“I know, right?”
*
Dave walked carefully; his gaze ever watchful. He had noticed the leaves rustling on the far side of the river earlier, but he hadn’t known whether it was animal or human. There were several crude crossings, as in downed trees that allowed someone to cross. One had a rope as a guide farther up. He had already been here, exploring, but he hadn’t seen anybody on this side. And because Leia didn’t own the property on the other side—that was one of the parcels Bullard was trying to buy—Dave didn’t really have any right to be there. Not yet.
Plus, Dave figured the island way would take longer to get the paperwork done, making this all legal. But given that most of the island on this side was deserted, Dave was less concerned about that issue and more concerned about everybody’s safety. With Katie at his side, he walked forward, his gaze checking out the bushes.
“Do you think somebody is here?” she asked softly.
“I imagine so.” He gave a subtle nod. “A lot of people live in the nearest village, and there has probably been a lot of curiosity about what’s going on with Leia, especially since she left. Any activity here is bound to make a stir. People are naturally curious.”
“Did they steal her stuff?”
“I had a crew come back here and gather up her personal belongings right after they left. As you can see, there’s no way to lock up or to look after anything. But then the island people are not as concerned about possessions as other societies.” He shrugged. “I think it’s more about curiosity than anything criminal, like stealing.”
“I get that, but we need to ensure the safety of everyone coming here for the wedding.”
Dave agreed. He walked up to the first bridge. “Are you okay to cross this?”
“Sure. The worst that can happen is I’ll get wet. Wetter, that is.”
He just laughed, loving her openness. Still holding hands, the two walked across the makeshift bridge until they stood on the other side.
“I can’t believe how beautiful this island is. Just compare this lush landscape to a new subdivision back home, where they plow down every tree and bush in sight, leaving desolation behind. And for what? To build a house amid a plot of gray dirt? It pains my heart to see the mindless death of all those trees. Why can’t they take down a few trees to make room for the footprint of the house? Maybe use the downed trees for firewood for the new home or even for flooring in the new construction?” She shook her head, lost in those thoughts.
“Right. That’s exactly why we are looking at this as being a vacation retreat for the company, getting back to nature, getting back to simple, getting back to wholesome, after dealing with the blights in the world.”
“Works for me.” She released another long sigh. “I would love to spend some time here. It’s actually very romantic.”
He chuckled at that. “There we are, back to talking about romance.”
“Not sure there’s any getting away from it.” She laughed. “We are here for a wedding, after all. Plus, it’s definitely gorgeous here.”
And it was also empty of humans. “I’m not seeing any evidence of someone being here now,” Dave noted.
“No, but, if they didn’t want to be seen, it wouldn’t be that hard to hide in this landscape.”
“That’s quite true,” he agreed. “But, as far as I know, all the bad guys have been caught at the moment.”
“Excuse me if this is offensive, but, in your line of work, there appears to be a never-ending supply of bad guys.”
“That is quite true.” He gave her points for that. What he really didn’t want was anything to interrupt the wedding or to cast a cloud over the visit for anyone.
“So are the rumors true? Are you really planning on having that many people get married that same day?” She paused, then added, “Not that it really makes a difference in my catering plans, other than having one wedding cake shared by all.” She frowned. “Or I could do individual cakes …”
“Let me ask you about that.” He stopped, turned to face her. “As a woman, do you think the women will feel put upon, if the guys spring this idea of getting married on them so quickly? Would it bother you?”
She thought about it, then shook her head. “No, but then I’m a person who likes to do things spontaneously, at least if I’m left in charge.” She firmed her lips and gave a one-arm shrug. “So, for me, it would make a lot of sense to do something like this. While obviously I do make plans for my catering jobs ahead of time, I’m not the type to plan something for myself and have it be months away.”
“Right, so you would prefer to have something that would come off fairly quickly.”
“Absolutely. I’m not at all good at waiting,” she admitted. “But I’m pretty sure I’m not your average female either.”
“There’s nothing average about you,” he stated sincerely.
She squeezed his fingers. “Thanks. I think.”
He smiled. “It was definitely intended as a compliment.”
She wondered just how long they would tiptoe all around it. Finally she decided that, even though it could be awkward if the answers weren’t what she wanted to hear; it would be worth it to get it resolved. Squaring her shoulders, she just said what was on her mind.
“So, Dave, are we heading somewhere, such as a dating relationship, or will we just continue to walk around it indefinitely?” She studied his face, seeing shock, then pleasure, washing over his features. She relaxed a bit, still nervous what he would now say.
“Well, I’d like to see us head somewhere,” he replied, surprised by her directness. “I just don’t want to push you or to make you uncomfortable.”
“We’ve known each other for years,” she noted. “Could a simple bit of conversation like this be pushing it?”
“Maybe right now it is.” He explained further. “While we’ve got a lot of wedding-related work to get through over the next few days, plus we need to find the snitch and find out who is watching us, but going on a date or something down the road is certainly a potential.”
She smiled and shook her head. “How about we forget about dates down the road. We’ve had plenty of time to get to know each other. So how about you have dinner on the yacht with me tonight? Let’s just be crazy and call it a date. We’re alone for the next two days, after all.”
He looked at her, and a slow smile formed and spread across his face. “If you’re asking me out,” he teased, “I accept.”
“Well, I guess that’s one way to get a date with you.” She laughed, happy he said yes without too much hesitation. “So will you come and stay on the yacht with me?”
“I wasn’t really planning on it.” He frowned.
“I think you should. That way we can have some wine and just relax. We can really get to know each other a little more.”
“I’d like that a lot,” he replied warmly.
She gave him a gentle smile. “Me too.” And, with that, they took one last look at their lush surroundings and explored a little more.
Calling it a date made him feel awkward. Just calling it dinner made him relax a bit. Was he stuck in a rut? Probably. And an older man stuck in his ways was hard to prod along. He almost laughed out loud at that thought. Dave had never been a flirt. He was much too serious for that. But he was as honest and as honorable as the day was long. Maybe too honorable when it came to his late wife. So he was at a disadvantage here. He wasn’t nearly as “in touch” with his feelings as Katie was.