Paige swallowed hard. “I’m fine. You?”
“Ticked off, but otherwise okay.” He glanced in the distance. “We’re a good mile and a half from shore. We’re going to have to work against the current here.”
“I know.”
He swam toward the wreckage and grabbed a piece of the hull. “Let’s hold on to this. It will keep us together and help keep us afloat.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” She swam over and held on.
It was going to be a grueling swim back. But they had no other choice. Wes had brought a radio with him, but his things were scattered everywhere now. He didn’t see his waterproof box.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s do this. We’ll take our time and move at a steady pace. We don’t have to go fast.”
Together, they kicked their legs and began moving toward the shore. If they even stopped for a moment, the current and wind were going to send them back out—and they couldn’t let that happen. But with persistence, they would make it back to shallow water and then they could walk the rest of the way to the beach.
He just needed to keep Paige calm. Keeping her talking. Distracted.
He knew these waters like the back of his hand. Thankfully, both he and Paige were fit enough to pull this off.
“Do you think that was Jennifer?” Paige asked, sounding slightly breathless as she clung to the wreckage.
“It’s my best guess.” He felt his expression darken as he thought about it.
“Why would she do that? She could have killed us.”
“Because she thinks I belong to her.” Even saying the words aloud left him with a sick feeling in his stomach.
Paige frowned but gripped the wreckage tightly, her tanned bicep flexing and showing her athletic physique. The determination in her eyes let him know she would get through this.
“That sounds like a bad made-for-TV movie,” Paige said.
“Believe me, I know. It’s not something I go around telling my friends about.” He knew this was no time to let his pride get in the way, not when people’s safety was on the line. But he’d really hoped to bury this part of his past.
Paige glanced at him, studying his face a moment. “So you really haven’t been serious with anyone since her?”
“I went out with a few women after Jennifer. That didn’t go well. When I saw how Jennifer went after anyone I showed interest in, I knew I was done.”
Paige was the first person he’d met in a long time that made him want to reconsider his position.
But now that was proving to be a mistake also. His interest in her might get her killed.
“How are you doing over there?” Wes glanced at Paige out of the corner of his eye.
“I’m fine. My dad used to call me a fish. I practically grew up in the water.”
Her dad . . . maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know her more, beyond the superficial. “When did you talk to your dad last?”
Her lips pulled down in a frown and somberness washed over her. “It’s been three months. He doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Her words had sounded so final, so sad. He knew for certain there was more to this story.
“I’m pretty certain.”
“Well, I, for one, am glad you came here to Lantern Beach.” He kicked harder, fighting the current and the wind around them.
A smile flickered across her face. “Thanks, Wes.”
Maybe there was hope that Jennifer hadn’t totally ruined things between them.
Maybe.
Chapter Fourteen
Finally, Paige felt the sand beneath her feet. They were still a good way out from the shore, probably a quarter mile, but the water here was shallow. They could let go of their piece of broken boat and walk the rest of the way in. That was good. Because she was tired.
If she’d been with any other swimmer than Wes, they might not have made it out of that current. It had worked hard against them.
Paige still shivered when she thought about how close they’d come to dying . . . again.
Maybe she shouldn’t be hanging out with Wes. Yet she loved being around him.
She hated the uncertainty she felt after her conversation with Jennifer. The woman could be lying . . . but what if she was telling the truth?
Yet, when Paige had talked to Wes today while they were sailing, he’d seemed nothing but sincere.
Her decision might be easier if she hadn’t made such bad judgment calls in the past.
Like with Owen. He’d fed her lie after lie about working late. In actuality, he’d go out fishing and return earlier than what he’d told her. Paige happened to run into him at a restaurant with another woman. He’d been holding her hand and staring deeply into her eyes.
That’s when all the lies became clear.
In fact, Owen had most likely done the same thing to Paige down in Florida. She just hadn’t put the pieces together until that day at the restaurant when she’d seen it with her own eyes.
Suddenly, Wes let out a yelp beside her.
She glanced over as he pulled his right foot from the water. Blood dripped from his sole.
“Wes, are you okay?” The cut looked deep.
He grimaced but said, “Yeah, I’m fine. There must be a broken bottle down there.”
She stripped her shirt off. She had a bathing suit on beneath it, unlike Wes—who wore only a life jacket and shorts right now. “Here, tie this around it.”
He leaned against her for balance as he wrapped the shirt around his foot and tied it in place. That would help until they could clean it.
She slipped an arm around his waist and helped him the rest of the way back. As soon as they reached dry sand, they both collapsed there, lying on their backs and staring at the sky. That had been close. Too close.
“We need to call that in,” Paige murmured.
“Yes, we do.” He drew in several more deep breaths before sitting up with a moan. “I’ll call from the truck. I don’t think we need to stay here for any reason. The boat . . . it’s long gone and there’s no evidence here on this shore.”
