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“What’s wrong?” She placed a hand on each of his shoulders, liking the feel of her body floating against his.
“There’s something you should know.”
“What?” He was so serious that her heart throbbed. She didn’t want anything to ruin this. If he told her he was married she wasn’t sure what she’d do.
“Carla, I’m a policeman for the city of Spokane.”
Two
Carla woke just as the sun crested the horizon and bathed the beach in a flashy glow of color. Nancy had been asleep by the time Carla had returned last night, which was just as well. She hadn’t felt much like talking.
Philip Garrison had taught her a valuable lesson. She should have trusted her instincts. From her first look at Philip, she’d felt he wasn’t her type. At the time, she hadn’t realized how true that was. His kisses had been…She couldn’t find a word to describe them. Pleasant, she mused. All right, very pleasant. But that certainly wasn’t enough to overcome what he was.
Dang. Dang. Dang. She’d liked him. In fact, she’d liked him a lot. He was sensitive, sympathetic, compassionate, kind, caring…Carla placed the pillow over her head to drown out her thoughts. She wouldn’t allow herself to think about him again. This crazy idea of Nancy’s had been ridiculous from the beginning. She’d put the episode behind her and get on with her vacation.
Throwing back the covers of her bed, she stood and stretched. Nancy grumbled and curled into a tight ball. Typical of Nancy, who hated mornings.
“What time is it?” she demanded in a growling whisper.
“Early. The sun just came up.”
“Sun!” Nancy’s eyes popped open. “I forgot to set the alarm.”
Carla smiled as she sat in the middle of the double bed and ran a brush through her hair to tame the wild array of red curls. “Don’t worry about the time. We’re on vacation, remember?”
With an uncharacteristically hurried movement, Nancy threw back the sheets. “But I promised to meet Eduardo on the beach at dawn,” she cried out. “Oh good grief, how could I have been so stupid?”
For Nancy to forget anything was surprising by itself. But to have her friend show this much enthusiasm in the morning was astonishing.
“I take it you and…Eduardo hit it off?”
Nancy’s head bobbed energetically. “What about you?”
“Not so lucky,” Carla returned with a wistful sigh.
Nancy’s most attractive summer dress slid over her hips as she turned her back to Carla in an unspoken request for her to help with the zipper. “What went wrong?”
“You don’t have time to hear,” Carla said with forced cheerfulness.
“He looked nice.”
Nice was only the beginning, Carla thought. “Looks are often deceiving.” That much was true. Who would have imagined that Philip Garrison would turn out to be so appealing? “If I’m not mistaken, I’d say you and Eduardo got along famously.”
“He’s fabulous. I can’t remember a night I’ve enjoyed more.” Nancy paused, and a dreamy look replaced the hurried frown that had marred her smooth features.
“His cast doesn’t bother you?” Carla couldn’t help asking.
“Good grief, no. I hardly thought about it.”
That was saying something.
“He’s taking me on an all-day tour of Mazatlán. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Mind? Me? Of course not.” Carla’s mouth formed a tight smile. Now she’d be forced to spend the entire day alone. “Have a good time,” she managed without a hint of sarcasm. No need to ruin Nancy’s fun.
“Thanks, I will.” Always practical, Nancy grabbed a hat to protect her from the sun, tucked her credit cards into a secret flap in her purse, and was out the door in a rush.
Carla flopped back on her bed and stared at the shadows on the ceiling. This vacation was rapidly turning into a disaster. Day two, and already she wished she were back in Seattle.
