Chapter 5
The next morning after an early client meeting, Anna stood in line at the local coffee shop, desperate for a hit of caffeine, ignoring the steady buzzing of incoming texts from her phone in her pocket. When she finally picked up her order, she inhaled deeply. Damn. No wonder coffee was so confident despite being nothing more than a wet bean, because what other drink whispered in your ear every morning, “I’m worth your last five bucks and you need me, bitch”?
She drank until the caffeine hit before facing her angry phone.
Wendy:YOU LEFT THE GOPRO ON MY PORCH LAST NIGHT.
Wendy:Hello?
Wendy:You can run but you can’t hide.
Anna:Actually, I can, because you’re as big as a house and can’t put on your own shoes.
Wendy:Wow. You need more caffeine.
Anna:No, I need to still be asleep. This getting out of bed every day feels excessive.
Shoving her phone away, she drank some more. Only when she felt the anxiety go down a notch did she drive toward the lake. The day was glorious, the sky so blue and pure, the mountains showing off their summer greenery, that it could’ve been a painting. She parked in front of a large warehouse with a sign that read: tahoe adventures.
This wasn’t going to go well, but what the hell. She got out of her car for the sole reason that if it was a choice between dealing with Owen or the police, she chose Owen. Last night while staring at her ceiling, she’d come to some conclusions, one of them being that she needed to involve Owen to some degree so he didn’t feel the need to bring in the authorities. One disaster at a time.
Letting herself inside the building, she took in the organized chaos that included racks and racks of outdoor adventure equipment, the entire place looking like a grown-up toy box.
A pretty woman in camo capris and a black tank top with the Tahoe Adventures logo over a breast and a name tag that read Sami came up to her. “Good morning. How can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Owen Harris.”
Sami took in Anna’s business clothes. “You’re going to have to get in line.”
“It’s not like that.” She’d worn a pencil skirt and a fitted silky top to her meeting. Plus she’d actually put on mascara and had blown the wild waves out of her hair. All of which she’d done for her meeting and not for Owen, not even a little bit.
Okay, maybe it had been a little bit for Owen, but only to up her intimidation factor, of course. “This is business.”
That got her a smile. “Yeah, that’s how it started for me too.”
Oh great. So this was Owen’s girlfriend. Or wife. Or whatever. It didn’t matter. “Don’t worry, he’s not my type.”
“Honey,” Sami said on a laugh, “Owen’s everyone’s type.” At whatever she saw on Anna’s face, she laughed again. “Listen, I keep the man’s schedule, so I know you’re not on it, which means it isn’t business related at all.”
Anna opened her mouth just as something hit her in the back of the head. Turning, she found a paper airplane lying at her feet, a poorly constructed one at that. Bending, she scooped it up and made an adjustment.
“Are you serious?” Sami asked someone.
Anna looked up and found a guy across the room smiling at her ruefully. “I’m so sorry,” he said, coming closer. “It keeps dipping down too soon. I was aiming for Sami.”
“Wow,” Sami said.
Ignoring her, the man stuck out his hand to Anna. “Ky Ortega.”
“Anna Moore.”
“She’s here to see Owen,” Sami said.
“Ah.” Ky nodded. “You’re the Anna Moore who found Great-Aunt Ruby’s coin.”
“No one’s proven that to me,” she said.
Ky grinned. “You’re going to be good for him.”
Anna shook her head. “I’m actually pretty sure I’m going to be bad for him.”
At this, Ky laughed, at what exactly, Anna had no idea, but Sami was looking amused as well. She handed Ky back the paper airplane. “You’re folding the nose wrong. I fixed it.”
Ky tossed the plane, and it soared the entire length of the large room. He smiled at her. “Do me a favor.”
“I don’t do favors for strangers.”
“Oh, trust me, we’re not going to be strangers. Not if you and Owen are on a case together. I’m hoping you can keep his head out of his own ass.”
“Ignore him,” Sami said. “Owen’s out on the lake with some clients but should be done any minute. If you meet him out on the beach, you’ll have a few minutes before his next client shows. The boys are busy today.”
Which was how Anna found herself walking down the beach in high heels. She had no idea what Ky had meant about keeping Owen’s head out of his own ass, but she really hoped he was kidding. She wasn’t the most qualified person to keep someone’s head out of their own ass. Hell, she couldn’t even do it for herself.
It was warm and sunny, and she found herself taking a deep breath of pine and clean, fresh water, and when she let it out, she realized her shoulders had been up at her ears. The beach was a reminder of happier times, like when her dad had brought her and Wendy here, where they’d run wild and free, completely unaware of his grief and single-parent problems. He’d been so good to them. So kind and gentle and accepting of anything they wanted to do—no matter how crazy. Actually, the crazier the better.
One of those hot poker pangs hit her square in the chest. He wouldn’t want her to put herself on the line for him. He wouldn’t. She actually started to turn back, but a dog attached by a leash to a picnic table strained to reach her with a whine and a tail wag. It was a big dog, all white fluff with sweet black eyes and a smiling mouth.
“Hey, baby,” she said, and hunkered down. A mistake because the big guy came in for a hug and knocked her to her ass.
Laughing, she fought off his kisses. “Aw, you’re a good boy, aren’t you? Yes, such a good boy. Where’s your owner?” She started to look around, her train of thought derailing as five guys walked out of the choppy water carrying paddleboards, looking like they belonged in a remake of Baywatch.
