Page 50 of The Tide is High

“A steamy mirror and some sleuthing on a maritime website,” Faith said.

Hope looked at True. “Do you ever regret asking a question?”

“Where Faith is concerned, all the damn time,” True replied.

“Wasting time,” Faith said in a singsong tone.

“The ghost is how old?” True said. “I think time is the least of his problems.”

“But the child is alone,” Faith said.

True looked at Hope, and her friend shrugged helplessly. “Alone,” she said, trying to flick True’s guilt switch.

It took a moment, but True stomped her foot and groaned. “Fine, one ghost rescue coming up,” she said.

“You don’t have to be happy about it,” Faith said, mocking her.

“Bite me,” True hissed.

“Is that a standing offer or a one-time thing?” Lex asked, coming up behind Faith.

“Ugh! Creepy vampire sneaking around,” Faith said, closing her eyes and taking a deep calming breath. “We have a child to rescue.”

“Yours?” Lex asked.

“Ghost,” True said, shrugging. “Apparently, it’s a good idea. We’ve got this covered; Hope, stay here.”

“Happy to oblige,” Hope replied.

Lex questioned True’s sanity with a look, and True nodded in reply. “Ghost?”

“That’s what she said,” Faith said, slapping the vampire on the back as she turned to leave. “You might want to sit this one out.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

~

It was sort of nice and strange at the same time. It was the first time in forever that Evie was sitting at a table sharing food with a guy, and there was Jennifer, watching her like a hawk in between stuffing food in her mouth and tossing the occasional look over her shoulder at the eclipse. It felt like everybody had an agenda except her.

Evie knew what Parker’s agenda was, wooing. It sounded crazy even in her head, surreal, and it shouldn’t have been happening at this stage in her life. She had Jennifer to look after, she’d promised herself to keep the child safe and alive until she was old enough to spread her wings, and she couldn’t be distracted.

Too late. Evie knew she was already distracted.

When a table had freed up, she’d grabbed it out of necessity, there was little point in trying to eat standing up, and she’d spend all her time making sure Jennifer was eating and not dropping her food. She tossed a nervous look over her shoulder, and there he was, all six-foot-odd of a broad chest and straining muscles; it was all she could do not to drool.

The way he walked across a room, so self-assured, so sexy with those bulging biceps and corded forearms, and she noticedhow other women did a double-take. Parker defied the ages; women old and young, and a couple of men were looking – and drooling, which made her feel better that she wasn’t the only one and as jealous as hell that she wasn’t alone in admiring him.

“You got a table,” Parker said with an easy smile and eyes that didn’t look anywhere but at her as he sat beside her.

Dang, but she could feel the heat coming off his body, sense the pure masculinity of the man, and when his knee brushed hers, she jolted and felt ten tonnes of stupid for doing it.

“Table,” she rushed out as her brain caught up with the real world. “Better than standing and juggling.”

“I put the order in,” Parker said, his brow furrowing a little. “I think I was about to get a mouthful from Amy until she looked over and saw you and Jennifer sitting here.”

Evie winced; that sounded like Amy, both rushed off her feet but with time enough to throw her under the mating bus. That was a bus she didn’t know if she wanted to ride. That was a lie, and she knew it. The man oozed sexuality that drew her in, but she needed to stop and think about what was best for her niece.

“I’ll have to thank her,” Evie said, knowing that zapping the witch in the middle of the bar wouldn’t go down well, especially that witch, because Amy would most definitely retaliate.

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