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He watched her go, feeling an ache that was nowhere near his balls.
When she was out of sight, he glanced down at her beach bag. He d seen her slip her phone into the
front pocket, so he shoved his hand into it, fishing around for the glittery pink case. He pulled the
phone out, glancing back toward the beach to see if she was watching him.
All clear.
Sam hit the power button and saw the new message alert from Jonathan.
Must talk to you. Don t you want to know who Sam really is?
He frowned and looked back down the beach. She was waist-deep in the ocean, laughing as a soft
wave splashed up and hit her in the belly. She turned and smiled at him, waving as the wind tousled
her curls.
He waved back, doing his best to hide the phone in his lap.
The instant she turned around, he deleted the message.
&
They stayed at the beach all day, stopping to snack when they got hungry and taking turns watching the
boys while the other napped or bodysurfed or explored the beach. It was an easy sort of partnership
that made Sam ache to savor it for more than just a couple weeks.
The sun was beginning to drop low in the sky as they packed up their gear.
 I had a really nice time today, she said.  Thanks for being part of it.
 My pleasure. I had a great day, too. Toss me that towel over there and I ll make the first run to the
car.
He d just stood up with both arms full of gear when an older gentleman approached from the side.
He tipped his red-and-white-striped derby hat at Sheri as he slung a fishing pole over one shoulder.
 Afternoon, ma am, he said to Sheri.  Nice to see you out here when you re not too dressed up to
enjoy the weather.
She smiled back, warm and friendly, as a jolt of dread knifed through Sam s gut. Wasn t this the
guy he d met during his spy mission to PMRF a week ago? Sam pulled his baseball cap lower, trying
his damnedest not to be noticed. Would the old guy remember him? They d only spoken a few words,
but Sam had admitted he was a Marine. That he was here doing a favor for a buddy.
He slid his sunglasses on and prayed the guy wouldn t remember any of it.
 I just started working at PMRF on Monday, Sheri was saying,  so it was fun to bring the whole
family out here to enjoy the area. How s the fishing today?
 Can t complain. Can I give you folks a hand?
He turned to Sam, reaching out to take one of the beach bags. Sam watched as recognition lit up the
old guy s face.
 Hey there, I almost didn t recognize you, he said, sticking out a hand for Sam to shake.  Didn t
get a chance to introduce myself properly last weekend. The name s Arthur Ziegler. Retired Marine
sergeant, living here now with my son and his wife and their boys.
Sam returned the handshake, glancing at Sheri to see a bewildered look on her face.  Um, pleasure
to meet you, sir. I m just going to run these things up to the car and 
 I didn t catch your name, son. He smiled at Sheri.  Any of your names, actually.
 I m so sorry, this is Sam and Jackson and Jeffrey and I m Sheri, she said.  Did you say you d met
Sam before?
 No! Sam said a little too quickly.  Just now. We re just now meeting, that is.
Arthur turned and gave him a curious look.  That so? Maybe I m confusing you with someone
else. He studied Sam a moment, his expression perplexed.  My memory s not what it used to be, but
I coulda sworn I met you out here last weekend. You re a Marine here doing a favor for a buddy,
right? I swear 
 Nope, you must be thinking of someone else, Sam interrupted before Arthur could describe
Sam s tattoo or repeat their conversation or give any further proof Sam had been here scoping out
Sheri s workplace.
His face felt hot and his hands were clammy and he was pretty sure he was going to lose it
completely if he didn t escape. He had to get Arthur away from Sheri.  I sure do appreciate your offer
to help though, sir. Would you mind grabbing that cooler right there? The car s just up here a bit.
He started walking fast, hoping to God the old man would follow, that he hadn t already done too
much damage, that his whole world wasn t about to come crashing down around him.
 Sure thing, son, Arthur said as he picked up the cooler. He fell into step beside Sam, and Sam
heaved a silent sigh of relief. When they d gone about ten paces, he turned back to look at Sheri.
She was staring after them with an odd look on her face and her phone gripped in one hand.
She wasn t smiling.
Chapter Nineteen
A sour sense of uneasiness settled into Sheri s gut and wasn t budging. She hardly spoke to Sam the
whole drive home, barely noticing his efforts to draw her out and engage her in conversation about
what she wanted for dinner and when she thought the boys might start crawling.
Why had Arthur Ziegler been so sure he recognized Sam? The guard at the gate had seemed pretty
friendly, too. Had Sam been to PMRF to check on her?
Or was there something more going on here?
It was the something more that niggled at Sheri all evening. She made a simple dinner of pork and
beans and pineapple with cut-up hot dogs another staple of her childhood but she barely touched
it.
 You okay? Sam asked
She looked up to see him studying her warily.  I m fine.
 Is there something you want to talk about?
 Is there something you want to talk about?
They sat frozen in an awkward stalemate. She wondered how long it might have dragged on if it
weren t for Jeffrey squawking in the other room. Sheri hustled off to tend him, doling out bottles and
kisses and all the motherly love she could muster.
By the time she returned to the kitchen, Sam had cleared the table. He looked up as she entered the
room, a guarded look on his face.
 Have you heard from Jonathan again? he asked.
She shook her head.  No, but I left my phone in the other room. She began loading dishes into the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]