Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(75)

The shop was very small, and there was only one other customer—an exceptionally attractive blonde woman. The sales clerk placed a handwritten receipt in a tiny envelope and then handed that, and a bag, to the woman.

When the blonde woman turned to us, Helena shot Trina a look I couldn’t decipher, and then she grabbed my hand. “We should just skip this store,” she said, pulling me toward the door. “In fact, I think I’ve maxed out my credit card.”

Trina came up from behind me—blocking my view of the store—and nervously added, “Yeah, me too.”

Something more was happening. I wasn’t buying the suddenly maxed-out credit card stories. My suspicion was quickly confirmed when a soft, very feminine voice rang out from behind us. “Trina? Is that you?”

Trina groaned and stepped aside, and I came face-to-face with the petite, flaxen-haired beauty that’d been at the register. I stepped back, catching Trina and Helena glancing uneasily at one another before simultaneously looking to me. Apparently they were anticipating some sort of a reaction, though I had no idea why.



At least I didn’t until Trina said to the diminutive woman standing there, “Hi, Lindsey. How have you been?”

Lindsey? As in Adam’s Lindsey? Oh God, I instantly felt self-conscious. This woman was extremely attractive, although in a more subtle way than Chelsea. One thing for sure, Jennifer had not been lying—Adam had obviously dated nothing but incredibly beautiful women in the past. Chelsea. Lindsey. Who else? I couldn’t help but wonder, what in the hell does he see in me?



After Lindsey introduced herself to Helena, she flipped her long, very straight blonde hair over her shoulder and turned to me. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe we’ve met, though you do look familiar.” She scrunched her beautiful face in thought for a second and added, “I’m Lindsey, by the way.”

“I’m Maddy—”

“Maddy, as in Maddy Fitch,” Helena interrupted. “You know, the best-selling novelist.”

I knew what Helena was doing, trying to keep the conversation diverted away from Adam. But even with Helena proudly touting my vocation, I couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy in comparing myself to this stunning woman who, up until very recently, had been sleeping with Adam. Satisfying his—what had Jennifer said?—voracious appetite.

Ugh. I felt ill as Jennifer’s words haunted me. Perhaps this woman had been Jennifer’s source of information regarding Adam. Did she know Lindsey? Maybe Lindsey had visited Adam on the island. After all, Helena recognized her. But Trina had introduced them as if they didn’t know one another. Had Helena seen a picture of Lindsey then? It was all too confusing.

“Oh,” Lindsey said, some kind of recognition registering on her face. “So you are Maddy Fitch. Hmm…” She eyed me up and down. “…very interesting.”

From her tone of voice, I knew she’d just realized I was Maddy Fitch—not so much the mystery writer—but rather Maddy Fitch, Adam’s new love interest. Guess word had gotten around to her.

I glared at Lindsey, daring her to say more. Trina and Helena exchanged a worried look, and Trina said, “Well, we really should get going, it’s getting late.”



“But you just got here,” Lindsey protested, in a sweet but phony voice. She turned to Trina, keeping her doe-like eyes trained on me. “How is Adam doing? You really must tell him to get back in touch with me.” She shot me a haughty look. “I miss all the fun we used to have together.”



Trina rolled her eyes, and Helena flipped her own beautiful, blonde tresses back. “I wouldn’t hold my breath, Lindsey,” she interjected. “I do believe Adam has finally been tamed.”

Trina glanced away, stifling a giggle. My own eyes widened. Leave it to Helena.

Lindsey wrinkled her pert, little nose in disgust and stared directly at me. “Hmmm, perhaps he’s been tamed…for now. But Adam gets bored rather quickly, especially if one can’t keep up with him.”

“Being in love is hardly boring,” Helena shot back at Lindsey.

Lindsey bristled, clearly stung by Helena’s words. For a moment I almost felt bad for her. She’d probably been strung along by Adam, hoping he would fall for her. And all along he was just using her for his own pleasure.

Yes, for a moment I felt bad for her, but then it quickly passed. Instead I began to feel empowered. Adam loved me. My own subtle beauty had somehow captured his heart. I stood up a little straighter and declared, “Sorry, Lindsey, but Adam isn’t going to be calling you, getting back in touch, whatever.” I waved my hand dismissively. “After all, he’s going to be too busy keeping up with me,” I added with a wink.

That seemed to be the final straw for Lindsey. She dispensed with the snarky comments, said good-bye to Trina and Helena, nodded curtly to me, and scurried for the door.

“Way to go, Maddy,” Helena said proudly as the door swung shut.

Trina laughed. “You definitely got the best of her, that’s for sure.”

Though I felt victorious, part of me was less than thrilled to have run into one of Adam’s past hookups. It seemed like every part of his past was always catching up to us.



What next?



An hour later, after we’d returned to Trina’s place, Adam arrived to pick me up. Trina pulled her brother inside and started whispering to him. Adam leaned against the closed door, listening intently, and I knew, without a doubt, Trina was filling him in on the details of our run-in with Lindsey.