Chapter 20 #2
Her smile melted something inside of him.
Something hard and cold he’d lived with for far too long.
He’d had his reasons for avoiding relationships.
Good ones. But in the middle of all the chaos in Morghana, God turned all Jason’s logic sideways.
And showed him it was not only possible to love again, but that loving Tayla was what he should do.
He stepped inside and shut the door.
“How was your day?” she asked, sliding her hands onto his chest.
He ignored her question. But not the look in her eyes.
His hands snaked around her waist. She rose to her toes, leaning into him, her soft form fitting perfectly—oh, so perfectly—against his. His mouth lowered to hers and he lost himself in the bliss of her kiss.
Until she eased back with a grin. “Dinner’s ready.”
He brushed one more light kiss across her lips and followed her into the kitchen. “It smells amazing.”
“That’s the brisket.”
Be still my heart. “You made brisket?”
“For the tacos. We’re having brisket tacos. And I made some homemade guacamole.”
He almost said ‘I love you.’ But that would’ve been awkward. Because he hadn’t used the l-word yet. Not out loud.
On their first date, on Isadora Island, he’d said something to the effect of not wanting to rush their relationship.
Take it slow. It sounded like the right thing to say at the time.
She’d smiled and acted like that sounded smart.
But they didn’t define ‘slow.’ And now, every moment he spent with her made him redefine what ‘slow’ might mean for him.
He grabbed a tortilla chip, scooped up some guacamole and popped it in his mouth. Wow. “You have guacamole skills. Why am I just now learning this?”
Her smile beamed. “I’m glad to know guacamole is important to you.”
“Is this like the dog vs cat preference?”
She feigned a serious nod. “Yes. You like guacamole and dogs. Both critical qualities.”
He scooped some more guacamole on a corn chip. “Your standards are high. So, am I squeaking by so far?”
“So far.” She laughed. And handed him a plate with two tortillas. “I visited Leland today.”
Is this her news? “How is he?” He didn’t sense her earlier tension. He gestured for her to make her plate first and watched her pile brisket, corn, and cheese on her tortilla.
“He’s fine. Too fine. He doesn’t want to go to any more check-ups. Says he’s all healed up. And that it’s pointless to drive to the doctor’s office to hear the doctor say what he already knows.”
Jason laughed. “Okay, so he’s back to normal.”
“Mostly. He needs to take care of himself, though. It’s only been a month.”
He finished piling up his tortillas, scooped a hefty serving of guacamole on his plate, and took a seat across from her at the dining table.
He hadn’t missed the concern in her voice. “I know. And I know he’s itching to get back to work. I really don’t know if I have much influence with him, but if I can talk him into taking it easy, I will.”
She smiled. “You can’t. But I appreciate the thought.” She reached across the table and cupped her hand over his. “Will you pray for us?”
“Sure.” He squeezed her fingers and bowed his head. He thanked God for their meal, Leland’s health, and for Tayla.
She echoed his ‘amen,’ but when he lifted his gaze to hers, the tension was back.
“What’s wrong?” His worries about her tone slammed back into focus. His gut was right. Her news is bad.
Red flushed her face. “I’m sorry. Nothing. I was just thinking. Nothing. It’s fine.”
She’s a terrible liar.
He turned his hand over and laced his fingers through hers. “What’s the news you mentioned on the phone?”
Her eyebrows shot up. Oh. Yes, that worried look was absolutely about her news.
His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist. “Hey. Whatever it is, please tell me. You’re killing me here. What’s going on?”
She squeezed his hand. And let go.
He wasn’t sure that was a good sign. Was this about their relationship? A sick feeling fisted in his stomach.
She drew in a deep breath, apparently preparing herself for . . . whatever this was. “Okay. Yeah. Jason, it’s not bad. It’s good. At least I think it’s good. I’m just . . . I realized today that I’m really worried you won’t be as excited as I want you to be.”
“Excited? Okaaaay. Just tell me what you’re talking about.”
Another breath. “My boss wanted to know all about Isadora Island when I got back—about the entire country of Morghana, actually. The Grayhouses are both concerned about the orphans I told them about, and—”
“You didn’t—”
“No. I didn’t share any details I shouldn’t have.
They don’t know anything at all about Dylan or Eric.
And no, I didn’t mention Enzo. They just wanted to know about the people of Morghana, and if there was anything they could do to help.
