by Eve Gaddy
“Mark.”
“What?”
“Butt out.”
He started to speak and then he closed his mouth. “Okay, you’re right. It’s none of my business and you’re a grown woman.”
“That’s right.” She shot him a sideways glance. “I’d forgotten how bossy you were. And how nosy.”
“I’m not bossy or nosy. Just concerned.”
“Bossy and nosy.”
He laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Point taken.”
Despite herself, she couldn’t help watching Jack, who was standing over at the bar. He was saying something to Cameron Randolph, Mark’s brother-in-law and the owner of the restaurant. Jack never once looked her way. In fact, he left without even glancing at her again.
Which shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did. He was just a man. A nice man. Sexy. Appealing. Easy to talk to. But still, just a man. Nothing special, right?
Wrong.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JACK WAS STILL MAD when he took Ava out on the bay the next day. Not exactly mad, he realized with an unwelcome punch to his gut. Hurt and disappointed. Which was stupid and lame and made him feel like a loser.
So Ava had broken the date. Big deal. She didn’t want to go out with him. He’d been rejected before. Hell, he’d been rejected lots of times. So what?
He still had to work with her. And he hadn’t given up all hope she’d change her mind again. Okay, call him crazy, but he wasn’t ready to give up on her totally. If he hadn’t kissed her, if she hadn’t responded the way she had, then he could have forgotten about it. Written her off as a pretty woman he’d never have a chance with. But there was no possible way he was going to forget that kiss or what she’d felt like in his arms. So, he would be patient.
He decided the next move was hers, though, so he didn’t say much as they cruised near the shoreline of the bay. He just let her work, clicking her pictures in silence. Surely she’d get sick of silence eventually and start talking.
It took her until late afternoon to finally say more than a couple of words. “We should talk.”
“About what?”
She lowered the camera and looked at him. “You know what about. I know you’re mad at me. You haven’t said two words the whole time we’ve been out.”
He shrugged without answering.
“I’m sorry I broke our dinner date last night.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. But I warned you I wasn’t interested in a relationship, and that’s what dating leads to.”
“I said we could be friends.”
“You also admitted that wasn’t all you were interested in,” she reminded him.
“Fine.” He scanned the waves for more dolphins, and when he didn’t see any, slowed down. “Is this because I kissed you?”
“Don’t be silly.”
Was it? So why did she look flustered and uncomfortable? “It is. It’s because I kissed you and you liked it.”
She tossed her head and gave him a cynical look. “The ego speaks.”
“You kissed me back.” She didn’t say anything. “Not ego, the truth,” he continued. “Admit it, Ava.”
She hunched a shoulder and looked away from him. “All right. I liked it. You’re an attractive man and I’m a heterosexual woman. Are you happy?”
“I would be if you’d get over this idea that we can’t go out.”
She sighed. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea. And not because you kissed me. Or not entirely.”
“What is it then?”
She bit her lip and looked out over the bay. “A lot of reasons. One of them is that I’m not up for a serious relationship.”
“Who said anything about serious? It was a kiss. And then I asked you to dinner. That’s not a damn marriage proposal, Ava. Not in my universe, anyway.”
“Not in mine, either. But I…I like you, Jack. I don’t want there to be bad blood between us. Which always happens, eventually.”
“Not always. I’m not psychic. I can’t see the future. Can you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you really can’t say whether whatever’s between us is going somewhere or not.”
“It can’t go anywhere.”
He wondered why she was so adamant about that. “Why don’t you just relax? We’ll have dinner together and see where it leads.”
Frowning, she narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s just it. Going out isn’t going to lead anywhere.”
Man, she was a hard sell. “Okay, okay. We’ll go to dinner as friends.” She still looked doubtful so he added, “I won’t hit on you.” Not unless she wanted him to, and he intended to do everything he could to convince her she wanted him to. “Satisfied?”
“I guess,” she said.
“So are we on for dinner?”
She continued to appraise him before she shrugged. “All right.”
“That’s not very gracious. Tell you what, instead of going out, you come to my house and I’ll cook. How about it? I’ll make one of Cole’s favorites.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a surprise. Say you’ll come. No fear of romance with a sixteen-year-old hanging around.”
“Okay, you win. I’ll be there. When?”
“Friday night. Seven.”
“Sounds good.” She looked at him a minute, then added, “Don’t look so smug. It’s just dinner.”
“I know, but I like to win.”
She laughed. Over her shoulder he saw something leap out of the water, heading into the small cove they were approaching. “Look, there’s another pod of dolphins. At least, I think it’s a different one. We’re a lot closer to shore than we were this morning.”
She raised the camera and started clicking. “It is a different one. See that dorsal fin? It’s very distinctive. I can see a hole in it, thanks to my telephoto lens. I’m sure I haven’t seen that one before. Four adults…and two babies, I think.” She shot some more pictures then lowered the camera. “Why do they seem so agitated? Look, the mothers in particular seem upset.”
“They’ve got company,” Jack said. He motioned to a boat, a mid-size speedboat, that appeared to be heading straight for the pod. “They’re protecting their calves.” The boat wasn’t slowing, if anything it sped up. “Don’t those idiots know better than to crowd them like that?”
