Uncharted Waters (15 page)

“I only want one piece of toast.”

“You've got two.”

“But I—”

Bending to kiss him on the top of his head as he sat down at the table, she added, “And they'd better be gone by the time I get your backpack packed or you won't be going fishing today.”

Alison felt two sets of male eyes on her back as she left the kitchen to stow the asthma medications into Kevin's backpack. She heard Drew excuse himself, but she didn't stop until she'd reached Kevin's room.

“Alison.”

She didn't look at him. She couldn't because somehow hurt had transformed into anger. To make matters worse, she felt like a fool. Because she didn't know how to deal with any of those things, because she didn't want to, she picked up Kevin's medications and held them out for him to see.

“If he gets tight, make sure he uses his inhaler.” She held out the small L-shaped tube and the spacer.

Drew glanced at them. “Is the other piece the spacer?”

For a moment she was surprised that he would know what a spacer was. Then she remembered he was an EMT. Of course, he would know about those things. That was one of the reasons she'd agreed to let Kevin go fishing with him in the first place. “Because Kevin is so young, the specialist recommended that we also use a spacer. It helps younger children get the
medication into their lungs. One end of the spacer has a mouthpiece that goes into Kevin's mouth. The inhaler plugs into the other end.” She demonstrated, then handed it to him. “Give it a try.”

Taking both apparatuses from her, he handled them both with the skill of a man who would be capable in an emergency. Trying not to be too impressed, or too relieved, Alison nodded. “I gave him his oral medication about half an hour ago.” She reached for the small brown prescription bottle on the dresser. “If he gets tight, you can give him one more.”

“I don't think we'll be out too long.”

“I'd prefer it if he wasn't out fishing any more than a couple of hours.”

“Sure.” He glanced down at the inhaler and prescription bottle in his hand, then gave her a direct look. “Are you angry about something?”

She raised her brows innocently and gave him a cool look. “Why would I be?”

“Because I'm not very good at...talking about my feelings.”

“I guess that's one thing we can agree on.”

He frowned. “Alison—”

“You've made your position perfectly clear, Drew.” She met his stare. “I get it. All right?”

Turning away from him, she started toward the bedroom door. “The doctor's number is on the prescription bottle.”

“He's going to be fine.”

Alison knew that but it didn't keep her from worrying. “You have my cell phone number.”

“Yeah.”

In the kitchen, Kevin was finishing the last of his
milk at the sink, as if he were in a race against time. “I'm almost ready!”

“I think we'll get there just in time for all the big ones,” Drew said.

Kneeling next to Kevin, Alison opened the container of sunscreen, poured a small amount into her palm and then began rubbing it onto her son's arms and legs.

“Mommy, I don't need any of that stuff. It smells funny.”

“No sunscreen, no fishing, young man.”

“Jeez!”

“She's right, sprout,” Drew put in. “A smart fisherman wears plenty of sunscreen.”

Resigned, Kevin sat quietly while Alison rubbed the white cream into his thighs, forearms and face. When she finished, he slid off the chair and headed directly for the front door. “I'm ready to go, Drew.”

Trying hard to ignore Drew, Alison walked to the doorway and smiled down at her son. She felt as if today were the first day of school and she was one of those overprotective mothers who ended up crying harder than their kids.

“How about a kiss goodbye before you sail out to sea?” she said.

Kevin ran back to her. “Bye, Mommy!”

Kneeling, she took him in her arms and kissed his cheek. “You smell like a coconut.”

“See? That screen stuff smells funny.”

“Be careful today, and please don't forget to wear your cap, okay?”

“'Kay.”

Alison rose to find Drew already at the door, watching her, his expression inscrutable behind those mirrored lenses. Looking quickly away, she helped Kevin
with his backpack and then followed him to the door. Never taking his eyes from her, Drew opened the door. Kevin walked out onto the porch, set down his backpack and began to rummage.

“We're not finished talking about this,” he said.

