Wandering Heart (9781101561362) (26 page)

A clever mouse has many holes. That had been a line in a little mystery drama she played in once. She had never forgotten it.

After slipping out the back door, she moved carefully around the
building, avoiding windows where she could be spotted. She made her way across Liza’s property to the gate in the fence that led to the goat farm. Then she crept across the meadow, never turning her head to look back.

She practically held her breath the whole way, sure she would be seen. But miraculously, no one came after her.

At the goat farm, she turned down toward the main road, then kept walking, looking straight ahead. When she heard a car or truck coming, she ran to the side and hid behind a tree or in the brush. There wasn’t much traffic on the island since it was still early on Sunday morning.

Charlotte had no idea of where to go. Her first thought was to leave the island. But it was a very long walk into town, and she felt wary of that route. It was the only way on or off the island by car, and the reporters probably figured she would head for the mainland right away. It might be smarter to stay. She had only brought what was in her pockets: her phone, a wad of bills—she had no idea how much—and one credit card. Nothing else. Not even the picture ID that she would need to board a plane. She’d been in such a state, she barely knew what she was doing.

All she knew was that she had to hide right now. Hide and think this out: What was the right thing to do?

She loved being an actress. She loved making movies and felt so grateful for her success. But it was so hard to be a celebrity, to be followed every minute and hounded by reporters. She knew she should be used to it by now, but sometimes it got to her. Even if she didn’t have anything to hide, it was still a difficult way to live. She wished she could be free, be her true self and not just the airbrushed picture the public loved so much.

Something had to give. Her life had to change.
She
had to
change. She had felt it from almost the first moment she set foot in this place. And she felt it still, an intangible, invisible force. But it was definitely there, like the steady wind blowing off the ocean, cooling her skin and lifting her hair as she quickly walked along.

Without realizing where she was headed, Charlotte found herself at the opening in the brush where a path from the road led down to the dock, where Colin sometimes kept his boat. The same place where she waited for him to meet her on Friday afternoon for their day alone together.

That seemed so long ago now, those dashed hopes still stinging. She heard a car coming on the road, and jumped into the brush, hiding herself. When the car passed, she decided to walk down to the dock. Colin might be there. Maybe he would put aside his hurt feelings and help her.

Or maybe she could pay someone to give her a ride to Cape Light harbor or even Newburyport. Maybe she could find a boat to borrow and sail away. The possibility cheered her.

The dock was empty, as it had been the night before. But this time, Charlotte saw Colin’s boat moored out on the water. She stood at the end of the dock, her hand shielding her eyes, waiting to see if he was onboard.

The boat looked empty, the cabin and cockpit sealed up. It was the perfect place to hide, she realized, and it wouldn’t be hard to get aboard.

She pulled a light dinghy from the rack on the beach, as she had seen him do, put two oars inside, then pushed out into the water and scrambled aboard. She wasn’t used to the maneuver and nearly tipped the small craft over but soon got her balance. She took a seat at one end then started rowing. It was hard work but she was in good shape and reached Colin’s boat in a few minutes.

She steered the dinghy alongside the fishing boat and slowly stood up. Then she grabbed on to the rope ladder and pulled herself over the edge of the boat, falling on the deck with a thud.

If there was anyone in the cabin, they surely would have heard her landing and come out, she thought. But no one did.

She had remembered to keep hold of the line from the rowboat and now tied it to the end of the large craft.

Now what, she wondered. She walked over to the cabin door and opened it easily. It wasn’t locked. Colin didn’t have anything of value onboard. She already knew that. She envied someone who lived this way, without a care or fear, without even locking doors.

She felt a pang of conscience, realizing that she was trespassing on private property and not a guest this time. But she just needed a place to hide out for a while and gather her thoughts. Colin wouldn’t mind that, would he? She hoped not. Maybe he would never even find out.

Charlotte looked out at the blue water and the blue dome of the sky. What a beautiful day, she thought. It reminded her so much of the afternoon she spent with Colin.

