Page 33 of Secrets in Calusa Cove

“Have a nice night.” Dawson squeezed her shoulder.

“See you around.” Lilly waved, then stole a glance at Audra. “Enjoy the cabin. We put you in number nine. It’s completely renovated. You’re going to love it.”

“Thanks.” Audra blinked a few times. “But wait a second,” she said. “You and Hondo? Kids?” It wasn’t that Audra couldn’t see Hondo married with a couple of little ones running around. It was just that it was a struggle for Audra to believe that Hondo would marry anyone from Calusa Cove. He was one of those men who not only wanted out of this small town, but he had big plans. The kind of plans that didn’t include someone like Lilly.

“Don’t look so surprised.” Lilly breezed past Audra, took the two steps off the porch, and turned. “Life around here might be mostly the same, but some of us change. If you need anything, I’ll be here in the morning. Just stop by the office. I’m happy to help.” With a strange spring in her step, Lilly strolled into the parking lot and got into a…minivan?

Damn.

“Grab your drone and follow me,” Dawson said with a strained voice she hadn’t heard before.

Not that she knew the man at all, but in the few hours she’d spent with him, he’d either been sarcastic—in a good way—or laid-back and calm.

This was not that.

“Where are we going?” she asked, trying not to give him the once-over, but that proved impossible. He filled out that uniform way too nicely.

“My place.” He pointed to one of the cabins off to the side. “It’s been a long day. I need to change out of my uniform, and I want to examine that drone. So, let’s get a move on.”

“You’re being aggressive.”

“Sorry. I get ornery when I don’t eat. I ordered takeout for both of us from Massey’s. Burgers and onion rings. Should be here in twenty. Now, please.” He waved his hand out in front.

“Onion rings?” She made her way back to her vehicle, popped the trunk, and pulled out the drone case.

“Yeah. Fletcher might’ve mentioned those were your favorite.” Dawson chuckled. “I also got you extra pickles and made sure they put five times the amount of special sauce on the burger, which is just gross. You know that sauce is just ketchup, mayo, and hot sauce, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s so flipping good.” She flung the case over her shoulder. “You live in one of the cabins? What about Harvey’s old house? Who bought that?”

“I did, and before you go asking what everyone else does, it’s being renovated, and no, I’m not going to live in it. And I don’t know what I’m going to do with it when it’s done. Maybe I’ll make it into a bed and breakfast or sell it. We’ll see.”

“What are you? Mr. Moneybags?” She followed behind him, watching his thigh—and ass muscles—flex with each step.

He chuckled. “No. But I have no family. No parents. No siblings. No wife or kids. When I first joined the Navy, I was in the Military Police, so I didn’t have a lot of friends.” He chuckled. “I lived on base, and for the first few years, in the barracks. When I moved off base before I became a SEAL, I lived with Keaton, Hayes, and Fletcher. The rent was dirt cheap.”

“What about Ken?”

Dawson glanced over his shoulder. “He was married, and his wife was pregnant.”

“Oh. Yeah.” She’d never forget the day she’d learned that piece of news. He’d married a schoolteacher—a nice young girl from a good, normal family.

“Anyway, once we became SEALs, renting a big house seemed stupid. We were all deployed more than we were Stateside. So, back to the base we went. Well, all except Ken. The guys hated it. But I never minded. I don’t need much—a bed to sleep in, a stove to cook my food on….”

“I get it. But that doesn’t explain how you could afford to buy this place, the house, and start an airboat touring business.” She stared at the front porch of the cabin, which used to be cabin number one, but now the sign that hung on one of the posts on the railing read: Watchdog.

That was cliché.

“I invested most of my paycheck.” He shrugged. “And I took out a business loan. I happen to be good with numbers.” He tapped his temple. “It’s both a blessing and curse.”

“Not sure how that could be a curse,” she mumbled.

“I drive people nuts because, if the numbers don’t line up, I have to know why.” He tapped his fingers on the keypad of his cabin. “I’m always balancing the budget at the station and looking over the books with Everglades Overwatch, and while Lilly is amazing at keeping an eye on things for me here, she constantly tells me I’m micromanaging her when it comes to bookkeeping.”

“Not to be a gossip, but the Lilly I remember was a lazy worker, and all Harvey ever did was complain about her.”

“I’ve never known her to be like that. She’s a great manager. She does all the hiring but leaves the firing to me, which I get. I’ve only had to do it once.” He pushed open the door and waved her in. “But she’s told me what she used to be like, and Hondo has made many jokes about it.”

“Still can’t believe those two got married or that Hondo came back here after college. He had big plans. What on earth is he doing for a living?” She stepped into the cabin, and her breath caught in her lungs. This was not what she remembered. It still wasn’t a five-star hotel, but it had all-new furniture that actually looked comfortable.

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