It was difficult for her to meet his gaze, but once she did, Alison couldn't look away. It was as if his gaze held her suspended, like a butterfly pinned to canvas. “I think we've said everything that needs to be said.”

“Alison—”

“If you could have him back here by two, I'd appreciate it. I don't want him to get too much sun or get overtired.”

His jaw muscle flexed, but he didn't argue. And without so much as another word, he turned to her little boy and they started down the sidewalk toward his truck.

Alison watched them leave, feeling more unsettled than she'd felt in a very long time. She told herself the only reason she felt that way was because of what had happened last night. She'd had a lapse in judgment. Drew was a good enough friend to point it out to her as opposed to letting it become a mistake she would regret for the rest of her life. For goodness' sake, she should be relieved that things hadn't gone any further.

But as she closed the door and faced the empty house and the lingering scent of his aftershave, she wondered if she really would have regretted it if it had.

D
rew hated it that she was angry with him. He hated it even more that he'd hurt her. He would rather cut off one of his own fingers than hurt Alison Myers, a woman who had already endured more than her share of pain. As he pulled into the parking lot of the marina, he told himself things were best this way. A little heartache now would save them both a lot of pain later. The knowledge didn't keep him from feeling like any less of a bastard.

“...right, Drew?”

He glanced over at the little boy on the seat next to him. It was the third time in the last hour Kevin had said something and Drew hadn't been listening. “What did you say, sprout?”

“I was wondering if you could maybe put the worm on the hook for me.” He looked at Drew with big brown eyes that were so much like Rick's it hurt to look at him. “I mean, I'm not afraid of worms or anything, but they're kinda gooey.”

Drew didn't quite manage to hide his smile, but it felt a little sad on his face. If life were fair, he thought, Rick would be here fishing with his son, not him. “Sure you're not,” he said.

“I'm
not.
”

Reaching over, he pulled Kevin's hat down over his
eyes. “Since we're ocean fishing, we're not going to use worms, okay?”

“'Kay.”

The slip where Seth Evans kept one of his smaller fishing vessels was quiet at nine o'clock in the morning. The die-hard fishermen had already set out. The snorkelers and sightseers hadn't yet arrived. Drew figured he'd timed this pretty well.

White seagulls wheeled and screeched overhead as he and Kevin walked side by side down the concrete pier. Fishing boats, sailboats and yachts of all shapes and sizes tugged at their moorings, the ropes groaning and creaking like old hinges. A balmy breeze eased in from the south, and Drew wondered if there would be storms later.

Near the end of the pier he stopped and pointed to the sleek twenty-eight-foot cabin cruiser. “There she is.”

Kevin's mouth dropped as his eyes drank in the length of the boat. “Wowee! It sure is big!”

The
Flamingo
swayed restlessly at the end of the pier, like a flighty horse spooked and ready to bolt. The sight of the boat never ceased to impress Drew. Designed and built by Seth Evans several years back, she took to the open sea with the grace and agility of a dolphin, but at the same time possessed all the comforts of a five-star hotel suite.

“Ahoy, matey!”

Drew looked over to see Seth's sister, Laura Evans, waving as she came out of the cabin and stepped onto the deck. Wearing khaki shorts and a loose-fitting camp shirt, she looked very much like the marine biologist she was. Her light brown hair was pulled back from her face and Drew could see that it was still damp. By
the look of the dive tank and flippers in her arms, he figured she'd already been diving.

He nodded at the burly deck hand securing the ropes and wondered if Seth had added additional security since the boat explosion that had nearly killed him and his then assistant, Emma, a month earlier. Now married and happily expecting their first child, Seth and Emma had been left stranded on a remote key for several days.

While the media had initially reported the explosion as an “accident,” both Drew and Seth suspected differently. They believed the explosion was more than likely perpetrated by dictator Bruno DeBruzkya, in an effort to get his hands on the architectural plans for the prototype of the radical new Stingray submarine Evans Yachts had been contracted by the U.S. Navy to design and build. Unfortunately neither they nor Navy Intel could prove it.

Laura didn't know anything about DeBruzkya; she believed the explosion was simply an accident.