“Good point,” Paige said, water dripping from her clothes and her skin tightening under the heat of the sun. “Where are your keys? I’ll drive.”
“You want to drive Frisco?”
She flopped her head toward him, sand sticking to her damp curls and skin. “You named your truck?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“No. It’s a little strange.”
“Why? Naming boats isn’t strange. What so different about trucks?”
“You’re strange.” A smile tugged at her lip.
He poked her arm with his index finger. “Oh, I see how you are.”
She raised an eyebrow, hating the way her body reacted to his touch. Even something as simple as a playful poke got her blood pumping. “No flirting, remember?”
“This isn’t flirting. This is banter.”
She pushed up on her elbows, knowing she needed to get control of the situation. “We should go clean your wound.”
“You’re probably right.” He stood and followed after her.
Paige tried not to let on, but she was so grateful to be on dry land.
Yet she knew this wasn’t over yet. How would it end? With Jennifer being arrested? Or with Paige being dead?
Wes tried not to show how thrilled he was to feel Paige’s arm around him as he hobbled inside his cottage. To feel her springy curls brushing his skin.
Once inside, she led him to the bathroom, turned the water on in the tub, and then ordered him to sit down and put his foot in the water. He did as he was told.
“Where’s your first aid kit?” she asked.
“Below the sink.”
She dug around and finally pulled it out. She began shuffling through it until she found what she was looking for. In the meantime, the water hit his cut. He tried not to flinch.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the clin
ic?” Paige pulled out a bandage.
“I’m sure. And, before you ask, I’m up to date on my tetanus shot.” This was just a cut. He didn’t need stitches or anything.
She scowled and continued to rifle through supplies, looking for what she needed. “You made me go after the incident at the RV.”
“That was different.”
She paused long enough to put her hand on her hip and level her gaze. “Why? Because I’m a girl?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” Paige threw him a lighthearted look before grabbing some antiseptic.
“I had to make sure the exhaust hadn’t messed with your head.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “You’re saying something is wrong with me in the head?”
He chuckled and ran a hand over his face. “I just can’t say anything right, can I?”
She sat on the edge of the tub beside him, still looking playfully bossy. “Here, let me see your foot.”
He moved it until she could rest it on her leg.
“This looks deep.” She squinted as she studied it.
“It should be fine.”
Carefully, she dried it and applied some ointment before putting a bandage over the wound. Wes watched her as she worked. She was so beautiful, so unassuming. Most people would be a mess after what she went through today. Not Paige.
He was never going to get this woman out of his system, was he?
The truth was, he didn’t want to.
“You’re pretty good at that.” Wes swallowed the burn in his throat.
“I did work as a first mate on a charter fishing boat when I was in high school.”
“Did you?” He raised his eyebrows. “I’m learning all kinds of new things about you.”
“Aren’t you, though?” She lowered his foot to the floor. “Now, can I please use this bathroom to clean up? I feel gross. Besides, I don’t really want to go back to the RV. Not yet.”
He stood, realizing he would do anything for Paige—anything to see her smile, to make her happy. “Absolutely. The towels are in the drawer. Take your time.”
He left, closing the door behind him and trying not to wince as he put weight on his foot.
He felt such a mix of emotions. Joy from being around Paige. Trepidation at the thought of Jennifer. He needed to figure out some resolution because they couldn’t keep living like this.
He stepped into his bedroom, ready to get cleaned up himself. But, as he did, he froze.
What was that smell?
It wasn’t typical of his bedroom. It was fruity. Almost like a perfume.
And that’s when it hit him.
It was Jennifer’s perfume.
She’d been in here.
What had she been doing?
Chapter Fifteen
Paige froze when she stepped out of the steamy bathroom and saw Wes standing at the end of the hallway. He hadn’t changed clothes, but he did have a new expression on his face—a pensive look.
Instantly, Paige tensed. Something was wrong, wasn’t it?
He met her halfway down the hallway. “Cassidy is here.”
“Chief Chambers?” Alarm raced through her, and she touched her wet curls.
“She’s talked to the marine police and such, but she’d like to take your statement while I get cleaned up.”
There was something more to this—something bad. “What’s going on, Wes?”
He stepped closer, that deep frown still on his face as he lowered his voice. “I think Jennifer has been in here. I smelled her perfume in my room. I wanted someone to be on guard out here, just in case.”
Just in case Jennifer came back, Paige realized with a shudder. This nightmare never ended, did it?
“Okay. Of course.” Paige nodded, trying to appear more even-keeled than she felt right now. What she wanted to do was sink down on the couch with a warm blanket and pretend none of this was happening.
Wes brushed past her, headed back toward his room. As he did, she had the strange urge to reach up and touch his face. Try to somehow make him feel better.
Paige knew he blamed himself for all of this. He thought it was somehow his fault that Jennifer was doing these things.
But it wasn’t. She had no idea how to make him believe that, though.
Instead, she walked into the living room and nodded at her boss. “Cassidy.”
