Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2) (7 page)

She glared at him.

He stepped closer to her. “Kathryn, I’m just as much a victim in this as you.”

“I have more at risk though.”

Phil huffed. “You clearly don’t understand the complexity of this situation and how powerful my family is.”

She slumped. “Sorry. You're not responsible. Neither of us is. I just needed someone to take my anger out on." She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a scream. “How is this happening? It’s like we’ve been set up.”

"Maybe it's not such a bad thing though." Phil tipped her chin upward with his thumb. "I can vouch for the fact that a life without all that crime is a peaceful life."

Kathryn felt herself melting into Phil. His concern poured over her and sifted away her sadness, like the ocean carried away the sand on the shore. "But I don't have anything else but law. And Sadie. You have a great life here." She motioned to the water and the town a mile away.

Phil let go of her chin. "Kathryn, I promise you God has something better in store for you. I know it hurts to be removed from the case, but ride the tide."

"What?" She scrunched up her face.

"Ride the tide. Go with it. Let it take you to new places."

"Is that what you're going to do?"

"I'm going to stay right here with you. And I'm going to call my cousin later and tell him I won't represent Uncle Louie." He smoothed the hair away from her face. "How about we get our minds off this ridiculous distraction and I take you for a picnic on my boat?"

"A picnic? On your boat? I—I don't know." She popped her right hip out and twisted the toe of her left foot in the sand again.

"You're on vacation now. Remember?"

Kathryn laughed. "I guess you're right."

"Do you want me to pick you up in my boat or do you want to come back over to my house?"

"I'll meet you at your house."

"Still not ready to trust me, huh?"

"I'm getting there."

Chapter Seven

Kathryn had started the day with a hunt for local gossip at church, ended up at lunch with Phil, was dismissed from her case, and now she was going boating and picnicking with a man with whom she had too many forbidden connections. No one could accuse her of living a boring life now. She'd always expected the unexpected, but this day produced a roller coaster high even in her.

Kathryn fed Sadie and checked her water bowl. She grabbed a sandwich baggie out of the drawer and zipped her cell phone into it. In case the boat turned over, she'd spare her phone from destruction.

She changed into her white-and-navy floral halter-top sundress. She'd wear her swimsuit underneath it, but she wasn't getting into that water with sharks and marshy sea grasses and who-knows-what-else.

"Sadie, I'll be back in a bit." Sadie tucked her ears and whimpered. "I'm going out with Phil." She reached for the remote and turned on cartoons to keep Sadie company until she returned. She slipped on her white rhinestone-clad, braided sandals and headed out the door with her keys and phone in hand.

It took a brief two minutes to arrive at Phil's house, where she rolled her Honda in place behind his SUV. Her gaze trailed along the white railing up the stairs to the porch and found Phil leaning against a post waiting on her. Dressed in white drawstring cotton pants and a black button-down short-sleeved top, he slid his sunglasses away from his face and grinned. Her attention froze on his face, and her heart jumped to her throat. Phil wasn't wearing his glasses again, and he'd shaven off his beard. From his spot above her, a strong jaw and full smile greeted her.

"What have I gotten myself into?" She climbed out of her car and made her way to the stairs. "Hey."

"Hi there. You want to come up and see the place or are you ready to hit the water?"

"Well, if you're ready, I'm ready. I think." She giggled. "Actually, I'm pretty terrified to get out there in a boat."

"Have you never been in a boat before?"

She tucked her phone and keys into her skirt pocket. “Living out in the country, I’ve gone tubing on a lake and ridden in a boat many times. But I’ve never been on a boat in the ocean.”

"Well, I promise to be the best captain you've ever had then." He lifted a red cooler off the deck. "If we get out there now, we'll have plenty of time to tour around before the tide goes out."

Kathryn grimaced. "We can get stuck?"

"Not likely. My boat can float in ten inches of water."

"That's a relief. I'd hate to leave Sadie for too long." Of course, Kathryn could think of worse things than being stranded on a boat with Phil. Who cares if he was Maria's ex and Louie Ezzo's nephew? This was the closest thing she'd had to a date in years, and since she was on a forced vacation from her duties, she might as well enjoy it.

"Do you want to go water skiing?" Phil stepped off the last step and sidled up next to her, motioning with his head to a pair of water skis leaning against the storage area.

"Ha ha, funny! I don't think so."

