Page 66 of One Last Gift

“Not feeling well?” he asked incredulously, as if he’d never heard of such a thing.

“Yes,” Cassie said, hated that her voice wasn’t firm. “I’ve got…” Sam pointed at his stomach, made a face. “A stomach flu?” She realized she’d made it into a question and continued hurriedly, “I think. I feel really nauseous anyway, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to come in. Hopefully it’s just a twenty-four-hour thing.”

“But…But…” Robert spluttered. “You can’t be ill, I’ve got no one to cover for you.”

“Can you get a temp?” Cassie asked, though she knew from memory that there was nothing major going on at the hotel today, and Josh could handle it. “I just don’t want to be throwing up all over the guests,” she said, as firmly as she could manage. Sam gave her a thumbs up. “Actually,” she continued, talking over Robert, feeling bolstered by Sam, “I’ve got to go. I’m feeling a bit…I’ll update you tomorrow.”

She hung up, then stared at her phone. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“You were great! Very convincing.”

Cassie narrowed her eyes. “Liar. But he can’t disprove it, can he?”

“Exactly. That’s the spirit.”

She ate a forkful of eggs. “They’re good!” she said, and meant it. She’d had enough experience with Hazel’s attempts at scrambled eggs to know that they could come out extremely rubbery if you did it wrong.

When they’d finished breakfast, Sam took the plates and piled them on the bedside table. “I’ll have a shower, get ready,” he said.

“Get ready for what?”

He shrugged. “Something fun?” He kissed the top of her head almost absentmindedly before leaving for the bathroom. And that kiss, the casualness of it, the way it seemed so natural, made her stomach lurch again.

Her phone beeped as he left and she jumped, worrying that it would be Robert. She looked down at it, saw a message from Josh.

Heard you’re ill, that sucks, followed by a sad face. Then, immediately after, another message: Are you actually ill, or did mystery sponsor show up and turn out to be a massive hunk and now you’re eloping together?

It made Cassie grin. She glanced up at the open door to check that Sam wasn’t on his way back, then replied.

You’re closer with the second.

WHAT!!!! Are you pulling my leg here?

I’ll tell you at work tomorrow!

But I need details!!!

There was a knock at the door, and Cassie scrambled out of bed, yelling to Sam that she’d get it. She opened the door to see Greg on the other side of it, wearing a gray shirt today. Maybe all the gray was deliberate? “You did it, then?” he asked, a little gruffly.

Cassie grinned—she couldn’t help it. “So it would seem.”

Greg handed her an envelope, and this time, Cassie saw the number in the corner. “As promised.” Cassie took it, smiled her thanks. “Now, you enjoy your day here, OK? You might as well, now you’ve come all this way. And you’re welcome to stay another night—the place is yours until tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said, trying to get across all her gratitude. “You’ve been so generous.”

Greg waved a hand. “It’s the least I could do. And you’re welcome back anytime, you hear me? I’ve written my number down so you can get hold of me.” He pointed to the top of the envelope. Cassie felt a little jolt, seeing something on the envelope other than Tom’s number, but it settled after a beat. This was a man Tom had had a connection with, for whatever reason, and it was no bad thing to have a piece of him there too.

She said goodbye to Greg, and took the envelope into the kitchen, staring at it. This was it. The last clue, the one that would take her to the end, would reveal whatever gift Tom had gotten her—the very last one he’d give her. There had always been the same number of clues in Tom’s treasure hunts. So this one, it would be the one to take her to the final hiding place, and after that it would be done and her connection with Tom would be broken. No more clues in his handwriting, no more hearing his voice as she read the notes.

She heard Sam coming down the stairs and quickly shoved the clue half under the fruit bowl on the kitchen table. She smiled as he came into the kitchen, hoping that the flash of warmth in her cheeks wasn’t obvious. “Greg says that we’ve got the place for another night, if we want it.” She said it as casually as she could, like it was no big deal, making it clear that she didn’t expect anything from him.

His eyes crinkled. “Excellent. Get dressed then, let’s go exploring.” He was already dressed, of course, wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt—casual, so much better than those fancy lawyer suits. Not that she had anything against suits per se, but Sam seemed more him when he was like this, without the bravado he’d picked up in London.

“OK.” Because why the hell not? She’d come this far, after all. And while she was here, she’d let herself roll with it—just this once.

—

They walked along the coastline, no real destination in mind, enjoying the warm day. The sea was different shades of blue and turquoise, and Cassie watched as a few different birds dived into the water to catch their lunch. Next to her, Sam squeezed her hand, their strides somehow matching, despite the difference in their heights.