Rough Waters

by Maggie Toussaint

  Bellhops greeted them as they strolled into the lobby. A six-foot tower of native plants graced a circular glass table centered on an oriental rug. The cooler air inside had her snuggling up to Rock for warmth.

  “Restaurant’s to the left,” she said softly as they passed inviting conversation areas upholstered in crisp palm-inspired fabrics. About a dozen people talked, walked, or sat in the lobby, looking like they’d all come from a board meeting. A tall blonde doused in coconut-scented sunscreen and wearing a white beach cover-up and a taupe wide-brimmed hat sauntered by in stilettos.

  Heads swiveled, including Rock’s. Jeanie raised a brow. Man likes sauntering babes in high heels. A point to remember for later.

  After they’d traversed what seemed like a mile of gleaming floor, Rock slowed. “Search for something in your purse.”

  She responded in the same hushed tone. “What?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I need to stand still to scan the room.”

  Made sense. Jeanie followed his suggestion. “They’re not here,” she wailed. “I don’t know what I did with them.”

  “What’s that, dear?”

  His bemused expression was perfect. She morphed into ditz mode, wincing. “My sunglasses. I must have left them in the car.”

  He smiled fondly. “On top of your head.”

  “Oh.” His intimate tone and closeness thrilled her. “Right. Got them.” She glanced at him for the next cue. He’d focused on two nearby men discussing international stocks. She pitched her voice low again. “What’s next? Lunch or Palamiri? I wonder if he’ll look like his picture on the website.”

  “Palamiri. I’m headed to the courtesy phone to call him. Would you sit and wait for me here?”

  The cooler air and long drive had done a number on her bladder. “I’ll visit the ladies room. Last time I was here, it was spectacular. Heated cloth towels to dry your hands.”

  Rock nodded, his attention on the room. “I’ll meet you here in a couple of minutes.”

  “Roger that.”

  His gaze warmed her as she headed across the lobby. She hammed it up a bit with the walk, even though her two-inch pumps weren’t as saunter-worthy as the blonde’s heels. No reason she shouldn’t have fun, too.

  The bathroom was as deluxe as she remembered, the stalls wide enough to dock a yacht. The place smelled lemon fresh and gleamed with the patina of old money.

  She was about to flush when she heard someone talking.

  “It’s under control,” the woman drawled.

  Shandy?

  No way that skank could afford this place.

  What was Shandy doing here? Jeanie peeped through the seam of the stall door. A tall brunette with long wavy hair primped at the gilt-edged mirror as she talked on the phone. The marriage-wrecker’s butt was no longer a petite six, Jeanie noted with glee. More like a ten or a twelve. In that loosely-fitted lime green pantsuit, Shandy resembled a parody of her former self. Jeanie clamped a hand over her mouth before a snort erupted.

  “I’ve got this.” Shandy’s voice sliced through the air. “Trust me, love.”

  The seconds drew out like suspension bridges, each one swaying perilously in the breeze. Who was Shandy talking to?

  “I won’t let you down,” Shandy said and ended the call.

  Ooh, if her caller believed that whopper, he or she was in deep trouble. Shandy screwed everyone in her orbit. Jeanie flushed and exited her stall, but to her dismay, Shandy had left.

  Dang. Jeanie speed washed her hands, bypassed the heated towels with a look of regret, and hurried into the lobby. She scanned the vast space for Shandy’s vibrant lime pantsuit. There. Near the double doors.

  Jeanie fumbled for her sunglasses as she hurried to catch up. She walked on her tiptoes so her heels wouldn’t clomp on the floor. If Shandy had a car at her disposal, Jeanie would be out of luck.

  She dug out her cell phone, searched for Rock in her contacts list, and barreled into a sofa. Air whooshed out of her lungs.

  “Are you okay, miss?” The suited concierge hurried across the walkway to assist Jeanie, his voice oozing concern.

  “I’m fine, thank you. I was doing too many things at once. Where’s my personal assistant when I need him?”

  “May I help you?”

  “Other than my pride, nothing’s hurt. I’ll stand still to make that call. Easier on the furniture.”

