Page 13 of Secrets in Calusa Cove

“Hey, watch it,” Trinity said, brushing down the front of her pretty formfitting shirt, showing off her large, perky breasts. She glanced up. “Oh my God. I can’t believe my eyes.” She brushed her blond locks from her face. She wore a pair of white shorts that barely covered her ass.

Well, who was Audra to talk? At least her shorts weren’t tight, and she would change before entering the Everglades. She wasn’t stupid.

“Trinity.” Audra nodded. “It’s been a long time.”

“Never thought I’d see you again.” Trinity folded her arms across her middle. “But snake wrangling is right up your alley.”

“Is that why you’re here? I can’t imagine you’d want to break a nail.”

Trinity laughed. “Oh, I could manage a snake if I had to, but see that pretty boat over there?” She pointed to one of the few nicer vessels in the marina. “That’s my baby. I’m headed out for the day to do some deep scuba diving.”

“Deep? As in past a hundred feet?” Now, that came as a shock to Audra.

Trinity was, by far, the richest girl in town. That should have made her popular in most towns but not Calusa Cove. She was the kind of girl who never lifted a finger. She had maids and even had a driver. She told people what to do and never did a thing for herself. At least not when it came to the simple things.

“You bet.” Trinity smiled. “Every chance I get. It’s my happy place. But I’m on a mission. I’m looking for a boat that went down last year. My friend’s little brother was the only one on it. He was lost to the sea. No one knows what happened, and my friend Mallary wants answers. I’m hoping I can give them to her.”

That didn’t sound like the Trinity Audra remembered. “I’m sorry for your friend’s loss.”

“Thank you.” Trinity nodded with a mournful look.

“Must cost a pretty penny to hire a captain every time you want to go out.” Audra’s mouth often got her in trouble back in the day, and that comment was certainly rude, considering the confession, but Audra just couldn’t help herself.

Trinity laughed. “Not when I’m the captain.”

“No way. You drive that cruiser—out in the ocean—by yourself?”

“A lot has changed since you ran off in the middle of the night.” Trinity leaned closer.

Here it comes—another dig about how she must have killed her father.

“I’m sorry about Ken. I know you and he were a long time ago, but I’m sure that still had to have hurt. He was a good man.” Trinity squeezed her shoulder. “I understand not having friends in this town, but you can consider me one. I don’t believe anything anyone has ever said about you or your dad. Get my number from Baily if you ever want to talk.”

Audra opened her mouth, but nothing came out. It was rare that anyone could render her speechless, and for it to be Trinity? Well, that just made it feel like she’d stepped right into another universe.

“Hey, Trinity,” Baily called. “Princess Afloatis gassed up and ready to go.”

“Thanks, Baily.” Trinity waved, then smiled. “I meant what I said, Audra. Call me. I know we weren’t really friends back in high school, but we weren’t enemies either. I hope you get some pythons out there. They certainly are a menace.” She stepped around Audra, letting the door slam and leaving Audra outside in the hot, humid Florida air.

Well, that had been strange, to say the least.

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her sunglasses and made her way down to the docks, doing her best not to scan the area for the sexy police officer. However, that turned out to be impossible, and her eyes found him—all of him—and he was certainly hot. She fanned herself and sighed. The last thing she needed was a man.

“Audra, wait up,” a familiar voice tickled her ears. Flipping Paul Massey. Another so-called friend of her dad’s who’d turned on her the second things had gotten dicey.

She paused and did a one-eighty. Over the years, she’d learned that being nice sometimes trumped being nasty. “Hi, Paul.” She grinned from ear to ear. If anyone could show sarcasm through a smile, it was her. “It’s so nice to see you.” She dug her fingernails into her thighs, waiting for the accusations.

“I can’t believe it.” He took off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his thinning hair. Paul owned the local pub—the one her father had often frequented—and Paul had been one of the few friends her dad had had in this town. They would drink dirt-cheap whiskey—the kind that made most men’s guts rot—play cards and tell stories about the good old days. “You look good.” He was also a lawyer. He did mostly small-town stuff. Wills, traffic tickets, and he helped the townspeople find better lawyers if they found themselves in bigger trouble. He wasn’t the worst slimy lawyer in the world, but he was still an attorney.

“So do you,” she said. “How are Gina and the kids?”

“Doing great. Hailey’s married with two little ones of her own now. She lives in Alabama. And Benson lives in Miami. Gina and I miss them both, but they come to visit often. As a matter of fact, Benson is here doing the Python Challenge with me.” Paul glanced over his shoulder. “He’s around here somewhere. He came in with a few of his buddies from Miami. His friends aren’t doing the challenge. They’re doing some snorkeling in the area. They’re keeping a boat in the big yacht marina, but I’m sure Benson would love to see you and catch up.”

Yeah, right. Benson was a few years older. They hadn’t traveled in the same circles, and considering he believed the worst about her, too, she doubted he wanted anything to do with her. “Wow, you’re a grandpa. That’s awesome.” Audra shifted her weight from left to right and back again. Before her father had disappeared, Ken had talked about their future. The one where after a few years in the Navy—once he had enough money—he’d send for her. They’d get married and start a family.

Part of her had been on board with it—at least the concept of it. The only thing they hadn’t agreed on was when the family part would start. He’d thought twenty-five was a good age. She’d thought thirty.

She was only thirty-four now, and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to have that life now. Men were dead weight. They required too much watering, and she didn’t have the time or inclination. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dawson and Remy giving two men a hard time. Or maybe it was the other way around.

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