“Hey, Paige.” Cassidy sat in a chair—not looking relaxed, like this was a casual visit. No, she perched on the end, looking all business.
Paige lowered herself onto the couch, wishing she’d brought more than her jean shorts and T-shirt. At least she was clean now. “I guess Wes told you what happened?”
“Yes, he did. The situation is getting worse and worse.”
“I know.”
Cassidy studied Paige, a concerned expression on her face. “I want to hear your version of what happened with the boat.”
Paige launched into her story, sharing all the details. As she finished, she frowned and glanced down the hallway to where Wes had disappeared.
“I’ve just never seen Wes like this.” Cassidy sounded dead serious. “He’s really worried.”
“I can tell.” His expression had said it all.
Cassidy’s gaze caught hers, and suddenly she wasn’t the police chief. She was Wes’s friend. Paige’s friend. A mix of protector and counselor. “He cares about you, you know.”
Paige’s cheeks flushed as her words rang through the air. “I’m the last person he needs to have feelings for.”
“Why’s that?” Cassidy tilted her head.
Sadness pressed on her as she mentally reviewed the facts. “Lots of reasons, starting with the fact that I don’t even know how long I’ll be here. I have terrible judgment when it comes to men. And . . . then there’s everything Jennifer told me.”
“What did she say?”
Paige told her, and Cassidy frowned with each new detail. “Wes would never do those things.”
“You didn’t see the pictures . . .”
Cassidy patted her hand. “I’m sure she was going for the shock value. But you’ll figure it all out. You’re smart.”
“Maybe.” Or maybe Paige should leave. Get out of here. Cut her losses before her heart was broken again or before she broke someone else’s heart. But where would she go? Not home.
Would she find a new place to start again? The thought caused her heart to ache. She wasn’t meant to be a nomad. She wanted more than anything to put down roots.
“Listen, it’s not my business, but you told me at The Crazy Chefette that you came here because it was where the current brought you, right?”
Paige nodded, wondering where she was going with this.
“This is just something for you to think about. Sometimes, the most rewarding thing we can do is to go against the current. It’s challenging. It’s hard. But you can make your own way . . . and sometimes that’s exactly what we need to do.”
As the thoughts pounded her, the door to Wes’s room opened, and he stepped into the hallway. Just the sight of him caused her heart to flutter out of control. His T-shirt showed his defined chest, his shorts showed muscular legs. But those weren’t the things that really attracted her to him. It was his eyes—eyes that showed his heart.
They didn’t lie, did they?
Cassidy stood and nodded briefly to Wes, then Paige. “I think I’ve got everything I need. I’ve got guys out there now looking for this boat. I hope we find it soon. In the meantime, keep your eyes open and call me if you need me.”
“Will do, Chief,” Wes said.
Paige watched as Cassidy departed. The tension of being alone with Wes returned. If Paige was smart, she would go. She’d give herself more time to sort out her feelings. To figure out what was true and what wasn’t.
Instead, she fought the urge to touch him again. To pour her life into his. To forget her fears.
Something unseen told her to stay, to give Wes a chance.
She hoped she didn’t regret it.
Wes moved closer to Paige.
As Cassidy departed, she’d stood to say goodbye. The two of them were in front of each other now, and Wes struggled to know what to say.
He’d heard the last part of Paige and Cassidy’s conversation. Heard Paige and Cassidy talking about him. Whether or not Paige could trust him. He saw the doubt still present in Paige’s eyes.
The pressure inside him felt like it might crush his heart.
He knew better than anyone that people’s histories—their pasts—defined and shaped their views of future relationships. Those things had certainly shaped him. But still . . . he had to have hope that things could be better. That the past wasn’t destined to repeat itself. That better things awaited.
Right?
He wasn’t generally one to avoid conflict—not when it involved something he cared about. And he was very much starting to care about Paige.
“Listen, Paige,” he started, pressing his lips together. “I know you still have doubts about me. I don’t blame you. What Jennifer showed you was probably convincing.”
“It was.”
“Have I made mistakes in my past relationships? Yes, I have. There are things I’d change if I could do it all over again. I think we’d all say that.”
Paige didn’t argue.
“But I’d never purposefully hurt someone. I’m not a player. If I went out with a woman and knew after a couple dates we weren’t going to work, I didn’t pursue it. Nor would I ever raise my hand to a woman.”
“Thank you for saying that.” Paige stepped closer, a playfulness returning to her gaze. “You care what I think, don’t you?”
“Is that bad?”
“Only if you’re flirting with me.”
He let out a laugh and stepped closer. “That’s good to know.”
“Isn’t it, though?”
He started to reach for her waist but dropped his arms. If he touched her, he might forget everything he wanted to say, needed to say. “I’m not going to lie. I like you, Paige. That thought terrifies me.”
“It scares me too.” She licked her lips as she stared up at him.
Winds of Danger Page 8