Watching Laura stow her equipment, Drew wondered if she still held to that belief. Probably, considering Seth was working under the assumption that the less Laura knew, the safer she would be.

“It looks like you've already been diving this morning,” he said easily, stopping at the edge of the pier.

“All night, actually,” Laura replied. “I've been tracking some of the coral. It's been slowly dying off in the last couple of years. Nothing serious, but with the population boom in South Florida I'm taking it upon myself to try to save what's left.”

“If anyone can do it, you can.” Drew looked around. “Where's Holt?” he asked, referring to her playboy brother.

“He's out with his crew getting ready for the big regatta.”

Drew always looked forward to the Emerald Cove Regatta. It was a huge event, drawing people from all over the world. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about it this year. Then again, he'd had an awful lot on his mind lately.

“Speaking of Holt, did he tell you the good news?” she asked.

“What news?”

“Next month, I'm being interviewed in
Land, Sea & Sky
magazine.”

“Hey, that's terrific. Congratulations.”

Laura grinned and then her eyes flicked to Kevin. “Who's your partner?”

“This is Kevin Myers.” He set his hand atop the boy's head. “Kevin, this is my cousin Laura.”

Drew didn't miss the questioning look as she extended her hand to the little boy. Because he knew an explanation to Laura would only cause more questions later, he didn't elaborate on why he was taking the little boy fishing.

“Nice to meet you, Kevin.” She eyed the fishing poles Drew carried as she shook the boy's little hand. “You guys going to kill some fish today?”

Kevin opened his mouth as if to protest.

Drew scowled at her, shaking his head. “It's called fishing.”

She chuckled good-naturedly. “Well, the
Flamingo
is all fueled up and ready to go. Seth's below deck.”

“He went with you, huh?” But Drew wasn't surprised Seth had tagged along. Since the explosion, he'd been very overprotective of his sister. Considering the seriousness of the explosion and the sensitive nature of
the contract Evans Yachts was working on, Drew couldn't blame him.

She rolled her eyes. “I don't know why he bothered. He slept most of the time.”

Remembering the four shady characters who'd shown up at Water Flight Tours the day before, he figured now would be a good time to give Seth a heads-up.

Laura stuck out her hand and Drew helped her onto the pier. “I'm off to the lab to have some of this stuff analyzed. Have fun, guys.”

“We will.” Drew turned to Kevin. “Okay, kiddo, up and at 'em.”

“Wow, what a big boat!” Kevin exclaimed as Drew lowered him onto the deck.

“Where's that crazy sister of mine?”

Drew looked up to see his cousin Seth Evans step out of the cabin and onto the deck. He looked from Kevin to Drew and then a slow smile spread across his face. “I'll be damned, Drew. Since when did you take up baby-sitting?”

“I'm not a baby,” Kevin said petulantly.

Both men laughed, and then as if to make amends for this slip of the tongue, Seth extended his hand to the boy. “I'm Seth Evans.”

Kevin forgave him with a grin. “I'm Kevin, and I'm four.”

“Four, huh?”

The boy nodded. “I'm almost a man.”

Drew turned his head so Kevin wouldn't see his smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Seth said.

“Me and Drew are going to go fishing.”

Seth glanced at Drew, then back to Kevin with his
brows raised high. “Hey, you want to check out the captain's seat, Kevin?” He motioned toward the recliner-size chair replete with straps, pole holder and a foot brace. “It's pretty cool.”

“Wowee! Look at that!” Kevin rushed over to the chair, then glanced back at Seth. “Can I sit in it?”

“Sure.”

The two men watched the starry-eyed boy, and then Seth tossed a questioning look at Drew. “Rick's kid?”

“I'm taking him fishing,” Drew said, not liking the amused glint in his cousin's eye. “That's all.”

“Hey, I didn't ask.”

“Don't read anything into it.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.” Seth paused. “I saw Alison yesterday.”

Drew didn't bite.

“She looks great.”

Drew cut him a hard look. “Hiring her wasn't very smart.”