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“Collin was hot too.”
“Collin doesn’t count.”
“He most certainly does. I don’t trust my judgment when it comes to men.”
“Then trust mine. Do not let Dr. David Preston get away. This man is perfect for you.”
I scowled. “You don’t even know him.”
“I see the way he lights up when he talks about you. And the way you get flustered when I bring up the idea of him getting in your panties.”
“Umm…” David was standing in the doorway, his face flushing. “Ellie, I’m ready to go when you are.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “‘I’ll be ready in a minute.” I waited a moment. “Is he gone?” I asked in a whisper.
Claire laughed. “Yep.”
I opened my eyes and smacked her arm. “Thanks a lot! You knew he was there, didn’t you.”
A wicked smile lit up her eyes. “It should be an interesting day now.”
I dried off my hands. “Just for that, you can clean up the kitchen on your own.”
David was waiting in the dining room, and he didn’t say a word as we got into his car. The silence was awkward, so I tried to break the tension. “I meant to tell you that the dream catcher worked.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
“Not a single dream. I didn’t even see the animals this time. I woke up when I heard the woman’s screams.”
“That’s fantastic news. You’ll have to sleep with it every night. And tonight, I insist on sleeping on your sofa.”
“David—”
He parked his car in the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site lot and held up his hand. “Nope. You agreed to listen to my suggestions and concerns. I’m not trying to hover over you, although I have to admit that I’m protective of the people I care about. But if we’re going to be partners, we need to watch out for each other. I want to keep an eye on you…and at the risk of emasculating myself, I’d feel better if you were there to protect me if I need it too.”
There was no way I could refuse him if he truly felt safer with me. And besides, his argument made sense. If Collin had a problem with us working together, it stood to reason that the spirits and gods wouldn’t like it either. I couldn’t count on the marks protecting David at the inn. I suspected he was a lot like me. If he heard someone screaming for help in the middle of the night, he would be the first person out the door. “Okay.”
“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he teased, opening his car door. “Now let’s go check out Manteo’s hut.”
Manteo’s hut. My stomach churned with anxiety.
David got me checked in at the foundation office, and they gave me a guest pass marking me as a visitor. When we left the building and started down the sidewalk, David snuck a glance at me. “You look nervous.”
“I am. There’s a lot riding on this.”
“We know it’s not our only potential source of information. But I do think the hut is going to give us some guidance.”
The village came into view as we rounded a bend and I froze, my feet sticking to the sidewalk.
“Have you seen it since it reappeared?” he asked quietly.
“Only what they showed on TV the day they found it.” I took a deep breath. “Both my parents worked in this park, and I’ve been here more times than I can count. But this…” I hesitated. “I wish Daddy could have seen it.”
David rested his hand on my arm. “If you don’t feel up to this…”
“No.” I turned to him, pleading. “I do. It’s just that my father lived his entire life to see this. There were over four hundred years of Keepers in our family, and it all boils down to me. I don’t feel worthy.”
“Ellie, I’m sure your father would be proud of you. And for what it’s worth, from what I know of you, youareworthy.”
