Page 7 of Hidden Depths

I'd have been the loudest one.

Today I just smiled.

It was easier.

Smiling kept people from asking questions.

Ben clapped me on the shoulder.

"You okay?"

There it was.

The question I'd been avoiding for weeks.

Months, maybe.

"I'm fine."

He studied me for a second longer than I liked.

Then he nodded.

"Good."

He knew.

Maybe not everything.

But enough.

Ben had led SEAL teams for years.

He noticed things.

He also knew when someone wasn't ready to talk.

Thankfully...

He let it go.

For now.

I looked past him toward the marina.

Luxury yachts lined the docks, gleaming in the early morning sunlight.

I'd spent most of my career on Navy ships.

Gray steel.

Function over comfort.

This...

This was something else entirely.

The yacht waiting for us looked like she'd been carved from sunlight and polished until she glowed.