Her cheeks heated again, and she strove to sound casual. “It’s funny how people who are happily married think the rest of us should be happily married too.”
“It’s rather surprising you’re not,” Cam said. When she shot him an ached look, he lifted a hand. “I’m just saying, you’re beautiful and smart. I’m not sure why some guy hasn’t put a ring on your finger.”
“Because he was too busy cheating on me with another nurse.” The moment she said the words she wished them back. She waved her hand, avoiding his gaze. “Forget I said that. It doesn’t matter. I’m over it. True love and happily ever after just hasn’t worked out for me. Besides,” she hastily added, “you’re still single too. What’s your excuse? Did some mean woman stomp all over your heart?”
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Pretty much. I dated a female soldier named Glynna for a while, but she ended up getting out of the army after her first tour. We tried to stay together, but it wasn’t long before she told me she met someone else.” He lifted a shoulder. “Not a surprise really. Long-distance relationships rarely work. And as it turns out, I wasn’t as heartbroken as I thought I would be. Things were heating up in the desert, and I had bigger issues to worry about.”
“Yeah, I can understand how you needed to focus on staying alive in enemy territory.” Time to change the subject. “The lakefront will be busy; parking is always a nightmare in the summer.” Even as she spoke, she noticed the line of cars parked along the east side of Lakeshore Drive. Parking wasn’t allowed on the west side of the street. From there, she could see plenty of people splashing and swimming in the water. There was even a sand volleyball game going on.
Fun memories from their lifeguard days.
“Hey, someone’s leaving.” He slowed her SUV as another car edged out of a parking space. He grinned at her. “Perfect timing.”
She had to smile back at him. Glancing back at Bruno, she knew it would be good to let the dog out for a while. After Cam executed a nearly perfect parallel-parking maneuver, she pushed open her door. “Open the hatch for Bruno, please.”
“Sure thing.” He did so, and the large German shepherd didn’t hesitate to jump down. They had to wait for traffic to pass before crossing the street to the lakefront. The sun was behind them, providing a clear view of the beautiful endless stretch of water. Lake Michigan was so big you couldn’t see across to the other side.
The sandy beach of lakeshore stretched for a full mile, but most of the activity took place in the designated swimming area that was roped off with buoys to keep boaters out of the area. There hadn’t been any buoys back when she and Cam worked as lifeguards, but she could appreciate the added safety feature now. In addition, there were three tall white lifeguard stands with young, tanned guards on duty seated in chairs covered by red-and-white striped umbrellas.
“They look so young.” She eyed the two males and one female lifeguards for a long moment before turning to Cam. “Easy to forget how young we were back then.”
“True. Although it didn’t seem like it at the time. Remember how you jumped into the water to save that little boy?”
“Yeah, and you saved that older lady who had gotten caught in the riptide.” She smiled wryly. “We thought we were invincible.”
“We sure did.” He gestured toward the clear blue water. “There are way more boats on the water now than I remember from when we were younger.”
She nodded, sweeping her gaze over the boaters enjoying the summer day. They were standing in an area that was a hundred yards away from the swimming area, enabling them to see the boats and those driving them more clearly.
Bruno ran toward the water, then paused to glance back at her, as if asking permission.
“Go ahead, boy.”
Bruno didn’t need to be asked twice. He jumped right into the water, swimming in a circle for a while before heading back toward shore. She walked closer to the edge of the water to keep an eye on him. Bruno came out of the water and shook himself, spraying her and Cam with water.
“Bruno!” She laughed and pushed her wet hair away from her face. “I guess I should have expected a shower.”
“Hey, I don’t mind, the cold water feels good.” Cam grinned at the dog’s antics. “Has he always liked swimming?”
“I have no idea. This is the first time I’ve brought him to the lakefront.” The thought gave her pause. She’d been so wrapped up in taking care of her mother’s house and grieving over her loss that she hadn’t made time to enjoy the lakefront. The last few months had taken a toll on her emotions, but strangely, she felt lighter now. Maybe because Cam was there and they were remembering the good times along with the bad. “Obviously, I’ll need to bring Bruno back for a visit.”
“Yeah. He loves the water.”
One of the larger speed boats veered closer to shore than was probably safe. Not that she was an expert on how deep the lake was. The driver did a sharp turn, the back of the boat sending up a wide spray of water. Then the driver slowed and appeared to be staring directly at them.
A cold shiver snaked down her spine. She grasped Cam’s arm. “Am I crazy, or is that Dan Johnson?”
Cam nodded slowly, his gaze intense on the boat. “Yeah, it sure looks like him. And based on how he’s staring, he recognizes us too.”
They stood there for what seemed like an eternity. Even Bruno had his nose up, sniffing the air with interest. But if Bruno recognized Dan’s scent from this far away, he didn’t let on.
Cam abruptly broke free from her to stride forward. She wanted to call him back, but no sound emerged from her throat.
Was it possible she was looking at a brutal killer?
Dan Johnson’sgaze was locked on Cam’s. Almost as if Dan knew what he was thinking. That he wanted to confront Dan about what had taken place fourteen years ago. And maybe what had transpired more recently than that too.
Yet there was no way he could swim fast enough to catch up to a boat. He knew that and so did Dan. A smirk crossed Dan’s features, then he pushed the throttle forward and cranked on the wheel to take the boat farther out into the lake.