  The staffer smiled, nodded, and retreated. Jeanie punched up the number and hit send. A phone rang right behind her. She whirled and grabbed his arm. “Rock! Come on, no time to lose.”

  His eyes widened. “Are you okay?”

  She pulled him through the doors and scanned the lot for Shandy. “We’re about to go nuclear.”

  “What?”

  “Look for a woman dressed in slime green. The color of dancing fruit in the underwear commercial.”

  They rounded a corner of the building, and she glimpsed their quarry stepping into a white Lincoln. Jeannie pointed out the car and hurried to Rock’s truck. “Follow Shandy.”

  “Shandy? Interesting. Palamiri’s in the wind. Now we have another visitor from the Outer Banks?”

  “Are they working together?”

  “Might be.” Rock eased the truck toward the sweeping entryway. The Lincoln was gone.

  “Faster,” Jeanie urged, craning her neck to see. “The light will catch them. If not, we have a fifty-fifty chance of going in the right direction. I want to know what Shandy’s doing here.”

  Rock accelerated down the winding lane. “So do I.”

  Ahead, the light blazed red. No Lincoln. “Since a left turn leads off the island, I’m guessing they went right,” Rock said.

  They merged into traffic, wedged between a Beemer and a cement mixer. The straight road helped visibility-wise, but after three lights, Jeanie hadn’t caught a glimpse of a white Lincoln.

  “We guessed wrong,” she said. “She didn’t come this way.”

  “I agree. Ready to head to the hotel for lunch?”

  Continue in spy mode or relax at a place more her speed? Why pretend to be something she wasn’t? “I’d rather go to the Hay Patch. It’s a dive, but hands-down the best grub on the island.”

  “Your call.”

  “The Hay Patch it is, though we’re overdressed for an outdoor cafe.”

  Rock tossed his tie into the back seat and grinned. “Which way?”

  Chapter 35

  The sounds of the seaside café faded as Rock gazed at the water. A picture-perfect day. A beautiful woman. A belly full of seafood. His frustration over not finding Palamiri mellowed. This could be his life, he daydreamed. He could live here, and be with Jeanie. He could live without a cloud of debt hanging over his head.

  He considered driving to North Carolina and giving Lyle the journal. But if he gave the journal to his investor, he forfeited all hopes of finding the Clarissa.

  He and Tarpley had searched the sound repeatedly but had found no other evidence of a shipwreck. The ship wasn’t anywhere near the coins. His only hope of finding the Clarissa was to read between the lines of what his ancestor had written in that journal.

  He’d wanted to find the ship. To have his name in treasure hunting magazines. To be famous in that elite circle of underwater explorers.

  Now that he’d met Jeanie, and after experiencing the physical and financial cost of treasure hunting, his pursuit of fame seemed shallow. What good was fame if you had no one to enjoy it with? In the last few months, he’d realized how alone he was. His parents and grandparents were dead. He had no wife, no kids.

  He had guard dogs.

  A different prize glittered on the horizon. One with soft curves and a ready-made family. Could he navigate the uncharted waters of their mutual troubles and come out the victor?

  The slip of a waitress in a skimpy neon yellow T-shirt and khaki shorts cleared the empty plates on one arm and asked about dessert. Rock glanced across the waterfront table at Jeanie’s radiant face. “You want dessert?”r />
  Jeanie nodded. “I recommend we split the peach cobbler à la mode.”

  Rock nodded to the waitress. “One cobbler, two spoons.”

  “What’s next?” Jeanie asked, leaning across the café table, the sun kissing her spiky pink hair, her delicate face, her full lips. She’d rolled up her sleeves and unbuttoned a bit to fit in more with the seaside locale. The shadow of cleavage that appeared when she reached for her glass of water kept catching his eye.

  He lifted his gaze. “I need to find out what Palamiri knows.”

  “Good luck. He doesn’t return your calls.”

  “True. But I can take you home to Mossy Bog and come back to stake out the hotel. I’ll run into him tonight, you can bet on it.”

  “Nope. We’re sticking together. No one’s called with a flower order and the kids are with Mom, so I’m footloose.”

