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I sagged into the door frame. “Oh.” I could understand his appeal for Myra. He was an attractive man, and for several years Daddy hadn’t been the man she’d married. I was the last person to judge her. It just felt strange to think of her with someone else.
“I think Myra’s invited a few other people too, so it will be a full house. We’d have no hope of finding anything with so many people around.”
I bit my lower lip, jumpy with anxiety. Now that I had confirmation that Daddy really had hidden information around the house, I was eager to find it. But David was right. It would be better to wait. “Okay. But I want to start tomorrow. After we visit the colony site.” I swept a few stray strands of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail from my face.
“Why don’t you go get ready, and I’ll take you to dinner. When do you want to go?”
I didn’t want to take a shower, and it was too humid to do anything with my hair. Besides, it wasn’t like we were going on a real date. “Forty-five minutes?”
“Okay.” He grinned. “I’ll pick you up then.”
I drove my car home, mulling over everything I’d learned in the past twenty-four hours. I was sure I was missing something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I washed my body off with a washrag, checking out the mark on my back in the mirror. It had faded quite a bit in the last day. I figured I had a couple of days at most. The thought filled me with terror, but I had to believe that David would find something.
No. It was time for me to depend on myself. I would find a solution and David would hopefully contribute. I’d start searching the house for the notes tomorrow. Daddy would have wanted me protected, so Ahone’s mark had to be in his notes somewhere. I tried to ignore the fact that he hadn’t recognized the mark that had been passed down in Manteo’s line from Keeper to Keeper.
David showed up exactly on time, wearing khakis and a short-sleeve button-down shirt, open at the collar. He looked more handsome than ever. My stomach did a little flip, and the look of appreciation in his eyes made me suck in my breath. I suddenly worried that he might be interested in me for something other than our professional relationship.
I had to put a stop to that.
His eyes scanned the pale green sundress I’d pulled on and then landed on my face. “You look lovely, Ellie.”
“Thank you,” I murmured as I let him in. “I just need to grab a pair of shoes.”
David followed me inside while I went into my room. When I emerged, bending over to slip my feet into my sandals, he smiled. “Have you figured out where we should go?”
“Yeah.” I gave him directions to a restaurant on the highway to Nags Head. When we arrived, we were told there was a ten-minute wait, so we sat at the outdoor bar in the back of the restaurant, overlooking the sound. We ordered drinks and watched the water in silence as I tried to figure out how to handle David’s possible interest in me. I couldn’t afford to offend him.
Other than Drew—Claire’s fiancé and my own friend since we were all kids together—Collin was the first man I’d spent time with without pursuing a romantic relationship. That intention had lasted all of a few days. Now here I was committing to a long-term working relationship with a very attractive man, and I wanted to keep it platonic. I snuck a glance at him. Could this really work, or was I just fooling myself?
David kept his gaze fixed on the sound. “How did things suddenly get so awkward?” he said after a while. “I can tell you’re anxious. You described what’s between us as a professional relationship, so why don’t you just think of this as a business dinner.”
He’d caught me watching him. “Sorry. This is all new for me.”
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought it might make working together easier if we were better acquainted personally.”
I released a long breath. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry I’m so edgy.”
“You’re dealing with a lot right now. No one can blame you for feeling anxious.” He studied me for a moment. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
He stiffened slightly. “You’re not much older than my students.”
My brow wrinkled in confusion. “You make yourself sound ancient. You said you were in your early thirties, right?”
“Thirty-one.”
I snorted. “I have a dress older than that.”
He laughed. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
I glanced over at him and grinned. “You have dresses tucked into your closet?”
His face flushed.
“I never took you for the blushing type, Dr. Preston,” I teased.
“I never used to be until I met you.”
