Chapter 24
KNOLAN
She was standing outside the shop when I came out, the slim green book tucked under one arm, squinting at the harbor. The fog had burned off as the day progressed, coastal fog does in mid-October, allowing a cool sun to shine through intermittent clouds.
“I don’t know your name,” I said. This came out more bluntly than I intended. God, I sucked at this. I’m aware that there were more graceful openings, unfortunately, social niceties were something that never really mattered to me before.
She looked at me and paused. It was a small pause that told me she was putting her response together carefully. A pause most wouldn’t have picked up on, but I did. It’s what I was trained for after all. “Charlotte,” she said.
It didn’t escape my notice that she didn’t provide a last name.
“Knolan,” I said, omitting my last name as well.
I offered my hand, which she took. Her grip was strong and confident.
Her palm was slightly cool and I felt, in the brief contact, that same clear frequency from before and the heavy weight of the suppression beneath it.
I let go before I could get any more from her.
I may be awkward as hell, but a creeper I am not. “Are you staying in town?”
“For now,” she said.
“Same. The motel on Harbor.”
She blinked. “The motel named Motel?”
I felt a spike of amusement from her and saw the corner of her mouth twitch up.
“That’s the one.”
“Me too.”
We started walking, and I realized after half a block that we’d just assumed we’d walk together.
Neither of us proposed it, it simply happened.
She moved gracefully with a long-legged stride that covered ground without rushing.
A gust of wind came in off the water and caught her hair.
She didn’t fuss, didn’t bother fighting it.
“I enjoyed talking with you in the bookstore,” I said. Ug, I’m such an idiot. If my brother heard me right now, I’d never live it down.
“We barely talked.”
“I know. I enjoyed it anyway.” I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. “Would you, maybe, want to have dinner? The diner seems…” I trailed off. I was really botching this.
“Yes.”
I looked at her. She looked straight ahead, but she was smiling.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay,” she agreed.
We dropped our books in our respective rooms, hers was four doors down from mine, and met back out in the parking lot. The harbor bells were ringing and the air smelled like salt and cold and the wood smoke that was coming from the pub across the street.
There were more people on the street now than there were before. Probably going home from work or out for the night. I tuned out the various emotional frequencies coming at me and focused on the woman walking beside me.