That made her sad again. She glanced at her watch and realized that by now everyone would know that she had left the inn. She had cleverly silenced her cell phone before sneaking out, so that an incoming message wouldn’t give her away. Now she looked at the list of missed calls and text messages. She felt bad about causing everyone worry and concern, but she just couldn’t go back now. If one reporter had found her out on this island, Charlotte was sure there would soon be more.

She saw two figures on the dock and froze. Then she realized it was just a father and son, about to go fishing.

She hurried down into the cabin anyway, afraid to be spotted.
She sat on the bunk with her knees pulled to her chest and pushed open the little round porthole.

She wasn’t sure what to do next. She could just call Judy and apologize for running out on them. She could say she was trying to duck a particularly annoying reporter, without giving any more details. Brad and Mike would be livid—another delay, more money wasted. Still, it was a short scene they were supposed to be shooting, and she was the only actor in it. She would find a way to make it up to them, pay them back if necessary. She pulled out her phone again. But she couldn’t hit Judy’s number.

It was so nice on the boat, so peaceful. The solitude and quiet were a balm to her soul.

This is what I really need right now. Just a few minutes of peace and quiet and complete solitude so I can figure this out.

Somehow, they’ll have to understand.

C
HARLOTTE
? What are you doing here?”

Charlotte opened her eyes to find Colin standing over her, looking at her as if she’d dropped out of the sky. She’d gotten so comfortable curled up on the bench seat that she had fallen asleep, the gentle waves rocking the boat side to side, and the warm sunlight on her face. Was he angry? She didn’t think so. More like shocked. Her mouth felt so dry, she could hardly speak.

“I’m sorry … I needed to get away from everyone. I didn’t know where to go … There was a reporter at the inn. I didn’t want to talk to him …” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to tell him what the reporter was after, and hoped he wouldn’t ask.

“A reporter? Aren’t you used to that?”

“He’s from a really awful show. All they do is dig up dirt on people. My sister called this morning and said two other reporters had been bothering my family last night. So they must be working on a story about me. Something dreadful, I’m sure.”

He stood with his hands on his hips, staring at her. “I see,” was all he said, and she wondered if he did.

Then something in his gaze softened as he watched her sit up and smooth her hair off her face, and it made her feel a spark of hope. She looked up at him. “Did you get my messages yesterday or last night?”

“I didn’t have my phone with me yesterday. I forgot it at home. I saw the messages when I got back.”

She wondered if he’d gone out last night and where—and with whom. But she didn’t dare ask.

“Were you going to answer me?” she asked quietly.

“I didn’t know if I should. I didn’t know if it would make any difference.”

“Oh.” Charlotte didn’t know what to say to that. Did he mean he didn’t care about her anymore? She suddenly felt very awkward, as if she had totally misread him.

“Listen, I’m sorry I just barged in here. That wasn’t right. I sort of lost my head. I can go now. It’s all right—”

“You don’t have to go. I didn’t mean that.” He still seemed wary of her, but at least he didn’t want her to leave. He looked around, seeming self-conscious. “You want some tea? I could do with a cup.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said. She watched him walk over to the galley and fill the small pot, then set it on a burner.

He turned and faced her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Does anyone know you’re here?”

Charlotte shook her head. “I went down the back staircase and snuck out of the inn. The reporter was at the front door, trying to get past Liza. I walked over the meadow at the farm next door and went out onto the road. Then I wandered down here … for some odd reason,” she added, watching to see if he had any reaction to that.

The corner of his mouth turned up for a moment as if he were about to smile. Instead, he turned and found two white mugs and dropped tea bags into them.

“So you are really hiding out, huh? On the lam?”

“I guess you could say that. I sent a message to my publicist to see if she could do something, deal with these reporters, maybe talk to the producer of their show. But she’s in California and it’s still so early over there, so that’s going to take a while.”

Colin checked his watch. “Yup, it’s only half past nine. You’ve accomplished quite a lot for one morning. Shaking off a rabid reporter. Escaping from an inn. Breaking into a boat. What else do you have planned?”

He was warming up a little and she felt relieved. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared at him. “I don’t know. Do you have a disguise I could wear, or some invisibility potion? It would help me plan my next move.”