They all did some sort of complicated handshake, and then four of them walked off. The lone boarder stacked up the five boards by himself onto a rack with seeming zero effort, still drenched, board shorts molded to a very fit bod, barely clinging to his hips. He locked up the gear with a chain and padlock. Anna still hadn’t yet managed to tear her gaze off him when he looked up and she nearly gasped.
Owen Harris.
Good thing this time she had on dark sunglasses so he couldn’t see if she accidentally ogled him.
He raised a brow.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, going for unaffected and not quite making it. “I was looking at the lake. The extremely choppy lake with at least four-foot swells.”
“Six in spots,” he said.
“So... you have a death wish then?”
He gave an almost smile. “Worried about me?”
“Not even a little.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. “You seem pretty capable.”
That got her a real-deal smile, and damn, it was a doozy. “I am,” he said. “And I’m hoping you are too. Did you bring my great-aunt’s possessions?”
“As I’ve said, I only have the one coin, and still no actual proof that it’s your great-aunt’s.” The wind had kicked up, and she shivered. “How did you not freeze out there?”
He shrugged. “I run hot.”
No kidding... “And your clients?”
“Local pro paddleboarders. I train them. They like the cold water, gives them an edge in competition.”
“Your work looks a whole lot like play.”
“It is.” He looked her over. “You’re a tad overdressed, but I’m happy to take you out there if you’d like.”
Once upon a time, she might’ve taken him up on his offer, but she no longer let her impulsive side out to play. Bad things happened whenever she did. “Pass. I don’t like to get wet.”
He grinned.
“You know what I mean!”
The cutie-pie dog attached to the picnic table perked up when Owen moved toward him and let him loose.
“Yours?” she asked, unable to help but smile as the dog ran in circles around Owen for a minute, grinning from one fluffy ear to the other.
“Turbo,” Owen said, “meet Anna.”
Turbo never slowed, just widened his circle, getting closer and closer to her and then suddenly taking a flying leap right at her.
Owen moved so fast Anna never saw him coming as he slid between her and Turbo, catching the dog in midair before he could take her out.
“Nice save,” she managed.
He set Turbo down. “Not my first rodeo.”
Thinking of the woman back at his shop who might or might not be his girlfriend, she tore her gaze off his bare, and still wet, chest, then crouched low to Turbo. “Do you shake?”
Instead, Turbo licked her cheek, making her laugh.
“Interesting,” Owen said. “You warm up faster to dogs than people.”
She shrugged, petting Turbo, who melted to the ground and exposed his belly for a rubdown. “I’ll push a person away until they give up, but I’ll kiss a dog I just met right on the mouth.”
His lips quirked, but he didn’t smile. His eyes looked amused though. And also something else that had her having a few reactions she definitely shouldn’t be having. “I’ve got some intel.” Okay, that wasn’t an outright lie, but “intel” was definitely a stretch. “You interested or not?”
“Definitely interested.” He snatched a towel from the picnic table and began to dry off.
“So...” she said, averting her gaze, “I went through the box of my dad’s things and came up empty-handed.”
“Other than the one coin you already found, you mean.”
Right. “Also, I’m going to go visit his ex-girlfriend in hopes that maybe she’s still got some of his stuff.”
He stilled, then met her gaze, his own serious. Intense, even, as if maybe he was assessing her for honesty. “How do you not know what she has?”
She drew a breath, uncomfortable to have to admit the truth. “Because I haven’t seen her since he passed.”
He ran the towel over his hair, making it stand up on end, which should’ve looked ridiculous but instead, somehow, had the opposite effect. “There’s something else,” she said.
Again he met her gaze.
“Clearly, we’re both invested here. And even more clearly, you’re determined to prove my dad guilty of this crime.”
He said nothing, just watched her. He was a cool, calm one, she’d give him that. But she was also cool and calm. Or trying, anyway. “I’m going to suggest that we share all information.”
“Because you’d rather I not publicly accuse your father of this crime.”
She ground her back teeth until she could control herself. “Just as I’m assuming you’d rather me not reveal your aunt as one who maybe sold her own treasure and never revealed that fact to the authorities after claiming them stolen. Or maybe she just forgot where she put it.”
Now it appeared to be Owen grinding his back teeth. “So... what? We’re going to be equal partners on this?”
“For a lack of another, less friendly term, yes.”
“One condition,” he said. “Honesty.”
“As long as it goes both ways.”
“Deal,” he said. “And I’m coming with you to visit the girlfriend.”
Normally she could think quickly on her feet, but her mind went blank on how to get out of this unexpected development. She must’ve made some sort of face, because he said, “Maybe it’ll be fun.”
“Oh, this will be anything other than fun.”
He smiled. “We’ll see.” And then he scooped up Turbo—who had to weigh close to one hundred pounds—and carried his silly, adorable dog up the steep set of stairs to street level.
“He’s afraid of stairs,” Owen said to her unasked question, not even slightly breathless. “And grates. And cats.”
“Cats?”
“Yeah. Before I got him from the humane society, he lived in a home where he was shut up in one room because they had a cat who didn’t like dogs. So now, whenever he sees a cat, he cries. Or farts in self-defense.”
Anna told her heart not to melt, at both the dog and the man, but unfortunately, her heart didn’t take advice from her brain, never had.