“I guess I’m having dinner with a bunch of lighthouse Keepers,” she laughed. “Give me a minute to change and I’ll be ready.”
She was right about the minute. When she came back, she’d put on shoes and simply brushed her hair. Fuckin’ gorgeous. With his arm wrapped around her, they walked outside and down the stone path to the side where the patio extended away from the lighthouse. The forest was all around, and the ocean waves hit the cliffs below.
Folding tables and chairs had been placed all around, and Rachel and Teddy set all the food out buffet style. He felt Jeannie’s body stiffen as they approached and could only imagine what a sight they made to someone unused to this much special ops testosterone in one place.
Squeezing her shoulder, he called out, “All right, let’s get the introductions over because I know everyone’s ready to eat. This is Jeannie Carnes. I know all of you know who she is since we’ve all been working the Garza investigation. Jeannie, you’ve met Rachel, but I’d like to introduce you to Teddy Bearinski. He works with Rachel and helps to keep this place running smoothly.”
Teddy came up and shook her hand, and Carson could almost swear the older man stumbled as soon as her tawny eyes met his. Rachel chuckled and Teddy blushed, mumbled his greeting, then walked over toward the food.
“I’d like you to meet my right-hand man, Lionel, otherwise known as Leo. This is Jeb, the man who will still have your apartment on computer surveillance so we can see if anyone comes in. Next is Bennett, Poole, Dolby, Adam, Rick, and last is Hop.”
As each man came to greet her, he could see appreciation in their eyes and knew it wasn’t just because she was beautiful. She’d proven to be smart, daring, and amazingly loyal. Everything he’d ever wanted and wasn’t sure he’d ever find.
With his arm around her, he propelled her to the food table where Teddy had stood guard to make sure the other men didn’t get to it first. Soon, laughter and joking abounded, and Jeannie proved that she fit right in. Military stories were swapped, they asked about working in one of the busiest ERs in the country, and then the talk turned to comments about the Garza case.
Turning to Carson, she said, “Maggie moved back into her condo. I told her I’d come by and help with anything she needed.”
“Why doesn’t her niece Cheryl do that?” Rachel asked. “If they’re so close that Cheryl has Maggie stay with her, you’d think she would be the one helping her aunt.”
“From what I can tell, Cheryl does enjoy spending time with her, but she’s so busy. She’s gone so much.”
Carson twisted slightly in his seat, looking down at Jeannie. “I know she doesn’t work for the winery, so what fills her time?”
“She doesn’t work in the winery business per se, but I think she does a lot to push the Garza name. You know, society luncheons, planning charity events, anything to stay in the social pages.” Shifting toward him, she added, “I always got the feeling that Cheryl wanted to be more useful with the family business, but Juan and Maria never included her.”
“Were you with all of them very much?” Adam asked.
“No, thank goodness. I’ve only been around the whole family a couple of times. Juan and Maria are very polite to Cheryl, probably more out of respect for their dad. But there’s also a coolness that exists. Definitely shutting her out when it comes to talking about the business. I sometimes wonder why Cheryl and Maria travel together so much,” Jeannie said.
Carson’s ears perked up, but Leo beat him to the question.
“What do you mean?” Leo asked, sitting across from her and Carson.
“Once a week, Cheryl and Maria go to Tecate. I’ve only been there once but have coworkers who’ve used that border entrance to cross over into Mexico for vacations. There’s really nothing there that I could see for Maria to do. Maggie said that Cheryl is on some charity board and that’s why she goes, but I don’t know about Maria. She’s supposed to be running the winery as much as Juan. I sometimes wonder if Vincent doesn’t just send Maria off on errands because she’s a female, keeping Juan around to do the actual winery running. Why else would he have Maria go once a week to a place where there’s nothing?” Shrugging, she added, “Unless there’s something to do with the family business there.”
Getting the familiar tingling at the back of his neck that always struck when puzzle pieces of the case were falling into place, Carson shot his gaze around the table, seeing the same knowing expressions on his Keepers. Leaning forward, he caught Jeb’s eye, silently indicating he wanted to know Maria's schedule.
“By the way,” Jeannie said, her gaze moving around the table before landing on his. “Cheryl and Maria always travel on Wednesdays. They leave right after breakfast and usually return right before dinner.” Her lips curved ever so slightly. “I just thought I’d add that since all of you seem very interested.”
Laughter barked out around them, and Carson wrapped his arm around her waist, squeezing. “Why do I get the feeling you’re taunting us with information?”
Her shoulders shook as she laughed. “Honestly, I’m not. Obviously, I don’t know what they’re being investigated for, so I’ve never really put anything together. But I’ve been there. I have no doubt you have been watching them, but I’ve been there and seen the family dynamics. Sometimes, the psychology of what’s going on is just as important as the actions.”
The urge to leave the table and rush back into the compound to check Maria’s travels more closely battled with the urge to stay right where he was—enjoying the company of his Keepers and the beautiful woman who’d captured his heart. Staying put won out. As the others tossed out their acknowledgments and appreciation for her input, Carson pulled her tighter to him and kissed the top of her head.
A few minutes later, Jeannie pushed her plate to the side and turned to look up at him. “It’s okay, you know.”
Her words caught him off-guard, and he tilted his head to the side. “What’s okay?”
“I know it’s my first night here, but there’s a vibration going around this table. The kind of vibration that I feel when a case comes into the ER that’s going to take teamwork and diagnosis to make sure the patient is saved. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know exactly what’s going on with the Garzas. When I said that about Maria, that vibration started amongst all of you. So, it’s okay, Carson. This isn’t a choice between LSI-WC and me. So, go. Do what you need to do. Go get the bad guys.”
Not caring about everyone around, he stared into the face of the woman stealing his heart. Kissing her lightly, he said, “I’m falling, Jeannie.”
She smiled softly, her eyes only on him. “Me, too.” A blush hit her cheeks. “Not exactly a private moment, is it?”
“It’ll always be hard to keep a secret around here.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he hoped she wouldn’t be offended. As usual with her, her smile and bright eyes were his answer.
He glanced at the table, finding his Keepers suddenly trying to hide their grins and focusing their attention on anywhere except at him. Chuckling, he shook his head as he kissed her lightly once again before standing. “Well, the boss lady says to go get the bad guys.” With a pointed look toward Rachel and Teddy, knowing they’d keep her company, he and the other Keepers left the patio.