She shook her head. “Everything in there was evidence for now. I can sleep in my clothes.”
“I’ve got some pajama bottoms with a drawstring and a T-shirt. They’d be more comfortable than sleeping in your jeans.”
“Okay.”
He rose and pulled her up with him. “My room is down that hall. I’ll grab the clothes and let you change.”
He squeezed her hand again, then went to his bedroom where he pulled out plaid pajama bottoms and a red Tiger Woods T-shirt. He handed them to her and shut the door behind him. At least the sheets were clean. He’d changed them this morning. Before making up the sofa with a sheet and pillow, he checked on Hailey, who was sound asleep.
He had a feeling he would find rest hard to come by again tonight, even though he hadn’t slept last night either. The danger was far from past.
* * *
Torie shut the door behind Joe and got ready for bed. His pj’s held the faint whiff of his cologne, as if he’d folded them after applying it. The scent comforted her almost as much as his embrace.
Her so-called fiancé, Matthew Cunningham, had never brought her a sense of security when she was with him. She’d been aware, as he had, that their engagement was what their parents wanted. He never looked at her like Joe did. When Joe’s green eyes focused on her, she saw a deep thirst for something more, something only she could provide. She wasn’t yet sure what that something was, but she wasn’t ready to find out either. The comfort Joe brought was probably because he was in security.
She climbed into the soft cotton sheets smelling of fabric softener, but sleep eluded her. She lay there with her eyes open, listening to the clicking of the alarm clock on the bedside table as each minute flipped by. At midnight, she sat up and turned on the light, then slipped her legs out from under the sheet and sighed. Maybe she could find a book to read.
The small bookcase on the other side of the room held hardbacks, and nearly all were by Lisa Gardner. She selected The Perfect Husband and turned back toward the bed, but a picture on top of the bookcase caught her attention. She picked it up and studied it. A beautiful redhead in a green sundress stood on a beach beside a guy with windblown light-brown hair dressed in shorts and a tropical shirt.
Joe and Julie. Maybe on their honeymoon since the backdrop appeared to be Hawaii.
Torie stared at the woman’s face. Julie gazed up at Joe with clear adoration, and Joe’s smile held total joy. Torie drank in their expressions. This was what love looked like.
She whirled at a tap on the door. “Come in.”
Joe poked his head in, and his gaze swept over her. “That outfit looks a lot better on you than on me.” He grinned and leaned against the doorjamb. “The light was shining under the door. Are you okay? I hoped you’d be able to sleep.” His smile faltered when he saw the picture in her hand.
She settled the frame back where she’d found it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. Julie was very beautiful.”
“She was. Hailey looks a lot like her.” He opened the door wider and stepped inside the room. “That was on our honeymoon on Kauai.”
“On Shipwreck Beach. Did you jump off the sea cliff there? I wasn’t brave enough.”
“We did.” He smiled at the memory. “Julie was a daredevil.”
“I wish I’d known her. About the only daredevil thing I do is scuba.”
“You would have liked her. Other people flocked around her, and she had a ton of friends. I never thought I’d get over losing her.” His gaze locked with hers.
Her breath hitched. Was he trying to tell her something? She gave a slight shake of her head. Fatigue was doing a number on her emotions.
“Did your dive gear get here?”
“It did.”
“Want to go diving on Saturday?”
“Sure.”
He was close enough to touch now. “Weren’t you engaged once?”
She nodded. “It was what our parents expected. I don’t think either of us held any feelings beyond fondness. I certainly didn’t. And then I found him in bed with one of my friends. The betrayal made me wary of ever trusting a man again.”
“Not every man is like that. There are plenty of us one-woman men around.”
“Maybe.” She looked away.
His hands came down on her shoulders, and she looked up at him as he stared deep into her eyes, almost like he was searching into her soul. Like he could read her thoughts, dreams, and hopes. No subterfuge, no pretense. He accepted her, warts and all.
She took a step back, and his hands dropped away. Did she want to lower her defenses? Did she have the courage?
She gave a shaky laugh. “We’re probably moving a little too fast.”
His green eyes darkened. “Not for me.”
“Maybe for me. I don’t know what to think.”
“I can be patient.”
But could he be patient when it was time for her to leave? Would any of these unfamiliar feelings last when distance intervened? She was lost at sea with no landmarks on the horizon. All she could do was take one day at a time and see what happened. This might all be a mirage that vanished as quickly as a building storm that blew itself out. What was infatuation and what was budding love? How did someone tell the difference?
It was way too soon to even be thinking of the L-word. She had to be sensible and slam on the brakes. Obsessing over Joe could get in the way of why she was here. Justice for Lisbeth was her goal, and nothing could be allowed to get in the way of that.
Chapter 17
Joe had probably shot himself in the foot. In fact, the way Torie had left this morning while he was showering was a sure indication he’d been a little too bold.
The boat barely moved on the glassy water just offshore the base. Joe stared out at the sea, mirror-smooth this morning as it reflected back the perfect blue of a cloudless sky. The wind blew in his face and carried the salty air with it. Nothing was as relaxing as smelling the ocean and listening to its calming waves. And he needed to ditch this agitation.
She’d come here for justice for her friend, and she had no plans of staying. He knew that, and it had made him try to press too fast.
She liked him, and that should be enough for now. But it wasn’t. He had nightmares of waking up one morning and finding a text from her telling him good-bye. That was the whole crux of the matter. He didn’t think he would have enough time to show her what could develop between them.
Tyrone’s gravelly voice interrupted Joe’s thoughts. “Here comes Simon.”
The sea lion’s dark form zipped through the clear water, and his head broke the waves. He swam back and forth on the starboard side, and Joe frowned. “He’s agitated.”
“I see that.” Danielle tossed a fish into the water, and the sea lion ignored it.
She and Joe exchanged a perplexed glance. “He never turns down fish,” Joe said.
“Maybe he got hurt.” Tyrone patted the side of the boat to call Simon over.
Simon swam near, then darted away. “Something’s wrong,” Joe said. “I’m going in.”
He shrugged on his tank and donned a mask, then dropped into the water. The ocean enveloped him in a warm embrace, and he dove down to follow Simon, but the sea lion swam in circles near the top of the water and all around the boat.