"Okay, if you're not feeling adventurous. Maybe we can do a little fishing though."

"Sure. As long as you don't bring in another giant shark."

"Giant? That was a baby."

"Well, keep the sharks out of the boat."

"Yes, ma'am. If you insist."

She nudged him with her elbow. "I do."

Phil led the way through his backyard to a dock on a canal and stepped on to a white Carolina Skiff. He placed the cooler on the floor of the boat and then reached for Kathryn's hand. "Watch your step, miss." He winked before he slid his sunglasses onto his face.

Kathryn sat on the bench behind the steering wheel and adjusted the strap on her dress. Her insides felt like spaghetti.

Phil adjusted several knobs on the console then untied the rope that secured the boat to the dock. "You look very nice, by the way."

"Thanks. You do too. I like your face." Kathryn gulped and erased her words with her hands. "I mean, the lack of beard and glasses. I mean, I liked the beard and the glasses, but your bare face is nice too."
Shut up, Kathryn!

"Grazie. I like your face too."

Oh, he was speaking Italian to her now? The stakes just got higher.

"It was getting too hot for a beard. And the glasses…well, they're just for looks. I can see fine without them."

"Just for looks, huh? So you're a trend follower?"

"Sometimes. Only when it makes me look better though."

She giggled. Nothing could make Phil look bad. Beard. No beard. Glasses. No glasses. Mud on his face. Food on his clothes. He'd look great no matter what. She'd already seen him covered in fish bait and shark blood and even they didn't detract from his charm. Kathryn fanned her face. The heat was getting to her.

Phil put the boat in reverse and then directed it toward the open water. He waved at some of his neighbors, who sat on their docks. "I thought we'd go over to Atsena Otie Key for our picnic, if that's okay with you. It's got a gorgeous beach."

"I saw some pictures of it in a scrapbook at my condo. It’s beautiful, but I read that there are a lot of snakes on the key." Kathryn shuddered.

“Yes, there are a lot of rattlers and copperheads, but I know how to watch out for them. Stick close to me, and you’ll be fine.” Phil straightened his back and puffed out his chest, playing the role of the guardian.

He wanted to protect her? She’d gladly let him. “Don’t worry. I will.” Kathryn shook her head and grimaced at her boldness then she pointed. "There's my dock right there." She had to turn the course of this conversation away from too much closeness with Phil. Without the umbrella of business over their heads and without the security of the accountability she had back home, this time together could catch her off-guard and take a turn in a taboo direction before she knew what had happened.

"You're right there? I know the owner. You're not far from me. I could've picked you up in the boat." Phil maneuvered the skiff around a bend, watching on both sides to steer around the shallow spots. "You can stand up here with me, if you'd like. You'll have a better view, and we won't have to yell over the wind once I open her up."

Kathryn eased herself up from the bench, finding her sea legs, and inched her way to Phil, who laughed. "Don't make fun of me."

"Sorry. I've done enough of that already, right?"

"Right." Kathryn let her shoulders relax, although she held on to the bar around the console. The shade of the awning reduced the heat she'd felt earlier, but her insides still tingled from her closeness with Phil. Her head told her to protect her heart, but her heart wanted to experience some fun and some attention from a man. This man.

Phil whipped the boat around to the right, causing her to lean into him. She grabbed the bar tighter and smiled until her lips stuck to her teeth from the wind. Phil dashed around small sandy spots and gave her the local's tour of the area. Then he slowed the boat and turned to face her. "Here we are. Isn't it beautiful?"

The key, surrounded by c
erulean
water, an azure sky, and trees and grasses in various shades of green and brown, couldn't have been a better place for a picnic. "It's gorgeous. Kind of feels like you're a million miles away from the world."

"That's why I like to come out here."

Phil helped Kathryn out of the boat and went back for the cooler and a quilt. He held up the beach umbrella, but Kathryn shook her head. She could use a little sun on her shoulders. Phil returned to her side, kicked off his sandals, and ripped off his T-shirt, sending Kathryn’s internal temperature to new heights. Maybe she needed the freezer pack from the cooler to cool her down.

"So how does it feel to be on vacation?"

"I haven't been on a vacation in years so I don’t have much to measure it against, but I'd say this one is off to a pretty good start." What girl wouldn’t love an afternoon on a beach with a hunk of a man like Phil? She’d better behave herself. It had been too long since she’d had so much as a kiss. She wouldn’t fight him off if he tried to kiss her, but she’d have to refrain from making the first move. She bit her lip and tucked her chin. Heat darted through her body like a pinball in a pinball machine.

