Chapter 6 #2
“With who? I haven’t heard a word… Is it that hot teacher from the private high school in Charleston?”
Natalie groaned. “You cannot be referring to the married teacher again.”
“Right, I forgot the married part.”
“No worries. It’s not relevant with this guy.”
“Which guy? And why not?”
“Just a new guy who came through town.” Natalie turned off the water and grabbed a towel. “Because he’s passing through. We have a mutual interest, that’s all. I doubt we’ll see each other after tonight.”
“Don’t say that,” Veronica grumbled. “That crappy talk pisses me off. Makes me want to find Jackson and wring his neck.”
“Feel free. The slime trail he left behind when he headed back to Georgia should be easy to follow.”
“Yeah… About that.”
Natalie wiped away the fog from the mirror and glared at the reflection of her sister behind her. Roni looked guilty, but not entirely unhappy. “What did you do?”
“The same thing you were going to do,” Veronica said defensively. “I looked him up.”
A stone lodged in Natalie’s stomach, cold and heavy. “What did you find?” She figured it was too late to say a prayer that he wasn’t connected to the offer on the Hideaway.
“He does work in the same building as the Indigo Reef group that made an offer for the Hideaway. He’s employed by a different branch of a company with a different name, but everything I found looks like he’s essentially under the same umbrella.”
The stone in her stomach got heavier as she turned. This couldn’t be a coincidence. “You’re saying he has at least passing knowledge or loose ties or something with the development group building condos so close to the Hideaway?”
“Yes.” Veronica shook her head. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut. It’s not something to dwell on tonight. We’re not selling. Your ex isn’t in town. Forget I said anything and just go have fun.”
“Because that’ll be such a breeze now.”
“I’m sorry.” Roni looked seriously contrite. “Whoever he is, he’s lucky to have you join him for dinner.” Veronica rested her hands on Nat’s shoulders. “You can’t let one bad apple wreck your whole life.”
“That’s not what’s happening, I promise.” Nat almost believed it herself.
“Prove it! Tell me his name.”
“No, thank you.”
Veronica cocked her head. “It’s that guy you had coffee with. The consultant.” Her eyes went round. “He’s the current guest!”
“You had one job,” Nat protested. “Go find me a dress.”
Veronica dashed out of the bathroom. “You were positively giddy after that first coffee with him,” she hollered over her shoulder.
“Caffeine does that.”
“Disagree.” Veronica returned. “Where is he taking you?
“We’re meeting at Parker’s.”
“Okay.” Her eyes sparkled. “I know just the thing.”
Based on Trent’s reaction when Natalie walked into the restaurant, Veronica had chosen the perfect dress. His intense gaze sent a shimmer of awareness through her. No, she was not imagining the sparks of attraction arcing between them.
Trent’s obvious interest was the perfect remedy for the stone that had been lodged in her stomach since Roni’s mention of Jackson. In its place, a flock of butterflies were diving and wheeling and filling her with the happiest sense of anticipation.
“You look amazing,” he said, standing as she approached the table.
“Right back at ya.” She fanned herself as she admired him.
In his dark slacks and an ivory cotton sweater that hugged his broad shoulders, she was confident he’d star in tonight’s dreams as well.
Curiosity about what might happen after dinner surged through her.
She dragged her gaze away from him. “You scored the best table in the house.” The view over the marsh would be stunning as the sun went down.
“Glad I won’t be here alone.” He pulled out her chair. “I worried all day you would cancel,” he admitted as she sat down.
“Well, if I had, it would’ve been my loss.” She felt heat creeping into her cheeks. “Granted, I’ve forgotten to show up more than once. Hence my new habit of setting alarms.”
“However you got here, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “You’ve been on my mind all day.
” Though she was tempted, she managed not to tell him he’d been in her dreams as well.
It had taken a long time to learn to temper herself.
She’d been frequently accused of oversharing and generally being “too much”.
The only place that didn’t happen was her art.
Or, more accurately, the accusations of being too creative didn’t bother her in that aspect of her life.
“All day?” Trent’s eyebrows lifted and a smile teased his lips. “That’s good to know.”
“Isn’t it?” She leaned forward. “But is it mutual?” Quickly she waved off the query.
“Relax. I’m just teasing,” she said, letting him off the hook.
And being nice to herself too. She didn’t want him to feel pressured into giving compliments he might not mean.
“You’ve lost that frustrated furrow.” She tapped the spot above her own nose.
“Does that mean you’ve made some progress with whatever you’re working on? ”
“I feel like I took a step in the right direction,” he said.
The man intrigued her—so cautious and circumspect. She hoped it was about his job instead of any lingering rumors about her carefree and flighty ways. “Do you need any local input or insider information?”
“That would actually be helpful,” he replied. “Your tourist suggestions were spot on. And I’m pretty sure having Parker’s cook my fresh catch is pure gold.”
“I’m glad.” The praise warmed her. “Parker’s never disappoints. And you’ll definitely see gold when the sun sets over the marsh.”
Their server came by with a basket of hushpuppies, a side of honey butter, and a bright smile. After she left with their drink order, Natalie invited him to bring on the questions.
Trent paused, apparently gathering his thoughts. “I’d like to know what you love about living here. From what I’ve heard, you didn’t grow up here.”
“Been checking up on me?”
He shrugged. “I believe in being prepared. It’s a habit that started long before I joined the Guardian Agency.” He rested his forearms on the table and leaned close, lowering his voice. “My primary source is Jess, so you don’t need to worry that I’ve been surveying the community at large.”
She laughed. “No worries. If anyone can be circumspect, it’s Jess. And Nina.”
“Nina, her sister-in-law?”
“Look at you, picking up on all the connections.” She sipped her water, trying to ignore the looks aimed their way.
“Yes, that Nina. As for what brought me here, I own one third of the Hideaway. Our mother died there, so I’ve heard my share of ‘bless her heart’—usually in the kindest use of the phrase. The idle chatter rarely bothers me.”
That hadn’t always been the case, but she was proud of the personal work to make it true now.
But she had no intention of dredging all of that up.
In her experience, men rarely enjoyed hearing about her ex-husband.
That pinch of perpetual judgement near her heart was almost completely gone, especially after the lovely installation ceremony for her three Brookwell sculptures.
She’d only ever admitted to Roni that she’d been afraid, right up until the day-of, that the town council would change its mind about showcasing her artwork.
Oblivious to her rambling thoughts, Trent devoured the hush puppies between more questions as their drinks and then food arrived. The fresh fish he’d caught was a savory masterpiece, tender and flavorful, and Natalie enjoyed the pause in his gentle interrogation about Brookwell life.
When he finished, Trent let the waitress clear his plate before launching into another round of queries. He seemed focused on the marina, town history, and other property owners on the island. Clearly, he was up to something more than some training time, but she played along.
He asked if she knew how to sail—yes. Did she ever paddle board or kayak—rarely. What made her go into mixed media as an art form?
That one caught her off guard. Although prepared to deliver her typical answer, she didn’t feel like that was enough, so she gave him the truth. “I stumbled over it,” she admitted. “Almost literally. If you want the whole story—”
“I do.”
“Okay.” She did her best to smother a smile. He was so earnest and interested. Whether or not this was an official date, she was adding it to her win column. “Brace yourself, because I’m told this borders on the woo-woo,” she warned, wiggling her fingers.