"Emma is an angel," Linda assured him. "I think she's had a wonderful day. Especially as my great-niece Lily arrived fromMiami this afternoon with my brother. The three girls have been thick as thieves since the moment she was introduced to Lily."
Something flickered across Darius's face.
It was the same small thing Linda had seen on the beach the first day, when she’d introduced herself. It was the same small thing she had seen at the bakery when she had mentioned that Michael was on his way. It was a flicker, no more, but it was there, and Linda's instinct caught it.
"Your brother," Darius repeated, his voice carefully even.
"Michael, yes," Linda confirmed. "We were supposed to go to the lake cabin for the summer. But since my uncle’s fall, we’re all spending it here."
"Your uncle must be pleased,” Darius said, but something in his tone had changed slightly. “To have his family home.”
Linda glanced at him. The light was beginning to fade as they reached the small inlet stream that ran out of the bayside reserve into the gulf. Darius stopped walking. Linda stopped beside him.
“Yes, he is,” Linda confirmed, still a little confused about his sudden change in attitude.
"What does your brother do?" Darius asked, turning to look at her.
"He's an attorney," Linda answered. "He is a partner in a firm in Miami."
Something flickered across Darius's face for the third time. Before he gave a slight nod and then turned back toward the open strip of land, he was about to say something when her phone dinged in her pocket.
Linda pulled it out. The message was from Michael.
Linda, where are you? We need to talk!
Linda frowned at the message before catching Darius's curious eyes.
"I have to go," Linda told him.
"Of course," Darius replied.
"Thank you for the company, Darius," Linda said. “It was nice talking to you.”
"I enjoyed it too," Darius answered. “We should do it again.” He paused for a moment. “Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Her brows rose, her heart stuttered, and the butterflies in her stomach she’d just managed to tame went wild once again.
“I…” Linda swallowed and then, before she could stop herself or think it over, her tongue seemed to take over and blurt, “Yes. I’d like that.”
“Great,” Darius said. “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty?”
“Okay,” Linda said, nodding, and couldn’t stop the stupid big smile that spread across her lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow at six-thirty.”
She called Buddy. The retriever came bounding up.
"Goodnight, Linda," Darius called after her.
"Goodnight," Linda called back with a small wave.
She turned and walked back along the wet sand toward Heart House.
About ten yards along, Linda glanced back over her shoulder. Darius had not moved. He stood exactly where they had stopped, staring at the strip of land. His posture had changed. The easy looseness was gone. He looked like a man carefully measuring something in his mind.
A chill slid up her spine. He was not admiring the view or noticing the heron at the edge of the reeds. He was assessing.
She froze when Darius turned, as if he felt her gaze. Their eyes met. For half a second the assessing look held. Then it shifted, and the warm, easy smile returned to his face. He lifted his hand to wave.
Linda waved back and spun around, her pace quickening as her mind spun with it. She was being paranoid, she told herself. The Wayne Group letters had her jumping at shadows. A lot of people stopped to look at that overgrown land, and she'd simply projected her worries onto a man enjoying the last of the evening light.
