Page 58 of A Spot of Tea
Or that Joey was innocent.
“I’m going to find something.” Mackenzie clicked on a picture of Stacy drinking from a large bottle of champagne – New Years 2019. “I just know it.”
Mackenzie’s answer came early the next morning when Stacy posted a picture of herself in Anacortes. The caption read, “Living my best life – crab buffet brunch!”
“Get your shoes, come on, come on!” Mackenzie rushed around the room, grabbing bags and coats.
“We can’t stalk a special agent!” Eliza said. “She’ll put us in jail.”
“For what? I like crab. I just want to get some crab.”
Eliza buried her face in her hands. “I don’t think this is a good idea. And I need to work.”
Mackenzie finally stopped moving and looked her in the eye. “It’s not the best idea, but you might be in love with a criminal, so we have to do something. Cora came back for a few days and she owes us one. She can cover the shop. Come on!”
Mackenzie had her there.
Eliza groaned. “I’ll drive.”
Twenty-one
It was starting to feel like Eliza was avoiding him. Joey had hoped to see her on the day of the tea party, but he’d had so many flights he didn’t get a chance to go inside the tea shop until she was long gone.
He’d offered to help clean up, but after half an hour, there was still no sign of her.
“Is Eliza around?” he asked Mackenzie as casually as he could muster.
“She’s not feeling well.”
“Oh. Can I check on her?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure she’s asleep.”
After they locked up the shop, he sent Eliza a text. “Sorry to hear you’re sick. I’m also sorry I’ve been MIA recently – Russell needed me for a lot of flights. I guess I have to do my job occasionally, ha.”
She wrote back the next morning. “Ha ha, yeah. I’ve been busy too. Maybe we’ll find some time next week?”
He first wrote out, “I’d love that,” decided it was too eager, and instead sent, “Sure!”
He spent the rest of the evening in an unfamiliar state – racking his brain for what he might’ve done to offend her.
This was uncharted territory. He rarely stayed in one place long enough to develop any sort of relationship, let alone one that made him doubt himself.
Was it Cora? Had she told Eliza what they talked about and now she was too embarrassed to face him?
His stomach churned at the thought. If only he could ease her mind and put into words the strange pull he had toward her, while simultaneously assuring her it was nothing to worry about.
Every time he tried to think it through, his body became unbearably fidgety. His shoulders ached, his scalp itched, and the muscles in his legs cramped. The longer he went without seeing her, the more he thought about her, until there was little else he could think of.
Joey took a late walk that evening and scanned the dark sky, tracing the stars above. He walked and walked, venturing further, then closer to shore, the sound of the water crashing fading and building as he powered on.
He returned to the house only when his legs were tired and his face was frozen from the wind.
On Monday morning, Russell ruined his plans to stick around the tea shop all day.
“Bad news. All the morning ferries coming in from Anacortes were canceled.”
Joey groaned. “Again?”