Phil tipped her chin upward. "I'm thrilled to be a part of your vacation."

The best part of it so far.
Was she losing her senses? In a few days when she returned home, they'd be on opposite sides of this case.

No, they wouldn't. She had her freedom. The first bit of freedom she'd felt in a long time. She was free to fraternize with this man all she wanted to.

"I'm glad you came with me out here. I'm sorry that you got taken off the case, but I'm not sorry you're still here in Cedar Key."

"I'm glad I'm still here too." Kathryn accepted the bottled water Phil offered her and forced herself to focus on something other than his attractiveness. She’d never been this shallow before. "You know, this morning I came to church hoping to hear some gossip that might lead me to the gun. Your pastor's words hit me like a runaway elephant right in my heart."

"How so?" He pulled containers of fruit and sandwiches out of the cooler and placed them on the quilt.

"I don't know much about church, but I've always known—felt that God was out there somewhere watching me." She waved her hand in the air. "This morning, I realized that He's not just watching me. He's watching over me, and He's not as far away as I thought. I don't deserve to be cared for like that, but I'm glad He's there."

Phil laughed. "No one deserves God's love and protection. That's what makes it so great. He created us and so I guess you could say He has a vested interest in us. I believe we're never somewhere without God ordaining it first. I think He ordained you to be there this morning to hear that message."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew when I saw you the second time, when I ran into you at the sandwich shop, that you needed some kind of reassurance. I didn't want to pry, but I knew you were feeling hurt. You cried this morning in church, and I prayed that God would speak to your heart."

"Thanks. I—I don't know if that's what you call it, since I don't know religious terminology, but I felt the ice thawing a bit. I think you call it faith. Facts have always been easier for me to believe in than things I can't see."

"Then I'm glad my uncle inadvertently brought you here to Cedar Key."

Kathryn's shoulders had a pink hue, and her skin had started to sting. Phil was tanned from being out in the sun, so he didn't seem to mind the direct sunlight. She poured some of her bottled water into the palm of her hand and patted her shoulders to cool them off.

"You’re getting a lot of sun on your shoulders, and your nose and cheeks are pink. Are you ready to head back?"

"I'm fine to stay a bit longer, if you'd like. You know the tides better than me."

"We've got a little more time. Would you like me to get the umbrella from the boat?"

"That would be great!"

Phil hopped up off the quilt and sauntered over to the boat. Confidence dripped off him like the sweat that dripped off her forehead. He had probably been a beast in the courtroom. Too bad he wasn't still practicing law. What a thrill it would be to see him in action. If he ended up defending Ezzo, she’d attend the trial just to see him work.

Phil returned and staked the pole in the sand. Then he attached the umbrella and opened it. The angle of the umbrella created the perfect shady spot for both of them. "Do you mind if I squeeze under here with you? I'm a bit toasty." His lips parted, and he half-grinned.

"I'd be happy to share my shade with you. Thank you for thinking to bring the umbrella. I wouldn’t have survived much longer out here without it." She placed her hand over her heart.

“You’re used to being inside in a courtroom and not outside in all this grandeur.” Phil nudged her with his arm and let it rest against hers. The heat wasn't going to get any better if he stayed this close to her.

Time to turn the conversation in a different direction once again before she got herself into trouble with this alluring man. If only she could drown out the sound of her pulse thumping in her throat. "I’ve been thinking about the probability of us meeting. It’s not as far-fetched as I first thought.”

“I’m listening.” Phil pulled a container of fruit from the cooler and offered some to Kathryn.

She reached in and slipped out a slice of pineapple. “There are churches where I live that are three times the size of Cedar Key. People run into each other at the store all the time, and they recognize each other easily even though twelve thousand people live in my town. It isn’t unthinkable that our paths would have crossed at some point here.”

Kathryn took a bite of pineapple and wiped the juice from her chin. She held up her index finger. “Plus your family has connections here, so Cedar Key isn’t all that random of a place for me to end up or for you to be here. If your uncle or his goons had any sentimental attachment to the gun at all, it makes sense that they’d hide it here in Cedar Key. They certainly wouldn’t want to hide it somewhere in New York where investigators would find it, and they wouldn’t have hidden it in Georgia near where those two murders took place.”