“All right. I just need to price out a few supplies for the art booth first. And send that donation email to the local business owners.”
“No problem.” He sipped his coffee. “Didn’t you say Corey gave you enough parts and stuff?”
She nibbled on her toast, testing his control more with every bite. “You haven’t known me long. I will always accept more discards for whatever project comes next. It’s a good opportunity to remind folks what I do with the things they no longer need. You should come by the gallery sometime for a closer look.”
He smiled. “I’ll take you up on that.” Getting up, he brewed another cup of coffee for himself, then for her. “As for closer looks, why don’t we go down to the marina together today?”
Worries clouded her eyes. “Because Corey told me to stay away?”
“Not like that.” He remembered she hadn’t heard his earlier plan, so he spelled it out again. “It’s beautiful and clear and I’d like to do a circuit of the island with you. You probably know the coastline as well as anyone else. And you said you like the water.”
“True.”
“Unless you don’t want to be that isolated with me.”
Her eyes sparkled with interest again as she leaned across the table. “I will never turn down alone time with you.”
“Guess that makes me a lucky man.”
“Darn right.” Smiling, she started to clear the dishes.
Trent stopped her. “I’ve got this. You do whatever you need to do and then we’ll head out.”
“For a day on the water.”
“Please?”
She nodded and then kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’ll pack the sunscreen.”
With the kitchen cleaned up, and an email sent to headquarters outlining his plan for the day, he started looking for a boat rental while he waited for Natalie.
As much as he wanted to go straight to Corey and demand answers, Trent wasn’t an idiot. Royer already considered Natalie a risk to be neutralized. No sense making a known killer edgier.
His mind went right back to the “why now” questions. Why had Royer escalated now? When had the agenda changed from a successful theft ring? Had someone made a mistake or had Royer just lost his patience?
Those pieces needed answers, and fast. Especially with Natalie in the mix. She was being a good sport—and the new, personal fringe benefits were incredible—but she didn’t deserve to have her life upended indefinitely.
She certainly didn’t deserve to think his interest in her was solely due to convenience. Somehow, he’d make her understandthis attraction was separate from protecting her in the course of the investigation.
He was reviewing the rental boat situation when his cell phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, he answered immediately. “Hey, Connor. What have you got for me?” The Guardian Agency researcher was one of his favorites.
Trent started to step outside to pace and decided against it. Leaving Natalie alone wasn’t an option. Instead, he leaned against the counter, mentally crossing his fingers that this would be the update he needed.
“We have good reason to believe Corey is involved,” Connor began. “No proof yet. At least not with the money. The forensic accountant is still working on the bank records. So far, this guy lives pretty close to the bone, but I’m assuming Royer has some other leverage.”
“Probably so.” He paced the length of the kitchen, but his mind was on the beach and the body that had washed up. “Why are you convinced if the money trail doesn’t back up the theory?”
“Natalie,” Connor said.
Trent held the phone away from his ear, as if staring at the device would make sense of the conversation. “What the hell?” He could not be implying she was involved too.
Natalie had been thrown by the situation, but she hadn’t freaked out or panicked. At least not in front of him. Even after digging into her background, all he could find was a good person with an extra dose of compassion for the world. It was astonishing that she didn’t realize how wonderful she was. Her self-deprecating comments and the subtle ways she apologized for being herself got to him. Made him want to show her the incredible woman he saw.Whoa. Intense but true. And honestly, he shouldn’t be surprised by the quick connection. It was part of her magic.
Outwardly, she exuded confidence in her work and herself, but he sensed that down deep, some wounds festered, undermining her. Everyone had baggage, himself included. But he’d never wanted to help anyone with the heavy lifting before. Then again, he’d never been close to anyone like her.
Her father was definitely one source of her pain. As much as he wanted to dig into that, to figure out why the man had walked away from Natalie and her sisters, his focus was needed here. Closer to home, he suspected her ex was an issue too.
“This have something to do with her ex?”
