the vehicle as much as he’d ignored us. She got out of the car with me while Kaida took my bag from the back.
I hugged her. “Do you want to stay with me?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
She swallowed, and I wondered if she was afraid, like Dawson had been, that something would blow back on me from all of this—whatever “this” was they were mixed up in. While I hadn’t wanted to believe my friend or Dawson could be involved in something criminal, it was easy to expect it of the calm man in the SUV.
“I have things to do at the house,” she said.
“Can’t they be done from here?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. With Otōsan here, he won’t bother me as much.”
“You’re welcome at the B&B whenever. Mandy and Leena would never forgive me if I didn’t make sure you knew that.”
She looked up at the Victorian almost wistfully.
“Go make history with your experiments, Vi. Let me worry about my messed-up life.”
She got back in the back seat and didn’t even look my way as they drove off.
My heart broke a little because I didn’t know how to help her, and I wondered if Dawson was making things better or worse for her. I wondered if she was caught in the middle of a spider web with no way out because the strands were sticking to her from every direction.
I went inside, stopping at the desk in the front parlor. I looked at the registry to see how many guests we had. It was only one couple for the next two nights, followed by three couples checking in for the weekend.
If Dawson and Dax made it to Tarifa in under fifty-eight hours, they’d spend a day refueling, checking the engine and equipment, and restocking their meager supplies before heading back to New York. They’d be home on Saturday or Sunday. My world would be full of day-to-day normal bed and breakfast chores while Dawson was racing across the water, doing undercover work, and Jada was fighting off a villain.
I felt small and useless.
I ran upstairs, threw my bag into my room, and then headed down the hall toward the vacuum humming in one of the guest suites.
Tami was there, headphones in, running the machine over the area rug.
I tapped her, and she jumped as if I’d electrocuted her.
“Holy Mother Mary. You startled me,” she said. I laughed.
“How was everything this weekend?” I asked.
“Good. The guests in The Heyer room booked a Christmas getaway as they were leaving, saying they were definitely coming back with their friends.”
“And we only have one checking in today?”
“They’re already here. I gave them the keys, and they left their bags before heading out for the day. I think they have a daughter at the Academy,” Tami said.
“Okay. What’s left to do up here?”
“Nothing. This was the last of it. You’re off the hook until breakfast prep.”
“Thank you so much for watching the place this weekend. I hate to ask, but I have one more favor. Jada’s throwing a huge party next Sunday to celebrate Dawson winning the Conquistar de la Atlántica cup.”
“He won already?” She frowned. “I saw him on the news this morning, but I thought he just left.”
I laughed. “He did, but Jada is sure they’ll win.”
Tami smiled. “Well, nothing like your friends being supportive. You need Saul and me to watch the place that night?”
“Only if you don’t mind.”
“I told you, we promised Mandy and Leena we’d help out whenever you needed us. We’ve got it.”
“Thank you so much. For everything.”
“Leena and Mandy have been there for us through every up and down our family has had. This isn’t just a part-time retirement gig for Saul and me. We love it. We love them.”
It wasn’t until she talked about Mandy and Leena that I realized I hadn’t heard from them the entire time I’d been in New York. I wondered if Tami had told them I’d been gone. I wondered how Ava and the baby were doing and promised myself I would call them later that evening.
“Well, thank you anyway. And if you’re sure there isn’t anything else I can do, I’ll go out to the lab for a while. I’ll take the buzzer with me so the guests can reach me if they need anything. You and Saul go home and see the grandbabies.”
She nodded, and I headed out the door.
When I got to the lab, my heart lifted. I took out all the tubes and dishes,