There wasn’t anything I didn’t want.
By the time I slip into pajama pants and a sweatshirt, Keith is out on the front porch with two mugs of coffee. He turns as I step through the doorway, his bare chest on display.
Stark lake is still, a mirror reflecting the trees near the shorelines. Going to the railing, I lift my face to the light-blue morning sky and listen to the sounds of nature. Warmth comes to my back as Keith steps up behind me. His bare chest radiates heat, and his muscular arms cage me.
I spin in his grasp.
“You’re beautiful, Jill.”
“Thank you for last night.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I have to go back to Marquette soon.”
Nodding, I exhale. “I need to go back to my life too.” Isplay my fingers over his chest. “I’m not needy. We don’t need to make lame attempts to see one another or stay in touch.”
“I wouldn’t mind knowing you’re good.”
I inhale the masculine scent of his skin as I grin. “I’m good right now. Let’s not make promises. Just good memories.”
Keith nods, releasing the railing and we both take seats in the Adirondack chairs facing the lake.
“What are your plans for today?” he asks.
“I don’t know.” I look around for my phone. “Let me go find my phone.”
I locate it in the kitchen charging. When I bring the screen to life, it appears I’ve missed text messages from Liv and Echo. Taking it out to the porch, I pull up Liv’s message.
“My sister Liv messaged last night. She said that Julie is home and asked if she could stop by.”
“Last night?” Keith’s eyes open wide. “I hope she didn’t.”
My smile lifts my cheeks. “If she did, she didn’t let us know.”
I send her a text message.
“SORRY,I’M ONLY SEEING YOUR TEXT NOW. I WENT TO BED EARLY. WORN OUT.”
That was mostly true.
I receive a reply almost immediately.
“WORN OUT.SAME REASON I DIDN’T STOP AT YOUR COTTAGE. GLAD TO KNOW YOU’RE OKAY. I WISH YOU WEREN’T OUT THERE ALL ALONE.”
I scoff,wondering what she’d say if she knew I wasn’t alone. Instead of opening that can of worms, I give her message a thumbs-up.
After we finish our coffee, Keith stands, telling me his plans for the day. He wants to follow up on a few things before he leaves town. “It’s a seven-and-a-half-hour drive to Marquette.” He turns toward the lake and sighs. “For the first time since I arrived, I don’t want to leave.”
“We have lives. Maybe we’ve given enough time to our suspicions.”
He faces me. “If I don’t learn anything else, I’m taking off in the morning. I can’t put off my captain any longer.”
My thoughts go to Echo and my more valid excuse. “I’m going to stick around to be sure Julie recovers.”
“Are you going to visit her?”
I shrug. “I’ll see if anyone in my family, other than Liv, reaches out.”
A tad awkwardly, we say goodbye.
