“You said we needed to go, so we’re going.”
“When are we leaving?”
He arched a brow. “Late tonight.”
“The red-eye?”
“Getting to the east from the west is never easy.” Hepatted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. My shoulder makes a good pillow.”
Jo grumbled under her breath and went to the bedroom to pack a few things. This should be a quick trip, except there was nothing quick about traveling from one side of the country to another. She had no idea what she might find. Then again, she knew what she was looking for and hoped to glean some clues or at least more questions.
Her father had left her money when all she’d really wanted were answers. So she had to get them on her own. If she found him, maybe this time she could ask more pointed questions and force him to give her answers. But instead, she’d have to get answers from her deceased mother.
She paused and looked out the window as the wind shook the strong house. That’s how she felt—she’d been a solid structure, and the foundation had been ripped out from under her. She’d made the mistake of trying to rebuild by trusting Pop, and again she’d been toppled.
Her mother’s past and her father’s past were somehow entangled, and even after all these years, the danger was closing in. Jo wasn’t sure why she was caught in the middle.
She exited the room and moved down the hallway, noting the whispers. Jo could learn more if she waited and tried to listen. Eavesdropped. But she hated hearing something she wasn’t meant to hear, and so she made some noise. “Y’all are whispering. You must be talking about something you don’t want me to hear.”
Hawk, Remi, and Cole glanced up from the kitchen table. Remi was the one to get up and move to her. “No, of course not,” she said. “I’m not exactly sure why we were whispering. Maybe we just didn’t want to disturb you.”
She shrugged it off and sank onto the sofa. “Well, I’m all packed. So, what were you talking about, really?”
Remi sat too. “I need to get back to the lodge, that’s what. I don’t want to leave, but you know how it is.”
“You’ve already done so much. This is your busy storm-watching season. You need to be there. Honestly,Ineed to be there. The fact you can make that place work without me kind of hurts.” Jo’s heartfelt smile held the pain of her words.
“Oh, don’t think that way. You’ve done a great job training other staff. Dylan isn’t as handy, but he’ll do in a pinch. We miss you. But your safety is more important than anything.” Remi leaned over and hugged Jo. This time she whispered. “Cole’s worried about taking you to Michigan. We were discussing the possibility of Hawk watching you or Cole moving you to a new and safer place far away. Like some island somewhere.”
Remi leaned back and smiled, sending a message with her eyes that said,Don’t giveme away,or I’ll never be privy to theirprivate conversations again.
Understood. Jo nodded.Message received.She and Remi had forged a deep friendship at Cedar Trails Lodge, especially with their shared traumatic experience last year. If she ended up leaving the lodge because Pop thought she wasn’t safe here, then she would miss Remi. The only way for her to stay in Hidden Bay was to end the danger. For that, she had to walk through the rising torrential water. The Scripture from Isaiah floated through her heart and mind.“When you pass through thewaters,I will be with you.”
God was with her. She knew it. And he’d sent her friends here, in this new life she’d lived for three years. They were with her too.
She stretched. “I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?”
Remi laughed. “I’ll let you and the boys figure that out. I have to get back to the lodge.”
“I’m taking you,” Hawk said. “They’re heading to theairport tonight, so there’s no need for me to come back. Unless you want me to house-sit.” Hawk glanced at Cole. “Do you?”
“You’re good. Go. Be with Remi. Make sure all is well and no more reporters or anyone suspicious shows up looking for Jo or her father, especially our guy, Devin Merrick. If he shows up, call the feds. After all, they supposedly have taken aninterestin him.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just say that I might want to get some answers from him first,” Hawk said.
Cole gave his brother a sly grin. “We think alike.”
And they weren’t even twins.
****
Later that afternoon, Cole put his and Jo’s luggage in the back of the vehicle Hawk had left for them. He’d spent the rest of the day on his computer researching, and Jo sketched a few pictures of nature to relax. They’d need to head out soon to SeaTac—Seattle-Tacoma International Airport—because it would take about three hours, at least, to get there, and they needed to check in an hour and a half ahead of the flight.
For dinner, Cole microwaved frozen beef-and-cheese burritos. Jo was all for having zero mess to clean up and keeping it easy. She suspected that once they finished eating, he would ask questions. If she started talking now, she’d lose her appetite.
So they talked about the weather. They both agreed, too, that Remi and Hawk looked great together as a couple. They talked about when the two might get married and then what their kids would look like. Crazy to think they talked about such a romantic topic when she got the feeling Cole really wanted to avoid the hard discussion they needed to have about them. Whatever was left of them. Was there even a “them”? She didn’t know.
She’d wanted to know why he left her high and dry, and he’d told her. She thought that understanding why someone had left her could ease the pain. But the news he’d shared hadn’t washed away the hurt. And with that small hope that rose in her, that she and Cole could be together, she could be setting herself up for more heartbreak. She and Cole weren’t exactly a perfect match like Remi and Hawk seemed to be.
