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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BASTIENHELDMIKELINA’S hand as they waited for their dinner. She had picked a cozy Italian restaurant off the beaten path. It was quiet and the food and wine looked amazing. Everything would be a perfect romantic date, but she seemed sad and distant.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
She focused on him instead of staring at the tablecloth. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just a little distracted.”
The waiter poured them large glasses of ruby red wine from a decanter and then scraped the bread crumbs off the table before moving on. Mikelina reached for another roll and buttered it.
“Did your meeting not go so well today?”
She nodded. “That’s the understatement of the year. I spoke with the owner of the beach house. He’s not really looking to sell, but he threw out a figure of six million.” She shrugged.
“Thanks for asking,” he said. It seemed rather high, but he’d wait to see what Henry dug up. “Can you tell me what’s bothering you?”
She sighed. “I saw my father today.”
Stroking his thumb over her knuckles, he understood her melancholy. “He’s not taking the divorce well?”
“He’s bitter and angry and blaming everyone while refusing to take responsibility for his poor decisions.”
“Sounds a lot like my ex.”
“He said some hurtful things. I’m trying not to internalize them too much. I know it’s got nothing to do with me, but...” She shook her head. “I’m having a hard time bouncing back from it.” Mikelina took a deep sip of her wine. “Being with you here is helping, believe it or not.”
“I’m glad. I want to be here for you. I want more than just the sex.”
He liked that she blushed at that.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I love the sex. I’m hoping for some tonight.”
That coaxed a smile out of her. “I think that can be arranged. Have you heard from Jace?”
“Nope. But I’ve got someone working on it.” He glanced at his phone. “In fact, he should have touched base with me before now. So if I keep checking my messages, it’s not you. I’m just looking to see if we have the house to ourselves tonight.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot to call Kitty today. Like I said, I was distracted. I’ll call first thing tomorrow. But if she hasn’t heard from him, what’s our next step? Do we go to the police?”
“He’s not an official missing person until he’s been gone forty-eight hours. The clock is ticking, but there’s nothing the police can do until we have proof he’s not just jacking off in a chicken ranch somewhere.”
“I think if he’s jacking off in a chicken ranch, he’s doing it wrong.”
Bastien smiled. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Uh-huh. How was parasailing?”
“It was great. I saw a big nurse shark as I was floating around. But then I realized if it was big when I was looking at it four hundred feet in the air, then up close and personal it was probably the size of my car.”
“It might have been a manatee.”
“It was brown.”
She twirled her fork at him. “I’ve seen brown manatees.”
“That’s more comforting. I wouldn’t mind swimming in the same ocean as a manatee that size. The shark on the other hand, no way.”
“Yeah, you guys are going water-skiing tomorrow.”
“Allegedly.”
