It was obvious to her now that something was going on with Ethan that he was keeping from her. When Tom had initially approached her, she hadn"t taken him seriously. Now though, she was beginning to have a lot of doubts.Kylie took out her phone and dialed his number from memory. After three rings, he answered and, after exchanging pleasantries, she asked him where he was.
"Just running some errands," he replied.
As Ethan said this, it occurred to her that Tom had led her here so that she could see for herself what Ethan was up to. Then again, perhaps Ethan had legitimate business with Tom, and this was all just a stupid game for Tom. "Why don"t you go back to the Hotel," Ethan suggested. "I am almost done here, and I can meet you there as soon as this business is completed."
Kylie heard his words and immediately thought he was lying and that he had some kind of s.e.xual relationship with the girl in the car.
The car was long gone, but Kylie remained where she was. After another hour, an old man came out of the gates and came over to her. "Do you need some help?" he asked her. "Sitting out here, you look awfully suspicious. If you don"t move on, someone will eventually call the police. People around here are awfully protective of their things."
"Sir," Kylie said, "this property looks new. Was it built recently?
The old man shook his head with a smile and said: "It is an old house, but it has been renovated recently."
Kylie thanked the old man and asked the taxi driver to take her to the dock. She had always liked the water, and the sound of the crash of the waves against the sh.o.r.e helped her to think. She paid the driver and, when he offered to wait for her, she said that it wasn"t necessary.
Without looking back, she walked out on the dock. In the distance, she could see the ferry approaching. When it arrived, she paid the ferryman and climbed aboard. She was cold, but she didn"t care. It was something to focus her mind on. It allowed her to forget about Tom and Ethan for a moment.
As the ferry left the dock, her phone rang, and it was a real challenge to decide whether to answer it or not. If it was Ethan, she didn"t know what she would say. Would she call him out, or would she pretend that everything was business as usual? She didn"t realize…
She checked the caller ID and sighed a breath of hot relief when she saw that it was Faith. When Faith spoke, though, she sounded worried. "Kylie," she said, "it"s getting dark. When will you be back? Do you need Lucas to pick you up?"
Kylie looked out the window and felt sad. Faith was her best friend in the world, but she wasn"t prepared to tell her the whole truth. "Faith," she said, "you may go back to Seattle with Lucas now."
There was a brief silence, and then, in a voice that sounded very nervous, Faith asked why, and if this had something to do with Ethan or the black car that she"d raced after earlier that day. Hearing how easily her friend had seen through her, Kylie began to weep.
Faith quickly said, "Lucas and I will stay out of your way if that is what you want, but I think that we should stay here in case you need us…"
Faith"s voice was filled with concern. She wanted to comfort Kylie, but she doesn"t know what"s going on.
Faith could hear the phone in the background, and she asked Kylie if she was on a ship. Kylie wiped the tears from her eyes and told her friend that she was on a ferry to Seattle. "I know you, Kylie," Faith said. "Something is wrong. Why don"t you tell me what is going on, and we can work it out together?"
Kylie frowned and lied, "Sorry, Faith, I"m with someone. I can"t talk anymore right now. We are playing cards, and it is my turn. See you later, alligator…"
"Fine," Faith sighed. "Whatever is going on, you don"t trust me enough to tell me. It hurts, but I can deal with it. You are my friend. Call me when you"re ready to talk."
Frustrated, Faith hung up the phone without even saying goodbye.
When Herald saw the anxious expression on Faith"s face, he asked her what was going on, and she told him everything.
Lucas: "I wonder what happened."
Faith shrugged and said, "I have no idea. She said that she also told Ethan, but I don"t believe it. Why don"t we eat out and try to think about Something else? I heard there is a pizzeria in town that is pretty good.
Lucas looked at her and asked her if the only thing that she thought about was food. "Look," he continued, "you just had a hamburger, and now you think you need a pizza. What the f.u.c.k is that about. You are turning into a fat piece of lard. Pretty soon, people will be embarra.s.sed to be seen with you!"
Faith looked down in shame and didn"t say anything.
"Instead of silencing our fear with food," Lucas suggested, "why don"t we do Something productive? Go pack your stuff, and I"ll pack mine. We can be at the dock in ten minutes, just in time to take the next ferry and go after Kylie."
***
Tom Thomas got out of the car, opened the door politely, and put his hand on the roof. Lord Ethan emerged from the seat behind him. He was tired, but he was anxious to be back in Kylie"s arms. From the pa.s.senger side, Dora Hilton emerged, and Ethan asked him when he"d be returning to Seattle and if they would be returning together."
"I have other things to do here," he explained as he turned in the direction of the hotel where he and Kylie were staying. "You can make your own arrangements."