him. But she still didn’t like the idea of anyone going through her stuff.
A young woman moved into her line of vision. She was pulling some faded flowers out of the vase by the window and replacing them with fresh ones. Not exactly burglar behavior. Sarah pushed the door open and stepped inside, sighting a small service cart she hadn’t spotted from the crack in the door.
The maid.
She sighed heavily, feeling the tension drain away, irritation returning. She hadn’t spent much time in hotels or inns, and hadn’t even considered that there would be a maid in her room. She hadn’t even slept in the room yet, what was there to clean up?
Her suspicions suddenly seemed silly, even to her. It wasn’t like the small, quaint town of Cape Charles was a hotbed of crime—they left the door to the main house open all day, even when no one was around. Sarah couldn’t quite get used to that fact. Her suspicions were misplaced, the result of city living and the extreme boredom she was experiencing at the moment.
The young woman turned, smiling, and that smile faded suddenly. Sarah experienced a pinch of guilt as she realized she was standing there scowling at the girl for no good reason. She could feel her cheeks all bunched up. She tried to relax, though she couldn’t quite manage a smile. The maid wrung her hands, apparently feeling caught in the act even though she obviously hadn’t been doing anything wrong. Sarah felt like a jerk.
“I-I’m sorry, we try to be out of the rooms before—”
“It’s okay. You just startled me.” At the girl’s doubtful glance, she reiterated, “Really. Thanks for freshening the flowers.” Sarah didn’t know what else to say—was she supposed to tip her or something?
“You’re welcome. I’ll just get out of your way now.” The young woman rolled the small cart to the door and stopped. “Thanks for not being angry. I really need this job in the summer to save money for college. But we’re supposed to be out of the rooms when guests are around. It’s just that I forgot to change your flowers this morning, and figured I could stop back and—”
“It’s okay. What’s your name?”
The girl blanched, and Sarah realized she probably thought she was going to be reported.
“Ivy.”
Sarah smiled, trying to prove she wasn’t the wicked witch of the east. “Thanks, Ivy. And don’t worry about getting in here while I’m not around. After a few more days of this, I’ll need the company.”
“What do you mean?”
Sarah sighed, sitting on the bed, waving her hand around aimlessly. “I’m not used to…this. There’s nothing to do, no one around.”
“You don’t like the quiet? It’s why most people come here.”
“Not me. My boss is an ass—uh, idiot who thought I needed a break and he made the reservations for me. He thought I was wound a little too tightly and needed to relax.”
Ivy kept quiet, her fingers poised on the doorknob, and Sarah felt the need to clarify.
“I just like my work is all. I don’t get burnt out. He doesn’t seem to get that.”
“What do you do? Are you a model?”
Sarah blinked, surprised. She knew she wasn’t ugly, but she’d never thought of herself as model material.
“Oh, no way. I’m a cop.”
She almost smiled as Ivy’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A cop? Like, a real one? A detective like on CSI?”
“Not like that, but I work in a special unit with the Norfolk police department.”
“Do you have a gun?”
“Yeah, but not here.”
“That is so cool. You are so pretty. I never would’ve guessed you’re a cop.”
Sarah felt inordinately pleased by the compliment, and shrugged. “Thanks. It’s kind of a new job, actually, so I didn’t really need this vacation. I’m going to go slowly insane if I don’t find some way to pass the time. I’m here for two weeks, and I just can’t sit around on the beach all day. And there’s no shopping here. Or anything.”
Frustration edged itself into her tone again, but this time Ivy seemed to understand.
“Well, it is peaceful here. Most people come here to get away from all that, from the noise and stuff. But there is a lot to do.”
“Like what?”
“Do you like crabbing?”
“I don’t like complainy people—”
Ivy laughed. “No, I mean, like getting crabs, to eat. You can do your own crabbing.”
Sarah just raised her eyebrows. The closest she’d ever come to getting her own live seafood was buying it at street markets in New York.
“Anything else?”
“Well, there are some museums and historic stops. Assateague and Chincoteague aren’t far away. You can see the wild horses and deer there on the beaches, which are incredible. Or, oh, you can take a kayak lesson with Jim McIntyre, he gives a discount to resort guests, and he’s like a magician on the water.”
Ivy’s cheeks had stained a light pink as she spoke about the kayak instructor, and Sarah guessed the young woman had a little more interest in him than a business referral.
“Is he your boyfriend?”
Pink turned to full-out red, and Ivy shook her head vehemently.
“No, no.” She sounded very disappointed by this fact. “But I wouldn’t say he’s the best just because of that. He really is very good.”
“And you like him? For more than his ability as a kayak instructor?”
Ivy hesitated, biting her lip, then nodded.
“Have you told him?”
“No. I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“He’s a little older.”
“How much older?”
“Twenty-six.”
“And you’re…?”
“Just twenty.”
Sarah took a deep breath. Numerically that wasn’t a huge difference, but she was willing to bet that in terms of experience, it was. By the way she was blushing, Sarah would lay odds that Ivy was as pure as the spotless white sheets she’d just put on the bed.
“Well, it’s probably just as well. Men can be more trouble than they’re worth.”
A
