Chapter 7
Chapter 7
C arol rested her back against the door and took a breath. What had that been about? Was Security Guy so desperate for answers he was willing to ask her to dinner? Odd. No one had ever been that suspicious before. Too bad she couldn’t tell him why she turned him down without revealing herself. Fraternizing was definitely off limits.
Her phone beeped with another reason she’d said no. With a smile, she pulled it out and read the screen.
Hey, Babe. How’s it going?
Even after three years together, Carol felt a little thrill whenever she thought of her boyfriend. He was that kind of guy, the kind who made women tingly, herself included. She still almost couldn’t believe they were together, even after all this time.
Bah. The worst. Gum in hair. Suspicious security guy. Kill me now.
Aw, sorry, Sweetie. If anyone can handle it, it’s you. XO.
XO back at you, she sent, smiling as her thumb swiped lovingly over the phone. How is it on the coast?
Cold, wet, windy.
Sounds like heaven. Pretty sure the sun is trying to kill me.
Ha! So come home, he wrote and Carol clutched the phone, blinking in surprise. She had exactly four days off a year, four days when she wasn’t heading to some far-flung locale, and she always spent them with him. But home? Did he think of his place as her home? Did she?
Soon, she promised. Want anything from the tropics?
A safe return for you. Sounds like bad weather heading your way.
Carol frowned. The last time she checked the weather, the tropical storm was supposed to hit the mainland and barely skirt their island. Had it changed? She’d have to check. Bad weather could wreck havoc on everything. She must have pondered too long because he replied as if the conversation were over, which it undoubtedly was. They were both too busy for long communication.
Stay safe.
XO, she returned, knowing better than to wish him the same in return. Some things weren’t safe, and that was okay. Safety, Carol had learned, was vastly overrated.
She tucked her phone away and pulled out her laptop, checking her list. By now she knew exactly what to do and had it memorized, but she always checked the list. Part of what made her excellent at her job was her meticulous attention to detail. She left absolutely nothing to chance.
A knock sounded on the door once again and she stared at it, frowning. What now? Surely it couldn’t be the security guy again. But it was. Carol yanked open the door and saw him scowling at her. He had the type of face that looked unnatural with a scowl, like someone tipped him upside down, turning the smile into a grimace.
“Have you been standing here all this time, staring at my closed door?” she asked.
“Maybe. Also, shut up.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “What is your malfunction? Seriously, I have been a lot of places, a lot, and I have never encountered this level of unprofessionalism in a security guard before. Is there some type of night school you could go to in order to learn how to do things properly?”
His face, pale at the best of times, highlighting the smattering of freckles over his nose, now turned puce with anger. “That is…you are…who do you think…I am not…I am going to…”
“Should I go away and come back while you try to compose ends to those sentences? Because I kind of have a lot to do,” she said, glancing longingly toward the inner sanctum of her room. She was already behind on her work and an inane conversation with him wasn’t helping.
The security guy took a deep breath and forced himself to calm. Carol watched him, fascinated. In her experience most men weren’t able to regain their composure that quickly. “Look, here’s the thing. I know exactly why you’re here.”
Speaking of colors, she probably paled at having been found out so easily. Obviously she had underestimated him if he found her out so easily. Still, it wasn’t within her rights to blow her own cover. She said nothing, regarding him stoically as he waited—with no small amount of frustration—for her to have some reaction.
“Spooks,” he muttered, shaking his head. “The point is, I know why you’re here, and I want in.”
“You want in,” she said slowly. “What does that mean?”
His answering smile was cynical. “Keep playing innocent, you’re busted. From now on, consider us a team. Where you go, I go.”
She glanced pointedly at her watch. “I’m about to go to lunch.”
“Excellent, I’m starved.” He stepped aside, making a sweeping, courtly gesture with his hand. “After you, milady.”
“You are so odd,” she said, regarding him intently.
“And you are…well, it’s best to keep my opinions to myself, for the sake of community. Never let it be said I’m not a team player.”
“You’re taking my presence here entirely too personally,” she said. “It’s just a job.”
“Maybe to you, if you’re jaded. But to me it’s always about people, and a lot people are depending on you, on us. So here we go. Lunch awaits.” He nodded his head, letting her know that even though he was being a gentleman and letting her go first, she really had no choice in the matter.
“So odd,” she muttered one last time before grabbing her satchel and preceding him down the hallway.