The pot reached a boil, and Colin took it off the flame and poured the water into the mugs. “Here, drink some tea. It won’t make you invisible, but you might feel better.”

She looked up at him as she took the mug. “You think so?”

He shrugged, smiling a little. “My grandmother used to tell me that. It works sometimes.”

The expression on his handsome face made her smile, too. He sat down near her. “They’re probably going nuts right now up at the inn, looking for you.”

“Yeah, I bet they are. Maybe they think I dove off that jetty again.”

He laughed quietly. “I don’t think so. Nobody would pull that stunt twice, Charlotte.”

“Probably not. It was pretty dumb the first time.”

She suddenly knew what he was thinking, what they were both thinking. “I was so lucky that day. You were there to help me.”

“Yes, you were.” He paused and met her glance. “I was lucky, too. How else would I ever have met the famous Charlotte Miller?”

She stared at him and sighed. His eyes were so blue they took her breath away. “I don’t know. I think we would have met anyway, someday. I think it was just …” Meant to be, she nearly admitted. But she didn’t say that. “Bound to happen.”

“Maybe so. I was the right man at the right time, anyway. And now, here I am again.”

“Does that mean you’ll help me?”

He put his mug aside and shrugged. “If that’s what you want. I’d hate to see you jump in that dinghy and try to row yourself to Boston Harbor.”

They both laughed, though Charlotte had secretly wondered how far she could row herself, if it came to that.

“Do you think the reporter will come down to this dock and look for you? Does anyone know you might come here?”

“I’m not sure. I guess they’ll search the island. I think they’ll find out the movie crew is looking for me, too. If they’re still at the inn, that won’t be hard to figure out.”

“The movie crew, right. I almost forgot about them. Won’t they call the police if you’re missing?”

“I don’t think so. Not for a while. That becomes public record, and they wouldn’t want bad publicity.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Good point. That gives us some advantage. Did anyone see you row out here and climb aboard?”

Charlotte shook her head. “The beach and dock were empty, except for a man and boy who were fishing.”

Colin stood up and looked out the porthole. “They’re still there,
but otherwise the dock is empty. Do you want me to take you to Cape Light or another village around here? You can hire a car to get into Boston. It would be harder for a reporter to find you there.”

Charlotte thought a moment. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Right now, she just wanted to stay with him.

“I want to wait until I hear back from my publicist and find out if she can solve this for me. I just need to hide out and wait a few hours, I guess.”

“All right. The smartest thing to do might be to just stay on the boat. We can take her out for a ride. I have enough fuel. Out of sight, out of mind. As long as your Hollywood friends don’t call the Coast Guard. I don’t want to get arrested for kidnapping you,” he joked.

She laughed but didn’t put that possibility past Mike or Judy, who would definitely be leading the charge. “You can tell them I hijacked your boat and forced you to drive it.”

She wasn’t sure how long he was willing to help her or how far he would go. But a few hours alone with Colin on the water was just what she needed right now to soothe her soul and help her sort things out.

“Okay then, we have our plan and a cover story if captured. Let’s get under way.” He rubbed his hands together, looking cheered by their plan. “You’d better stay below for now.”

“I will. Let me know when the coast is clear,” she said as he headed for the stairs. “And Colin?”

He turned and looked at her. “Yes?”

“Thank you. Thanks for coming to my rescue … again.”

“No thanks necessary. I’m getting used to it.” He sighed and smiled at her. His wariness and anger had finally melted, and she felt as though the sun had come out again from behind a bank of clouds.

She heard him up above, starting the boat’s engine, and then felt
the boat cruise away from the mooring, slowly at first, then picking up speed. She watched out the window as the dock and the boats tied up there grew more distant. On the steps leading down to the dock she saw two men descending. Even at a distance she recognized them as members of the movie crew. The lighting technicians, she thought. They walked out to the dock and one spoke to the man who was fishing with his son. She saw the man shake his head and shrug. The other crew member looked out at the water. He seemed to look directly at Colin’s boat. Did he suspect she was onboard? She hoped not.