James had to get back to work not long after that, but he promised that he’d come and visit soon. Chip wished him luck and told him he was welcome any time.
So much time had passed that Chip was certain flying with Rick was no longer an option. It was worth it to spend time with James. He pulled out his phone and booked the next, very expensive, flight back to Seattle.
It was a red-eye, and when he got in, there were no ferries for several hours. He decided to get a hotel room and catch some sleep before booking the express ferry to Friday Harbor, then the interisland ferry to Orcas.
As he stood on the deck of the ferry to Orcas Island, he could barely keep his eyes open. Even though it was beautiful, he was so tired. No wonder no one ever wanted to visit him. The trip took too long.
But as soon as he saw that beautiful island in the distance, he felt full of life again. The crystal-clear water, the miles and miles of trees and towering mountains – there was no other place like it on earth.
He landed at the ferry terminal and managed to convince Rhonda to pick him up.
“Where have you been?” Rhonda said as she popped open her passenger door. “We got raided yesterday!”
“I know, I know. I was trying to handle it.” He took a seat, shutting the door.
She pointed at him to buckle his seat belt. “You have no idea. They made a huge mess, and then they just left.”
Chip laughed. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“It had better not,” she said. “Or I will call the FBI myself and demand they send a second super special team to clean up their mess.”
She dropped him off at home, and Chip was disappointed to find that Marty had disappeared without a trace. The poor kid was probably traumatized from being hunted. Hopefully he hadn’t gone far, and Steel’s determination to save money would prove his innocence.
When Chip got back to the hotel, he put in a call to Claire. It went to voicemail. He had the vague worry that she might’ve blocked his number. He was sitting at his desk, ruminating on this, when his phone rang.
“Hey Bossman.”
He let out a sigh. “Hi Gigi.”
“The photographers are here.”
Chip thought she sounded entirely too cheerful. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh yes. You know what? I’d be happy to show them around.”
That was suspicious. Chip got up from his desk and went to the lobby to investigate.
He introduced himself to Morgan, the photographer that Margie knew, and quickly realized the problem. Morgan’s business partner Luke, who was apparently also her boyfriend, had caught Gigi’s eye.
“You must besoartistic,” Gigi cooed, looking up at him, doe-eyed.
“I don’t know if I can claim that,” he said. “That credit belongs to my better half.”
Gigi shot Morgan a chilly look before returning her attention to Luke. “I love your accent. Where are you from?”
“Just outside of London. Where are you from?”
Chip suppressed a smile. He so badly wanted to tease Gigi, but didn’t want to upset his new photographer. He turned to look at Morgan, however, and saw that she was ignoring this exchange entirely.
“Margie told me somany things about you and the hotel. It’s just magnificent!” Morgan said.
“Thank you. That’s very kind.” Chip smiled. “Margie is very kind, actually.”
“She is. She’s the best,” Morgan said with a smile.
In the background, Gigi was still droning on. “I’m more than happy to show you around, and hey, maybe you could take my picture later?”
Without addressing Gigi, Morgan unceremoniously grabbed Luke by the arm and pulled him toward her. “Chip, would you mind giving us a tour and an idea of what you’d like to get from these pictures?”
“Of course.”
Much to Gigi’s disappointment, they left and made a round of the hotel. Spending a few hours with them was a pleasant way to pass the time, and from the samples that Morgan showed him, Chip was impressed already. How had he missed the fact that the hotel pictures were so terrible for so long?
After they left, Chip returned to his office and resumed his wait for Claire. He finally decided to leave a message, telling her that he was at the hotel, all was well, and that he was waiting on her call.
Following that, he was glued to his phone. There was only a single ten-minute block where he was unable to answer his cell phone, and naturally, she called during that time.
Her voice sounded distressed. “Chip, I just wanted to let you know that I’m heading back to Orcas Island. I’m planning to pack up my things and, uh, get out of your hair. I’m sorry about everything that happened. I can explain, if you’re willing to hear it. Lucy was released, so that’s good and…well, I can tell you later. See you.”
Chip could tell that she had no intention of seeing him again, but he was not going to let her walk out of his life that easily.
