He stood there, looking at her, seemingly hesitating. A paranoid thought crossed her mind – that he was onto her, that he knew what she was doing…

“Lovely weather we’re having, huh?” she said, hating herself as soon as the words left her lips.

“Oh yeah. It was nice to have a break from the rain.”

“Normally I like rain. It’s nice, in a way. I like the sound of the raindrops on the cabin roof.” She cleared her throat. “Any news on the menu for the Valentine’s Day dinner?”

He looked up, thinking. “You know, I’m not sure. I’ll have to check on that.”

“Okay. Great. Well….”

He nodded. “I’ll get going, then. Are we meeting tomorrow? I got some numbers from the contractor.”

She fidgeted with her hair. “Oh sure, any time. How about ten?”

“Sure, yeah, that works for me.”

He took a step back, and Claire was about to turn and open the door behind her when something caught her eye. Just over Chip’s shoulder she saw Lucy’s distinct green hat, bobbing down the hallway.

She wanted to give Lucy a signal, something to tell her to run – or at least to turn around!

But it was too late. Lucy spotted her and started waving, yelling out, “I made it back!”

Chip spun around, the surprise evident on his face. “Hi, Lucy.”

Claire needed this interaction to be over. “I was just waiting for you, Lucy. I got fish and chips.”

Lucy let out a long breath. “That sounds great. I’ve had a day.”

Chip locked his gaze onto her. “That’s a heavy meal. You must be feeling better.”

She waved a hand, unwinding a scarf from around her neck. “I feel better to be back.” She eyed the scarf in his hands. “Ew.  What is that?”

“A lost scarf,” he said, holding it forward. “I thought it might be yours.”

Lucy made a face. “Absolutely not, and I’m kind of insulted you thought that.”

Claire forced a smile. “We’d better eat before the food gets cold.”

“Right.” Lucy nodded, pulling out her room key and opening the door. “See you later, Chip.”

“See you,” he said. He was about to walk away when he stopped himself. “I thought she was already here?”

He knows. He knows. “No, no. I knew she was on her way.”

“Ah.”

They stared at each other for a moment, Claire feeling the sweat forming on her back. She hated lying. She was about to speak again when Chip’s phone rang.

He excused himself. “It’s Chip.”

Claire watched his face as he listened intently.

“No, Addie, that’s okay.” He switched ears. “Of course, you should rent them a room. We have nothing to hide.”

Her stomach tightened. That didn’t sound good.