Ava put her hand on his arm. “Jack, they’re chasing them deliberately. I think they’re trying to herd them into the shallows of that cove. We need to do something. We’ve got to help those dolphins.”
“Crap. I think you’re right.” He started toward them, at the same time picking up the radio mike. “I’ll call the Coast Guard. They’re probably just stupid and wanting pictures and don’t realize harassing dolphins is illegal.”
“Hurry,” she said.
“See if you can read the name of their boat.” He got through to the Coast Guard, gave them the heading and a description of the other boat. “Hold on a minute and I’ll give you the name.” He turned to Ava. “Can you read it yet?”
Ava was leaning forward, straining to see. “I think it says…Sunnyside. Yes, that’s it.”
Jack relayed the information and signed off. “They said they’d be here but it might take a little while. At least they have the name of the boat and a description, so even if they miss them—”
Ava interrupted. “We have to do something. Jack, we can’t just leave them alone. What if the Coast Guard doesn’t make it in time? The dolphins could get stranded in the shallows. Or hurt, somehow. Oh, why are they doing this?”
It didn’t sit well with him, either. To do nothing while those bozos tormented the dolphins. He angled the boat and kept going. “There’s a chance I can cut them off and the dolphins can get out behind us.”
“Do it.” Her hand tightened on his arm as if she could will the boat to go faster. “We’re gaining,” she said. “I think we’re going to—”
The other boat veered off as they approached, a li
ttle closer than he was comfortable with. Jack breathed a huge sigh of relief. He hadn’t really thought the jerks would ram them, but they weren’t exactly acting rationally. Probably drunk, if he had to guess. Definitely stupid.
“That was close,” he muttered. “Jared would not have been happy with me if I’d wrecked the Heart of Texas.”
Ava turned to him, eyes shining. “You saved the dolphins. Look, they’re swimming out to the bay.”
“That’s a little strong, don’t you think?” But it didn’t hurt his ego to have her looking at him like he’d saved the world.
Frowning, he realized the other boat had turned back toward them and was picking up speed again. As he increased his own speed, going the opposite direction, he heard a crack of sound. For a full, heart-stopping beat he turned around and stared at the boat in disbelief and then he heard another sound, just as distinctive.
“Shit!” He shoved Ava down and, keeping one hand on her, pushed the throttle forward. “Stop wiggling. Stay down, damn it.”
She wouldn’t quit struggling and nearly sat up before he shoved her down again.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“Haven’t you ever heard a shotgun before?”
She stopped moving. “A shotgun? You think they’re shooting at us?”
“Pretty damn sure. And I’d rather be wrong and feel stupid than blow it off and have a hole in me.” Or worse, have her be shot.
“But—but that’s ridiculous. Because we cut them off?” Her voice rose, strained with incredulity. “Are they crazy?”
He didn’t bother to answer, being too occupied with saving their skins. He thought he heard the shotgun bark again but couldn’t be sure above the sound of the engine. Glancing back, he was happy to see the other boat receding. They clearly didn’t have the engine power of the Heart of Texas.
Their impromptu race seemed to last forever, but a few minutes later he recognized a Coast Guard cutter coming toward them, slicing through the waves. Sunnyside apparently saw it too because they turned again and took off in the opposite direction, away from shore.
His heart still beating uncomfortably fast, he eased back on the throttle. “The cavalry’s here. You can get up now.”
Her eyes huge, Ava rose to her feet and stared at him. “Those people—they were shooting at us? Actually shooting at us? With guns?”
“Well, it wasn’t firecrackers.” He reached across her and touched the canvas awning over the port side. “See this?” He fingered the small hole grimly. “Bullet hole.”
Wrapping her arm around her stomach, she looked a little green. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her against him, as much for his sake as hers. “Yeah, tell me about it. I don’t feel so hot either.”
The Coast Guard cutter pulled alongside them. “Lieutenant Braden,” one of the men said, touching his cap. “And these are Ensigns Thorpe and White,” he added, motioning toward the two men with him. “Did you folks call in about someone harassing dolphins?”
“Yeah.” Jack pointed in the direction of the receding boat. “That’s them. And the dolphins weren’t the only ones they harassed. We got in their way, to let the dolphins head out of the shallows and I guess it pissed them off. They took a few pot shots at us.”
Lieutenant Braden looked even more stern at that news. “Did they now? Anybody hurt?”
“No, we’re fine. I found one bullet hole but haven’t had a chance to see if any of the other shots connected. I heard at least two, maybe three shots.”
“Don’t you need to follow them?” Ava asked. “They’re getting away.”
“No, ma’am. Don’t you worry. We’ve got another cutter set to intercept them. How about you give us a statement and we’ll wait to hear from our officers on the other ship.”
Jack and Ava told them what they knew, which was precious little. Not too much later Lieutenant Braden’s radio squawked. He answered it, grunted a few times and then turned to them. “The suspects have been apprehended. Appreciate the heads-up. This isn’t the first time some yahoos decided to bother the dolphins. Except this group’s in for even more trouble, what with the shooting. Attempted assault with a deadly on top of a hefty fine for harassing the dolphins. They might even wind up doing some jail time.”
