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“There are some scrambled eggs, too.” She offered him a smile, which he loved because of the way it lit up her eyes. “I’ve already learned you eat enough for an entire army.”
“You’re making me sound like a glutton. I guess I won’t tell you that I’ve already had a PBJ this morning.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to be able to get the hole patched before nightfall?”
“I think so. According to the weather report, it’s not going to rain again—at least not in the next few days—so I’d rather start pumping the water out of the house, but—”
“No power,” she broke in.
He lifted out the plate she’d put in the basket and removed the plastic wrap. “Exactly.”
“At least your neighbor’s okay, and you’re not having to deal with that at the same time.”
“Thank God for small favors,” he muttered as he unrolled his silverware from a napkin.
She sat on the table while he sat on the bench and began to eat. “What if we strung extension cords all the way over here from the cottage?” she asked. “Would that work to pump the water out?”
He made a face to show he wasn’t thrilled by the idea. “It would take a lot of extension cords...”
“Well, think about it. If it’s possible, maybe that’s what you need to do.”
He was chewing, so he nodded instead of commenting.
She looked up at the trees overhead. “It’s pretty here.”
“I like it,” he said. “You can’t see the ocean like you can from the cottage, but this feels...private.”
“I don’t know anyone who values his privacy more than you...”
He had good reason for that, but he wasn’t about to let on, so he said nothing.
“I can help you clean up after you get the water out,” she offered.
“And miss all your time at the beach?”
She could obviously tell he was teasing her. It was apparent in her mock scowl. “Hey, I’ve earned this vacation,” she said, nudging him with her foot.
“I bet it hasn’t started out the way you thought it would...”
“No. And I’m not just referring to the storm.”
“Bastian?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of weird that he’d come on his own. Don’t you think?”
“I don’t try to make sense out of what other people do anymore,” he said with a chuckle.
“He just...makes me uncomfortable.”
Again, he chose not to say anything. He had to be careful. It might feel as though she was on his side right now, but...
She got out her phone. He assumed she was going to call Remy and was surprised she’d do it in front of him instead of waiting until she returned home. But she didn’t call anyone. She navigated to her pictures and hesitated as she looked at him.
“What?” he said, confused.
A determined expression came over her face, and she turned her screen toward him. “Have you ever seen this girl?”
He studied the picture of an old photograph. “No. Why? Should I?”
