Page 40 of Girl in the Water
“You can’t blame yourself for this.” Phil shoved his fingers through his spiked hair. “God, I hate that we’re late again.” He looked like he wanted to punch a wall, but, Phil being Phil, he wouldn’t.
Late.
The neighbors said the house had stood empty for at least a week now. The girl and the foreigner who’d lived here had up and disappeared.
Carmen looked away from the rust-color stains on the floor. “Do you think the man who was with her killed her?”
They kept bouncing the same questions between them, and kept coming up with the same infuriating lack of answers. But there was no one else to talk to.
They’d called the police. One officer came. Looked in. Said maybe someone had cleaned fish in here. Then he left. He couldn’t have been less interested. The people who’d disappeared hadn’t been local anyway.How was this his problem? his parting expression asked.
Phil drew Carmen into his strong, capable arms. “We couldn’t help her, but we’ll help others.”
Carmen needed to believe that. She looked up at the man she loved, hot tears rushing into her eyes. “Promise?”
“Promise.” Phil brushed a gentle kiss over each teary eye. “This is what I want to do. For the rest of my life. With you by my side.”
If she wasn’t head over heels in love with him already, she would have fallen right then and there.
Phil led her out of the house. Led her into town. Next to the market square stood a two-hundred-year-old Jesuit church. He stopped in front of that, pulled Carmen into his arms, and kissed her. “Let’s get married.”
“I told you I can’t—”
He silenced her with another kiss. And he kept her silent for a good long time before he pulled back and said, “I told you I don’t care about that. I love you. Everything else is negotiable. Marry me no matter what.”
She stared at him, dazed, her heart filling with love and joy. “Here?” She still couldn’t grasp it. “What? Now?”
“As soon as it can be arranged.” And then he kissed her again. “Marry me, and then we’ll tackle everything else that comes our way.”