” The corners of her mouth tipped up, and she shook her head with a laugh.
“They get really worked up sometimes. If there’s an earthquake, a hurricane, or volcano eruption, they can’t sleep until they’ve organized some relief efforts.
They can get intense, but I love working for them. ”
And now he knew where this was headed. “Wait, do they want you to go back to Isadora?”
She pursed her lips. “You’re getting ahead of me.
But, yes. They want to help the orphans.
They’re intrigued by Morghana, especially Isadora Island.
Their friends have raved about the beauty of Morghana’s islands for years.
They always intended to vacation there at some point.
They want to visit soon. Experience the islands for themselves.
And see if there’s anything they can do to help the people of Morghana. ”
Huh. He wasn’t sure what to say. The Grayhouses meant well. But Isadora wasn’t exactly the—
“I know you think it isn’t safe.”
Okay. So, she can read his mind. “No, I don’t.
” He rubbed his hands on his jeans, and stared at his brisket tacos, hoping his appetite would return.
“Look, I think it’s great that the Grayhouses want to help.
Really. Those kids deserve a better life.
And the Grayhouses’ generosity could make an incredible impact.
But I don’t see why you have to go. How long would they want you there?
Don’t you mostly work for them virtually? ”
She scrunched her face like she couldn’t decide what to say next. “Don’t get weirded out.”
“What?”
“Knox told me what the WhiteRock board asked you to consider.”
Whoa. What? “He shouldn’t have said—”
She held up her hands. “Please don’t get upset. He didn’t give me details. I think he was hoping I’d talk you into it. He said he thought you’d turn it down.”
“Yes. I’ve decided to turn it down.” He couldn’t believe Knox told her.
Except . . . oh. The long-term assignment on Isadora Island he’d been offered would have included Knox.
And Allie. And not only did Knox want to work with Allie—while simultaneously being scared to death of working with her—he absolutely wanted to work with Allie with Jason in charge.
Because Jason understood Knox and Allie.
Even if Knox didn’t understand Knox and Allie.
It was all ridiculously clear.
He couldn’t deny the offer was attractive.
He’d lead a task force to investigate organized crime in Morghana.
Hopefully leading to arrests. WhiteRock’s client for this operation was a conglomerate of interested parties, including the country of Morghana and resort owners from several of Morghana’s islands, including Drakos.
The FBI—and he suspected the CIA, though it wasn’t spoken—was also contributing funding on the condition that all intelligence gathered was shared with them.
Interesting. Tempting. Except . . .
“Tayla, I’m not taking the position because it would probably mean spending the next several months in Morghana.
Probably on Isadora Island, with little cell service.
I thought . . .” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“We’re just getting to know each other. I didn’t want to take off on a long assignment right off.
Usually, my assignments span a few days or maybe a couple of weeks at a time.
What WhiteRock wants to do on Isadora Island will take months. ”
“And what the Greyhouses are considering may take just as long. I don’t have to be the one on the ground fleshing out whatever they end up doing there.
They may want to build an orphanage and a school.
I think Mrs. Grayhouse has lots of ideas, but they need more of an assessment first. It’s just an offer, though.
I could remain in my current position with them as a personal assistant.
But if I want the assignment in Morghana, it’s mine. They made that clear.”
Wow.
Jason leaned back in his chair. And tried to wrap his head around everything she said. The look in her eyes. And the worry burrowing through it all.
“Is that what you want?” he asked. “Tayla, I know this is your career. Your decision. But Isadora isn’t safer now than it was a month ago.
We solved one problem, but we uncovered a den of snakes.
That’s the reason for the WhiteRock task force.
To root out the most dangerous players in Morghana.
The people Dylan is working for. And others. It isn’t safe.”
Her eyes, her face, her slow nod, all projected a calmness.
A calmness he wasn’t feeling.
“You’re right. I know. But honestly, it isn’t less safe than a dozen other places I used to visit regularly, to help with the Carmichael’s charities.”
Just the mention of that name tightened his chest. He still couldn’t believe what Spencer put her through. He never wanted her to feel that afraid again. He wanted to protect her. From everything.
“And, the way I look at it,” her gaze grew more intense, “when my parents died in the car accident, they were on their way to a restaurant for lunch. Just going about their normal day in Houston, Texas. What I mean is—”