nice to see you here,” Amanda said. She walked over, perfect smile in place. “You have the weekend off?” she asked politely, as if surprised.
“Hello, Amanda. Yes, I have the weekend off.”
Amanda looked disapproving. “I would have thought they really needed you, what with the tourists and all. I suppose the club really does run itself. Still, I’m surprised the commodore didn’t want your lovely face around.”
“I’m sure he can manage on his own for a few days,” Beth said sweetly. “Have you met Sandy and Brad?”
“Briefly,” Amanda said, turning.
It was enough for Beth.
She escaped.
To get anywhere, though, she had to pass the barbecue, since the three men had their tents set up in the other direction, and if she made a point of going around the barbecue, she would be heading inland, into the dense foliage, rather than along the sand.
She had nearly made it past when Amber caught her arm. “Aunt Beth, come see. Everything looks perfect!”
She smiled weakly as Keith expertly flipped a fillet, then shook a mixture of seasonings onto it.
“That looks great,” Amber told him, though her enthusiasm sounded forced.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a hot dog, like Kim?” He laughed at her grateful expression and put another hot dog on the grill.
“You guys are ready for all occasions,” Beth murmured. She was wedged between her niece and Keith Henson. They were almost touching. Almost. Not quite.
“Well, it’s not that I can’t—we can’t—rough it, but a few conveniences are nice,” he said. He looked at her. The sun was slipping lower toward the horizon, and in the deepening shadows, his eyes seemed darker than ever. She felt as if he was staring at her with the same suspicion she felt for him.
“We have two-bedroom tents!” Amber said.
“I’m not really sure you could call them bedrooms,” Beth murmured.
“Well, I only have a one-bedroom tent,” Keith said. “But it’s still a convenience when it rains. What I really like is just to sleep on the sand and stare up at the stars.”
“Yeah, that’s cool,” Amber agreed.
“I think your dad wants you in the tent tonight,” Beth said, once again afraid her words sounded sharper than she’d intended.
She saw Keith’s lips tighten as he tried to hide a smile. Yes, she was definitely on edge, and it was showing.
“Amber?” Ben called, and she scampered off, Kim following in her wake.
“So, have you got padlocks on those tents?” Keith asked.
She flushed, but stared defiantly back at him. “You’re strangers,” she said, feeling that no other explanation was needed.
The smile he had been hiding turned into a deep grin that brought out his dimples once again. “So are Brad and Sandy.”
“They’re not three guys.”
“Are you sure we’re not going to poison the fish?” he asked.
“I hadn’t thought of it,” she admitted, but stared at him with a grim smile. “Maybe I should have.”
“Ouch. That’s a challenge. I can take a bite of yours first, if you want.”
“I’ll live dangerously.”
He looked out across the sand, then at her. “Do you come here often?”
“Yes. Well, usually. Not this year. This is the first time this year.” She didn’t know why she was stumbling around to explain. She didn’t owe him any explanations. She kept talking anyway. “We spent our vacation in the Bahamas this year. This used to be the last weekend of summer vacation. Now, the girls have already been back at school for a few weeks. And for Christmas, we all went to Denver. Even though it’s so close, this is the first time we’ve been out here this year. And you?”
“I’ve dived the area dozens of times,” he said, turning his attention to the fish once again. “But there was never really any reason to stop at the island.”
“I thought Lee was the one who knew the area,” she reminded him sharply.
He smiled. “Lee knows it best. But I have been here before. Just not to this island.”
“So why now?” she demanded.
He arched a brow. He was answering slowly, she thought. Too slowly. “Well...” He laughed. “Because it’s here, I guess.”
“So you’re really here for the diving? Not the fishing?”
“Obviously we’ve been fishing.” He smiled and nodded toward the grill.
“But you’re mainly here to dive.”
“Has it suddenly become illegal?” he queried, laughter in his eyes again.
“Of course not.”
“I love diving here,” he told her, and she felt that he was being totally honest at that moment. Actually, she couldn’t think of anything he’d said that hadn’t sounded honest. Was she being ridiculously suspicious? Even if she had seen a skull, Ben was right. There was no reason to suspect that a man appearing then would have anything to do with a skull that had been on the beach for days, maybe longer. So why was she so suspicious?
Because he frightened her in too many ways?
“Excuse me. I think I’ll get a beer,” she murmured, slipping past him, but she intended a smooth exit. She stepped a little too quickly and a little too close. She felt the tension in his muscles, then nearly careened sideways into him.
“Excuse me,” she murmured again, afraid she was blushing. She hurried away and walked right past the cooler, then remembered she had said she was going for a beer. She quickly secured one, then went to stand by her brother’s side.
Sandy and Brad were telling stories about diving the Great Barrier Reef. She had to admit that she’d never been.
Amanda, however, could agree with them on the beauty of the dive.
“Such a long flight, though,” Sandy said.
“Oh, it was really a lovely jaunt for me,” Amanda gushed. “We went with some of Father’s associates, sailed for months and saw zillions of islands, and then went on to Australia. The week in Fiji was my favorite, I think. Though Tahiti was fabulous, too. We had such a darling little place there. While the yacht was being cleaned, we had charming and very private rooms right on the beach. The sunrises were exquisite, the sunsets even more so.”
“Hey, all we have to do is step out of our tents tomorrow morning for the same effect,” Keith said, arriving with a large plate of grilled fish. “There are some fantastic sunrises right here.” He offered Amanda a broad smile. Flirtatious? Or intended to take some of the sting out of his reminder that their own home offered a world-class beauty.
“Oh, yes, this area is fabulous, as well.” Amanda smiled meaningfully at Beth. “Especially when you really can’t go anywhere else.”
Beth smiled back, all the while envisioning dumping the ice in the cooler over the woman’s head.
“Soup’s on!” Matt announced cheerfully.
There were a few camp chairs, and Matt had spread blankets out on the sand. A looped palm offered a few seats perfectly created by nature, and with her plate filled with fish and potato salad, Beth found herself claiming the tree as a chair. Hank took the seat next to her, but when Amanda called to him, begging him to get her something to drink, he left, and she found herself being joined by Keith. She wondered if he was seeking her out on purpose. And then she wondered why. She didn’t