“I bet a cat like that is expensive.”
“They can be, but he came from a Sphynx rescue.”
Bowie planted a paw on Ethan’s head and started grooming his hair with a tongue bath.
Undrea laughed. “He’s funny. Is he always like that?”
“You mean lacking a sense of personal space?” Ethan nodded, grinning. “Yes.”
“How about you hold on to him until I get these last few measurements?”
“I’d be happy to.” He took a few steps back to let her finish.
She looked at her tape, wrote down some numbers, then closed her portfolio and put the tape measure back in her pocket. “Okay. All done.”
Nina’s phone rang. She took the call, holding up a finger as if to say she’d just be a moment even as she walked off to find some privacy.
Undrea shrugged. “I have everything I need for the preliminary stuff.”
“Can I walk you to your car?”
She hesitated. “Sure.”
“Great.” He put Bowie on one of his many cat trees and opened the door for her.
She went out ahead of him, then he followed, quickly closing the door before Bowie joined them.
He wanted to say something about the lake but wasn’t sure if he should.
At the bottom of the steps, she turned. “About this morning. I’m sorry I called you a creep. I was startled and—”
“No, you had every right. I shouldn’t have assumed that you were…”
“Dead?” She snorted. “Sorry about that. That must have really freaked you out.”
“It did. But maybe not so much as you suddenly being alive. Which I’m super glad about, by the way.”
“Thanks.” She looked extremely amused.
He took advantage of her good mood to ask the question that was plaguing him. “How do you hold your breath so long? And how did you just disappear into the water like that?”
“I’m an amateur free diver. That’s what I was doing in the lake this morning. Practicing. It kind of puts me in a zoned-out mental state, which is why you startled me.”
“Sorry about that. Free diving, huh? That’s really cool.”
She opened up her portfolio and pulled out a business card. “Here. In case you have any questions about the tank before I get back to you. Or if you decide what kind of fish you want.”
“What kind of fish would you put in the tank?”
The question seemed to catch her off guard. “There are so many right answers.”
“Dream tank. What do you fill it with?”
“Dream tank? Money’s no object?”
He nodded. This was easily one of his favorite conversations to have with people. What they’d do in a certain situation if money were no object. Answers that surprised him were rare but worth it. “Right.”
“Well… I’d have to say jellies, but that’s a selfish answer.”
“Jellies? Jellyfish?”
She nodded.
“Why is that selfish?”
“Because they’re pelagic—”
“Open ocean.”
“Yes.” She smiled like she hadn’t expected him to understand that. “They aren’t suited to tank life. I mean, sure, people keep moon jellies, but they rarely live more than a year, and that’s with ideal conditions. Which are nearly impossible. You have to maintain a very particular and constant water flow, for one thing. But they’re so beautiful.”
“If not jellies, what then?”
She grinned. “I already have that tank.”
“What is it?”
She shook her head. “I’ll tell you after you decide what you want. I don’t want to unduly influence you.”
Nina walked out onto the balcony above them, still on the phone. She stared down, frowning.
He sighed. “I should go. I’ll give the fish some thought.” But he’d also be thinking about her. How could he not? He could have kept on talking to her. She was smart and interesting in so many ways. Different, too. There was something about her he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Okay,” she said. “Again, call or email if you have any questions or concerns. I’m always available for my clients. I know fish can be a big decision.”
“Thank you.”
With a nod, she slipped past him and got into her truck. It was a marine blue F250, and somehow it was both a surprise and completely fitting that she drove such a beast.
He watched her go for a few seconds, then jogged back upstairs.
Nina was just hanging up as he walked inside.
“Everything okay?”
“Just my mother, checking to see how we’re settling in.” She glanced toward the door. “Maybe the tank is a bad idea. Seems like it’s a lot more complicated than I thought.”
“Are you kidding? I think it’s one of the best ideas you’ve had.”
Her eyes rounded. “Really?”
“Absolutely. I love the idea of having a saltwater aquarium while I’m simultaneously developing this desalinization membrane. It’s genius.”
She smiled. “Well, then. Full speed ahead.”
Breathlessness wasn’t a feeling Undrea could ever say she had truly experienced before. After all, she could breathe air and water. In fact, breathlessness had never actually happened to her.
Until now.
Until Ethan.
“So much for not seeing him.” She exhaled. “Oh my cod. I’m in trouble.” She stared at the road ahead as she drove and tried not to think about all the weird, squishy, magical feelings whirling around inside of her. “Serious trouble. That was not CPR. That was definitely a kiss. At least the universe thought it was, because I am screwed.”
She should go to her office, but she needed to talk to someone first. In person. Not on the phone, not via text. She needed live and face-to-face.
And that person was Mattie Sharpe.
Thankfully, she lived close by. Near the vineyards, which was convenient because her bees were especially good at pollinating those vines.
Ten minutes later, Undrea pulled into the gravel drive of Mattie’s English-style cottage and climbed out of the truck. The garden around Mattie’s cottage was always beautiful, no matter the time of year, but in the spring like it was now, with everything budding and blooming, the garden was on the verge of amazing.
She was a talented Celtic witch but also a very talented gardener. The two pretty much went hand in hand when your witchy gifts were earth-centric.
Undrea knocked on the door.
It opened a second later. “Come on in,” Mattie called from inside the cottage, too far away to have been the one who’d opened the door. But then that was usually Blueberry’s job these days. Mattie had to do something to keep the imp busy.
Undrea walked in. “Sorry to come by unannounced.”
Mattie wiped her hands on a red gingham towel before tossing it over her shoulder. “You weren’t unannounced. The bees told me you were on your way. What’s bothering you?”
Undrea took a deep breath and thought about where to start.
Blueberry, the tiny imp who lived with Mattie, guarded her bees, and generally got up to mischief, flitted past to sit on her shoulder. Mattie’s brows shot up as she took a good look at Undrea. “Uh-oh. I can already tell it’s not a what that’s bothering you. It’s a who. What’s his name?”