Page 38 of The Bombshell and the Bodyguard
“Nothing. Never mind.” Why had I said that? I’d just compared her to a sexy siren with magical seductive powers. Out loud.
“Wait? I know. Aren’t those sort of like mermaids? Mythical creatures who are like seals in the water, but when they emerge—naked from the sea—to lure fishermen to their death, they have legs?”
“Yeah.” I coughed and cleared my throat. “Something like that. You’re a good swimmer. That’s what I meant. When I said that.”
Jessica just laughed. “Well I might as well be shedding a sealskin.Lookat this horror show.”
She turned to show me her shoulder and back, which were indeed peeling as she rubbed them with the terrycloth.
“At least you didn’t have sun poisoning,” I said. “We would have had to risk a trip to the mainland—and take a long, bumpy ride to a hospital.”
I invited her to sit on the blanket in front of the fire while I roasted two sea bass filets in a steel grill basket.
For a few minutes, Jessica was quiet. She stared into the fire. “How much longer do you think we’ll be here?”
“It’s hard to say. I’m checking in with Gray every day, hoping to hear something.” I glanced back over my shoulder at her. “Until then, we’ll just have to sit tight and content ourselves with island life. It’s not so bad, is it?”
“No. It’s not. But I’m having a hard time not… I mean, I keep thinking about…”
Her eyes flickered to me and held for a second before returning to the flames.
“I’m running out of ways to stay busy,” she finally said. “It’s not like I can go shopping or even go for a drive. I can only spend so many hours a day working on my music and watching movies. You only have a few books here, and they’re all about wars and military strategy. You took my phone battery so I can’t even download any fun ebooks.”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re bored.”
And I hadn’t exactly been fun to hang out with. In fact, I’d been going out of my waynotto be charming and entertaining. It was just like high school when I’d been deliberately stand-offish to her in an effort to hide my real feelings.
“At least you’re safe,” I offered.
“Yes, and I appreciate it,” she said, but she looked miserable.
“What if we…” She paused, her cheeks growing pink. “Would you want to maybe go on a hike or something with me tomorrow?”
Damn.I’d successfully avoided swimming with her tonight, as much as I would have liked to. Spending a day hiking with her would be almost as bad. There’d be no office to retreat to when it got to be too much and I needed to hide my natural reaction to her nearness.
“I don’t know… I have a lot of work to do.”
Her shoulders sank, and I could almost see the energy leave her body as her spirit deflated. “Okay. I understand.”
Her face wore that same crestfallen look she used to get when she begged to play driveway hoops with Hap and me and we sent her away.
The pull on my heartstrings was a physical thing, making my chest feel tight.
“You know… I could probably skip a day tomorrow. In fact, I could use a break,” I said. “There’s a pretty waterfall on the other side of the island. It’s not too far, maybe a couple hours’ hike from here. The terrain’s a little rugged in a couple spots, but nothing you couldn’t handle. You seem to be in... good shape.”
Just like that, the life returned to Jessica’s eyes and posture. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds.
“Running around a stage and dancing for three hours night after night will do that for you.” she stood. “A hike sounds great. Don’t worry—I can keep up. And if you want, we can start early so you’ll be able to get back in time to work. That way we’ll avoid the strongest midday sun.”
“Listen to you, Miss Sun Smarts. I thought you were a night owl,” I teased.
She grinned, rocking to the side so our shoulders bumped. “I’m a selkie, remember? And I think I can make an exception this once and get up before noon.”
“How about before sunrise?”
Her eyes popped wide. “Really?”
“Yeah. The sunrises here are pretty spectacular, especially from the summit.” I pointed through the darkness toward the island’s highest point. “We’ve got to go that way anyway to get to the waterfall. Two natural wonders for the price of one.”