  Jeanie all but vibrated with energy. Her excitement warmed him more than the sun, giving him hope she might forgive him. “You’re enjoying this.”

  “Must have been those girl detective books I read as a kid, and the cop shows I love to watch on TV. I feel like a superhero, a Super Jeanie. If the flower business flames out, I might ask Sloan Harding if he’s hiring.”

  Alarms sounded in Rock’s head. “Harding? Who’s he?”

  “Has a security firm in Atlanta. He moved here, married my realtor friend Roxie, and now they’re expecting a baby.”

  A baby. Jeanie came with two kids, but if they stayed together, would she want another kid? The idea intrigued and terrified him.

  The waitress brought desert and set it down between them with a flourish. “Enjoy.”

  “Delish,” Jeanie proclaimed after a big bite.

  The cobbler melted in his mouth and disappeared a few quick bites later. After lunch, they strolled to the end of the fishing pier. With the breeze blowing off the water, he relaxed and enjoyed the pleasure of Jeanie’s company. The only thing better would be skimming over the tops of the waves in the snowy white speedboat running wide open beyond the breakers.

  Jeanie threaded her fingers through his, and his satisfaction went bone deep. They were building something here. Her wildflower scent tantalized him with the promise of more.

  She was so easy to be with. Best of all, she wasn’t trying to remake him into the image of her father, as some women tended to do. Jeanie liked who he was.

  Amazing, all things considered.

  “I love the sea,” Jeanie said.

  “We have that in common.” What else did they have in common? Seemed like she’d been raised by her mom. “You don’t talk about your dad.”

  “You either.”

  Waves crashed onto the sandy beach. Water surged and receded. “I never knew my dad,” he began. “My parents married before he enlisted. He died in a freak training accident, but by then, my mom was pregnant with me.”

  Sadness tinged Jeanie’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. It must have been hard growing up without a father.”

  Ocean waves lapped under the fishing pier. A fat gull coasted to a landing on top of a nearby wooden piling. He smiled. “Mom did double duty, and I ended up fine. She kept me focused and taught me everything.”

  “She never remarried?”

  “She dated someone, but she kept her social life private. I never met the guy.” He tipped his head toward her. “Tell me about your dad.”

  A young family walked by, mom and dad holding hands with the little girl. Rock noticed Jeanie studying the family. The child’s delighted shrieks arrowed into his heart. If he and Jeanie became a couple, would her kids accept him?

  Jeanie turned back to him. “Little kids should think their dad’s the best ever, but my dad wasn’t a good person. He stepped out on Mom, gambled away their savings, and drank himself senseless. My parents divorced when I was in second grade, but my father still showed up sloshed to school events until he got caught robbing a liquor store with a gun. Long story short, he served his time and never came my way again. I never went looking either.”

  “I’m sorry.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. A bad father sounded far worse than no father. “I wish things had been different for you, but I understand. Life’s hard.”

  She snuggled under his arm. “I’ve made my share of mistakes. Avery, for instance. He’s cut from the same worthless cloth as my dad.”

  Sympathy welled. He’d also made a poor mate choice. “My last girlfriend walked out in the middle of my mom’s illness. Melissa said I didn’t have time for her. Mom’s care overwhelmed me. Seemed like each day brought a new health crisis. Once Mom passed last year, I didn’t look Melissa up.”

  “Of course not. You’re better off without such an insensitive clod.”

  His arms tightened around her. She was the kind of woman who stuck around. The kind you could count on when trouble came knocking. “Jeanie, I…”

  She placed a finger across his lips. “I feel it too.”

  “When this is over—”

  “Well, well, well, as I live and breathe,” Vince Palamiri said. “If it isn’t Rock Mackenzie trying to charm his way into nirvana.”

  Chapter 36

  Jeanie didn’t like the calculating glint in Vince Palamiri’s eyes. Everything about him irritated her. His scruffy brown hair. His thick eyebrows. His square chin. His oversized belt buckle. She hadn’t gotten the impression he was so short from his website.

  She looked down on him with outright suspicion. This guy had stolen clients from Rock. Not a stretch to think he’d swiped the coins and the chest.