“Couldn’t happen to a more deserving group,” Jack said.
“We’ll be in touch if we need another statement. You folks take it easy.” They drove off after promising to let them know what happened.
For a moment Ava and Jack simply looked at each other. Then she said, “I’m not usually a wimp, but that shook me up. Would you mind?” She stepped close, wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly.
He patted her back, happy to hold her, even if it was just for comfort. He tried not to think about how good that lush, curvy body felt against his. How good it would feel to kiss that soft, luscious mouth again. To run his hands over her curves. He failed, badly.
“Jack?” She eased away, still standing in his arms, but looking at him now.
“Yeah?” His voice was husky. He cleared his throat and stared into her eyes.
Her lips parted. She gazed at him as she leaned into him. Fascinated, he lowered his head, intent on tasting those tempting lips.
She turned her head and stepped back. “I, uh—thanks. I needed that.”
He forced himself not to grind his teeth. “Anytime,” he said, with a lightness he damn sure didn’t feel.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SHE’D GOT HER BREATH BACK, along with her senses. She couldn’t believe how close she’d come to kissing him. Again. You’d have thought that kiss in the laundry room would have warned her how dangerous he could be. If she had kissed him, allowed him to kiss her… No, this way was best. For both of them.
Risking a glance at Jack, she saw he was looking thoughtful. She wasn’t sure she trusted that look.
“That was a little too much excitement for me,” she said, trying hard to dispel the sexual tension.
“I’m not a fan of being shot at either,” he said drily, turning from her to start the boat.
So he was going to let it go, pretend, as she had, that the moment had never occurred. But she couldn’t help wondering if it would be so bad if she did have an affair with him. Nothing serious, just…two people enjoying each other. What could it hurt, as long as they both knew the rules?
Too risky, she thought, and damned her cautious nature.
WHAT COULD HE MAKE that would blow her away but not look like he was trying too hard to do just that? He couldn’t think of anything, so he did something he rarely thought about anymore and pulled out Cynthia’s box of recipes. Thumbing through them, he crossed off a number as too difficult or too boring or impossible for him to make. Finally he hit on one he thought had real potential.
Coq au vin. It was perfect. And Cynthia’s recipe was simple but looked difficult. Like he was a gourmet cook. Which he wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination.
Friday he left work a few minutes early and stopped by the grocery to pick up chicken and vegetables. He had everything else he needed. Cole came in shortly after he got home while he was assembling dinner. “Hey, Dad.”
“You’re home early. What happened at work?”
“Dr. Long said to come in tomorrow morning so he let me leave early. ’Sup?”
“What’s up is dinner. We’re having company.”
Cole peered into the pot dubiously. “Looks fancy. What is it?”
“Coq au vin. It’s your new favorite meal.”
“Huh? No it’s not. My favorite meal is—”
“Doesn’t matter.” He chopped another carrot, scraped them off the cutting board into the pot. “You’ve got a new favorite dinner.”
“So is this like, for a woman?” He picked up an apple from the basket on the counter and bit into it.
“Yeah. Dr. Vincent.”
“Woo-hoo, go Dad!”
He flashed him a gr
in. “Glad you approve.”
“I like Dr. Vincent. She’s cool.”
“I told her you’d be here. I meant to tell you before but I forgot.”
His face fell. “Do I have to? A bunch of us were going to a movie.”
It was Friday night, Jack reminded himself. He should have known Cole would have plans, especially now that he had his license. “Any girls happen to be going?”
Cole smiled. “Supposedly. They’re meeting us there.”
“All right.” He was glad Cole was making friends and doing something with a group. He just hoped they weren’t the type to get into trouble, but for now he’d have to trust his son on that one. “I’ll make you a sandwich before you go. What time’s the show?”
“I need to leave here about seven-thirty.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He picked up the spoon and waved it at him. “Don’t be late, okay?”
“Yes, sir!” Cole gave him a cheeky salute. The phone rang and Cole pounced on it, walking out of the room with the handset glued to his ear.
Jack hoped Ava wouldn’t think he’d engineered Cole being gone, but at least the kid would be there when she arrived. Shortly before seven the doorbell rang, just as he was grilling Cole’s sandwich. “Get that, will you, Cole?”
He heard the murmur of voices and then they both came into the kitchen. “Hey, I won’t be long. Just fixing Cole some dinner.”
“You’re not going to be here?” she asked Cole as she set a bottle of wine on the counter.
“I’m going to a movie with some friends. Sorry, Dr. Vincent.”
“Call me Ava. I’m not really a formal person.”
Cole shot a glance at his father. “If it’s okay with Ava it’s okay with me. Sit down, son.”
“What are you making?”
“Grilled cheese. It’s my specialty.”
“I’ve never made it. Is that what we’re having?”
He laughed as he slid the sandwich onto a plate and set it in front of Cole. “No, I’m making coq au vin for us.”
“Yum,” she said, going over to the stove to sniff the simmering dish. “Smells delicious.”
