’m being ridiculous. This is a resort. People vacation here from all over the place, including Washington. In fact, it’s likely someone from Washington would come here because it’s within driving distance. It’s probably a family who came down for a long weekend at the beach.
That’s what common sense tells me.
It’s most likely not someone from my family in their typical mafia-style vehicle, looking for me.
The odds of that are incredibly slim.
But the odds aren’t zero, either. And my gut says something’s coming.
My instincts are rarely wrong.* * *Summers at Grandma’s are the best. I get to come here with my cousins—Carmine, Shane, and Rocco—and we can do whatever we want for two whole months.
The servants keep our pantry stocked with our favorite snacks. The treehouse has been mended and remodeled over the spring, ready for us to wreak havoc in it, pretending to be pirates or knights of the round table.
We can play down at the beach during low tide, searching for treasures.
And in the evenings, we have movies and popcorn until we fall asleep.
We look forward to it more than Christmas. More than anything.
“Come on, Elena,” Carmine calls, gesturing for me to follow him. Carmine is the oldest—and the smartest. I love all of my cousins, but Carmine is my favorite. He lets me tag along almost anywhere.
The other boys get tired of me.
Carmine never does.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he says and stops to wait for me to catch up. He takes my hand and leads me down a path in the woods next to Grandma’s house. “You know I’d never let anything bad happen.”
“I know, but what if there are bears? Or tigers?”
“Tigers don’t live in North America,” he says and holds a branch out of my way so it doesn’t smack me in the face. “But if we see a bear, I’ll fight him off.”
I laugh at him. “Right. Like you could fight a bear.”