He tried to stop her, but she went into the kitchen anyway.
He followed. “Why are you and your friends so persistent?”
She picked up a plate and dished a pile of sweet corn onto it. “It’s uncomfortable to have a stranger cooking our meals. Wedon’t usually have people waiting on us. I’d like to know you better so the atmosphere is less formal. And Blair thinks you could be a murderer,” she added, playfully baiting him.
He flinched instead of laughing.
Her skin flushed. “You’re not a murderer, are you?”
He shook his head subtly, but her joke had landed flat.
She scrutinized him. His eyes didn’t look like a criminal’s eyes. Instead, she could almost see fear in them, which made no sense, given how strong and masculine he was.
She added a piece of snapper to the plate and held it out. “Is this enough?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
She handed him his dinner and led him back to the table.
“Where’s Blair?” she asked, taking her seat.
“She got a call from Rocko. Sorry, I have to dip for a second too. I’ve got a family who’s found the perfect listing, but there’s already a contingency offer on it, so we’ll need to move fast. They’ve texted me twice now. I should send them the MLS information.” Sienna pushed away from the table. “Give me ten minutes.”
Emily settled in opposite Patrick and cut a piece of her snapper. They worked on their plates until the silence ate at her.
“So have you always lived in Florida?” she asked.
“No, I’m originally from North Carolina. Raleigh.”
She smiled. “I grew up in Virginia. Not too far away.”
He stabbed a piece of fish with his fork.
“What brought you to this gorgeous area?” she asked.
“I wanted to escape to paradise. This is as close as I could find.”
“It’s definitely a different way of life, isn’t it? So calm and relaxing. Although, I’ll bet it’s not the same for you, since you have to work and live your regular life.”
He shrugged. “Nothing’s really paradise. But I have some family nearby, so that helps.”
His comment about paradise resonated with Emily more than he knew. “How long have you been here?”
“Five years in this location, but I’ve been in Florida for over a decade. I was in Jacksonville before this.”
Emily picked up her wine. “The Naval Air Station’s in Jacksonville, right? Is that why you were there?”
He nodded.
While he was short with his answers, there was something about him that made her feel as if there was more to that hardened exterior, and if she could just crack it, she’d see a different side of him. She hadn’t determined exactly why she wanted to see any side of him particularly, but the curiosity was enough to drive her.
“Sorry,” Blair said, coming back to sit at the table.
Patrick stood up. “I forgot dinner rolls. Want anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m okay,” Emily said.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Blair said, scooting her chair into place.
