Beneath the Surface by Joya Fields

Author:Joya Fields
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, suspense
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2012-09-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“This is great,” Brooke said. She relaxed into a comfortable Adirondack chair on Garrett’s deck.

“Yeah,” Garrett said. “Nothing like some outside quiet time to take the edge off a day.”

The sound of the canal lapping against the retaining walls and docks and slivers of moonlight that filtered through the cloudy night sky onto the two-tiered deck helped Brooke to breathe easier after a long, hard day.

She’d been at the hospital visiting with Linda and checking on Jeff. Garrett had been in her thoughts almost the entire day. By the time Mrs. Yi came to relieve her, Garrett was in the forefront of her mind. He’d suggested beer and sandwiches for dinner.

Soft lighting from the house filtered onto the deck and threw shadows across Garrett’s face. She stole a sideways glance at him. His nose was a little big for his face and he had a small scar marking his right cheek. Not a perfect face, but her heart fluttered every time she looked at him. Not classically handsome…more like ruggedly handsome.

He caught her stare and she pushed her attention back to the ham and cheese sandwich he’d fixed her.

He took a swig of his beer and propped his feet on the lower rung of the deck railing. A muscle twitched in his cheek. Like a spring ready to uncoil.

She cleared her throat. “I don’t think I can stay at the motel. Not after last night.”

He glanced at her and held her gaze.

“I—I agree with you that I shouldn’t be alone.” Oh God, her voice shook and stammered out the words. He’d invited her to stay once before, but was it forward of her to invite herself? “Um. Safety in numbers, y’know?”

She lifted her beer and took a swig to keep herself from jabbering. She wished that her safety was the only reason she wanted to stay here.

“You stay as long as you like. You got in so late last night I didn’t have a chance to give you a tour of the place, though. Want me to show you around after you finish your sandwich?” he asked.

She nodded. “And I can’t seem to find my dad’s watch. I checked my rental car and didn’t find it. I’m hoping it’s in your spare room.”

“We’ll check for it as we tour.”

“Thanks.”

He looked up at the sky. “Looks like rain tomorrow. Can’t see any stars.”

“That so? That’s what my grandfather always says too—if you can’t see any stars, that means it’s going to rain.”

“I guess we’ll see tomorrow.” He stretched his long legs in front of him.

“If it rains, we can still search for…” She hesitated. She didn’t know what words to use to avoid the reference to Tessa. “Umm…the box.”

He faced her and lifted a shoulder. “You’re the boss.” He took another swig of his beer. “An underwater archaeologist?”

“Uh huh.” A breeze billowed off the canal and cooled her heated skin.

“But after the earthquake you stopped diving?” He questioned suspects for a living. But he tempered this one with his quiet voice.

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