Sunset by the Sea: The Golden Isles Trilogy book 1 by Gisele Briseia

Author:Gisele Briseia [Briseia, Gisele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

Rose

Officer King—or Gavin, as he asked me to call him—milled about in the hallway outside my bedroom while I packed. Though I tried to be quick, melancholy slowed my movements. As I moved about the room trying to shove down my regrets, I overheard Gavin’s walkie-talkie go off, and with nothing better to do, I eavesdropped.

“Hey, Gavin? You there?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I’ll be late bringing the boat back. Violet wants to file a police report for stolen packages, so I’ll be here a while longer.”

“That’s fine. I’ll take the ferry back when Rose is settled in.”

I tuned out the rest as my heart sank. So it’s escalated. When will it end?

Within minutes, my things were all packed into my suitcases, and after I made my bed and threw open the curtains, it was truly like I was never there with how empty the room was. Knowing I’d cry if I stood there and thought about it any longer, I put my bags in the hallway, trying so hard not to think about the fact I was losing another home, even if I was choosing to leave it. Gavin was there as soon as I shut the door, and he grabbed my suitcases before I could.

“You have a great security system in place,” he said, then looked around, his brow furrowing. “Are there any more?”

“No. This is all I came with,” I replied.

“Oh, okay. Let’s go, then.”

He gestured for me to lead the way, and I walked down the stairs, then opened the front door for him to exit so I could engage the security system. Not that it did anything to keep me safe, I thought bitterly. Once I was sure the house was secure, I led him to my car, where he put my bags in the trunk. As he shut the hatch, he said, “Would you like me to drive? It would probably be safer that way.”

“Sure,” I said, digging my keys out of my purse and handing them over. “Thank you. For everything.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s not often I actually have a job to do that isn’t herding seals and helping people get their cars out of ditches.”

We walked around to our respective sides of the car, and when we were in, I said, “Yeah, but I’m sure this isn’t exactly what you’d rather be doing either.”

“I don’t wish harm on anyone just so I can get some work.”

“I’d hope not.”

He started the car and drove to the port for the ferry. As we waited, he asked me to fill him in on how this had all started, and as I recounted the tale, it felt like a million years had passed since then. Explaining that Joseph thought I was behind the break-ins was like describing a conspiracy theory with how outlandish it was to say out loud, and it made me feel better that Gavin seemed just as confused as I was.

“All this because your aunt won’t sell the family business?” he asked, incredulous.

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