Page 12 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

Kennedy handed back the menu without reading it. “I’ll take today’s special, please.”

Austin did the same.

“Great choice.” Marina beamed at them again as she collected the menus. “Charbroiled mahi-mahi, then. It comes with french fries and coleslaw. Would you like tartar sauce?”

“Sure,” Austin and Kennedy said in unison, then looked at each other.

Her heart fluttered as she had difficulty looking away while Marina left with a quiet chuckle. His blue eyes were always luminous like the ocean sparkling nearby in sunlight, inviting and encouraging, while Kennedy’s gray eyes probably looked like the ocean in a tempest, something best avoided.

An incoming text message pinged the phone in her purse. She ignored it but tensed. She’d told the managers to contact her only for emergencies. Since she’d started working, she’d lived and breathed her work. But this was after-hours, and tomorrow was supposed to be her first vacation day.

She ignored the second text, too, but it made her flinch. What could’ve happened? “Something might’ve happened at one of the hotels,” she muttered. “Maybe a plumbing issue? Or the air-conditioning, which would be a disaster in the summer? Or some VIP guest again claimed they had diamond cufflinks stolen from their room just to find later they’d misplaced them?”

“People claim that?” His eyebrows rose. He clearly wasn’t the diamond-cufflink type.

She liked that. She’d dated a few diamond-cuff-link guys, and all they cared about was their cufflinks. No, wrong. Also their flashy cars. “We have safes in most rooms, but people still blame the administration if something of value disappears from their room. Or if theythinkit disappeared.” She took a quick sip of her cold water. “I hope it’s not a runaway tarantula. We’ve had many runaway pets over the years, but for some reason, the tarantula caused the most commotion. No offense toward tarantulas.”

“On behalf of my tarantula patients, none taken.” He saluted her with his glass. Rays of sunshine played in the amber liquid like specks of gold and brought out similar lights in his hair, and a soft smile played on his lips.

Lips she’d like to kiss.

What was she thinking?

Heat rose inside her, and she hurried to glug more of her cold drink. Must be because it was so warm on the patio, right? “Well, the searched-for baby alligator was something, as well. I’ll never forget the scream from the fortyish lady who unwillingly found him. Nobody likes to discover an alligator in their bathtub. Even a baby one.” She leaned forward to add in a lower voice. “It might’ve also had something to do with the fact she’d had an alligator-skin purse. Maybe she thought it was revenge or something.”

“And I thought I was the one with the stories about animals to tell.” He winked. Then his expression sobered up. “Please feel free to answer the phone.”

He took a sip of his iced tea as his gaze drifted to the corgi again, his expression concerned. Was it a patient?

She snatched the phone from her purse. Huh. The texts were from an unknown number. “It’s probably spam,” she muttered. At least, there was no emergency. Previously, she’d rush to the hotel at any time of the day or night and wouldn’t even dry her hair if the call had come in during her shower. But today, she didn’t want to interrupt theirnondate.

Hmm. The text messages were identical and didn’t make much sense. Oranysense, really.

Let bygones be bygones. Or you’ll regret it.

Then her eyes narrowed. Could it be about those phone calls she’d made to the creator of the video her uncle had told her about?

Ridiculous. She shook her head. It was some fake number. Phishing. Though in a strange way.

“It’s nothing important.” She slid her phone back into her designercloth—not alligator skin—purse, surprised her fingers trembled. Then she returned all her attention to the man who interested her more than she wanted to admit. “Tell me about yourself, please.” It wasn’t just idle curiosity.

He stretched back in his metal chair and spread his arms. “What would you like to know?”

“Anything you want to share.” And hopefully more than she’d already found out in her research, but of course, she didn’t mention that bit.

The strange texts gave her unease, though. She’d thought about hiring Marina to look into this case. Or not. A lump formed in Kennedy’s throat, and she chased it down with cold water. If there was a minuscule chance it would put her friend in danger, she couldn’t do it.

As he rubbed the back of his neck, his head cocked, his blue eyes studied her, unnerving her.

What did he see? She hoped her inheritance wasn’t important to him, so what was left? A woman with an ordinary, even frumpy appearance that couldn’t be changed by an expensive, skilled hairdresser and an equally expensive tailor?

She’d never regretted not getting her mother’s stunning looks as much as she regretted it now.

Stop.

She pulled her shoulders back. Her uncle didn’t raise her to be superficial. And he’d promised her someday she’d meet a man who’d value her sharp mind and dedication over her looks, but so far, she hadn’t found such a man.

Or had she? She studied Austin over the rim of her glass.

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