Page 18 of Fearless
“Elijah and I volunteer! We’ll take one for the team!” Jessie says enthusiastically before Roger can finish hissentence.
“I guess that settles that,” I say, laughing at Jessie’s boisterous personality.
Roger continues, “Jessie and Elijah, you’ll take a charter and simply enjoy the excursion. Watch the crew and their body language, noting any strange or unusual occurrences. Use a recording device so that we can analyze the footage later. Carter and Leanna, are you guys up for an excursion later in the afternoon and doing the same thing? Resorts are all about making money, and I doubt that the boat will only make one trip out on the water.”
Leanna sighs, but you can hear the smile in her voice when she says, “If we must. It’ll be a hardship to go snorkeling or deep-sea fishing, but we’ll be tough and muster through it.”
“Glad to hear it,” Roger says, chuckling. He pulls out the key to our suite and places it against the electronic lock, waiting for the green light.
“What about us? We aren’t going to let your team do all the heavy lifting, are we?” I ask, pulling off my sandals and setting them by the front door.
Roger runs a hand through his hair, and I’ve never wished so much that it was my fingers tangling in his wavy locks. “Harper, how do you feel about renting a boat and spending some time on the water with me? I know you aren’t comfortable with any bodies of water that have waves.”
He’s right about that. I’m not the greatest swimmer, and I’m deathly afraid of the open ocean; but there’s no way I’m passing up the opportunity to spend some extra time alone with him.
“As long as you promise not to let me fall in.”
Chapter ten
Roger
The buzzer alarm on my tiny windup alarm clock goes off at 6:00 a.m., and it’s all I can do not to hit the snooze button to get another nine minutes of sleep instead of the ten that I would prefer. I once looked up the reason behind the nine-minute feature and discovered it had to do with issues regarding the clock’s mechanical features and not as some kind of joke played on us who like round numbers. Why phone alarms still use the nine-minute rule boggles my mind.
I flip off the sheet covering my body and roll off the couch onto the floor. I immediately begin doing push-ups until my arms tire and my biceps are taut. Then I jump up and start doing burpees until a thin sheen of sweat coats my body, and my chest is heaving from the exertion. I take a few sips of water before eyeing my running shoes, which I placed by the front door when I unpacked last night.
I’m itching to go for a run, and I debate whether or not I should wake up Harper and find out if she wants to join me. I decide it’s better to let her get some sleep, so Iput on my shoes before grabbing a pen and the notepad from the end table. I’m in the middle of leaving her a note to inform her where I plan on going when she walks out of the bedroom wearing yoga pants and a tight-fitted tank top.
“I was just leaving you a note that I was going for a run. I planned to let you sleep in until our video call with the team at eight. Seeing that you’re awake, do you want to go with me?”
Harper bites her lower lip and looks away. Talking toward the wall instead of me, she says, “Um, Jessie and Elijah invited me to train with them this morning. I can cancel, though. I’m sure that they’ll be fine without me.”
“No, you should go, Harper. Jessie and Elijah will put you through the paces, and the workout you’ll get with them will be more than any run on the beach can give you. The invite to run with me is open every morning.”
Still talking to the wall, she says, “Alrighty then. I’ll be back by 7:30.”
I walk over and stand in front of her, but she still refuses to meet my gaze. I gently cup her cheek and urge her to look at me. When she finally does, I ask, “Harper, what have I done that has made you uncomfortable? Tell me, and I’ll fix it.”
She closes her eyes and sighs. “I really need you to put on a shirt.”
“What? Why? Harper, you’ve seen me without a shirt before.”
Her eyes shift toward the ground as she mumbles, “When I was twelve. I wasn’t old enough to notice or appreciate your lean muscles or sweat-covered body. So…”
I bellow out a laugh, which makes her even moreembarrassed. “I’m sorry, Harper. I didn’t mean to laugh, but weren’t you the one who mentioned putting lotion on my back in a flirtatious manner? How do you intend to do that if I’m wearing a T-shirt?”
There’s a knock on the door, giving Harper the perfect excuse to avoid answering my question. In her haste to escape, she opens the door to a grinning Jessie before I even have a chance to check the cameras and verify it’s safe.
Before I can chastise Harper for the faux pas, Jessie strides inside and eyes me up and down. She fans her face and remarks, “I don’t often get to see you without your button-up shirt and pocket protector, Roger, but I have to admit, you give the term ‘dad bod’ a whole new meaning. Woo wee!” She walks over and touches my abs with the tip of her finger and then pulls back like I’ve burned her. “Yep, you’re still hot!”
I smack her hand away. “Knock it off. You’ve crossed the line and gone too far, Jessie. You know good and well that I don’t wear pocket protectors!”
Jessie chuckles and is about to retort—probably with some other ‘old man’ joke—when Harper reminds her that they have plans. Jessie spins on her heel and joins Harper on the front porch, opening her mouth for one last jab. Before Jessie can get a word out, Harper closes the door in her face. Although I don’t need Harper’s protection from Jessie’s verbal assaults, it’s nice to know that she has my back.
I stretch for the next ten minutes and then head out for my run. I use the time for quiet reflection and talk to God in my head.
“Father, I don’t know if Robert and Eloise are withyou right now or if they are being held captive somewhere, but if it’s the latter, I ask that you keep them safe. I pray that we’ll find them in time and that we are on the right path to figuring out what happened. Please guide us in the direction you need us to go. In your name, Amen.”
As I continue my run, Psalm 112:7-8 pops into my head and forces me to stop and take stock of the message. I take it as a sign from God that he’s answered my prayer. I speak the words aloud, not caring if anyone is around to hear me. “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”