  Tension streamed from Rock like a chain of waves rolling in off the sea. She gripped his good hand tighter so he couldn’t slug the guy.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” Rock said.

  “You found me. Care to introduce me to your bit-o-honey?”

  Jeanie’s opinion of Palamiri solidified. She didn’t want anything to do with him. How had Rock tolerated this fool?

  “The lady doesn’t concern you.” Rock said.

  Palamiri chuckled. “Ladies don’t stick with you, Mackenzie. They walk at first daylight, like Melissa.”

  Rock’s hand spasmed in hers. Jeanie had never been prone to violence, but if Rock didn’t punch this jerk, she would.

  “What are you doing here, Palamiri?” Rock asked.

  “I’m having fun.” Palamiri made a show of scanning the entire pier before his gaze settled on Jeanie. “I’m scouting the fishing holes and booty halls. Thinking of shagging a pink-haired woman.”

  Jeanie caught the appalling hip thrust he sent her way. Her jaw twitched from the effort of keeping her mouth closed. Knowing Rock needed to talk to this man kept her mute.

  Rock leaned into her. “Palamiri has a one-track mind, and you’re distracting him. Would you give us a minute alone?”

  “Gladly.” She released him and walked further out on the pier, stopping at a vacant place along the railing. A glance over her shoulder revealed Rock and Palamiri talking heatedly. What were they saying?

  People strolled the length of the concrete pier, passing her, circling the teed-off end before heading back to the shopping area. She stared at the rolling ocean. Waves stretched clear to the horizon, one right after another.

  In the surf, ocean waves came at you so fast you could barely catch your breath between waves. So did events in life.

  Rough waters.

  She’d had her share.

  Two teens fished near her, the pungent smell of bait tainting the sea breeze. One day her kids would be out here fishing.

  “Jeanie?” Rock asked.

  “Oh! You startled me.” She scanned the pier. “Is he gone? What did he say?”

  “The guy’s lying. He’s here for the missing treasure. He doesn’t give a damn about anyone who gets in his way.”

  Not the answer she’d hoped for. “Did you ask him about Shandy?”

  “She didn’t come up in our conversation. We need to figure out if she fits into this. From what I know of him, he’s not h
er type.”

  “Shandy loves money. If Palamiri promised riches, she might shack up with him.” Jeanie needed time to figure this out. “What’s next?”

  “I’m ready to go home.”

  “Me, too.”

  As his truck rolled toward Mossy Bog, her curiosity about the stolen treasure returned. “Can we talk about the coins?”

  He drew in a slow breath. “Sure.”

  “You said you and your partner Tarpley found three gold sovereigns in a wooden chest. Who took them? You suspected Avery at first. Now you think Palamiri took them.”

  “Palamiri and Tarpley drank together, which gave Palamiri access to information. Munro had opportunity to steal the coins with his jobs at the marina and at the landscaping company. He swore he didn’t break into your shop or home.”

  Rock was opening up. Good. Maybe he’d finally tell her everything. “Jury’s still out on Palamiri, but Avery is mostly in the clear. What about Shandy?”

  “One man is dead, another nearly died. I barely know Shandy, but to go from adultery to murder would be unlikely. I know you have a beef with her, but I’m not convinced.”

  His dismissal bugged her. Shandy had wrecked Jeanie’s marriage without hesitating. “Trust me, she’s cold through and through.”

  “Greed might be her motive, but what about opportunity? I rarely saw her at the marina, and I never saw her at my place. Does she have the background to build a bomb?”

  Jeanie wanted Shandy to be guilty. “I don’t trust her. She’s sneaky and devious and seduces men to get her way. From the phone conversation I overheard, she was reporting to someone, so she’s got a partner. She can’t afford to walk in the door of Queen’s Plantation Hotel. My instinct tells me she’s up to her fake eyelashes in this.”

  “Shandy might be an accomplice, but that’s a stretch for me. We’ll add her to the suspect list, which now includes Palamiri, Avery, and Shandy.”

  Jeanie blushed with pride. “Shouldn’t it be four names? Isn’t your investor after the treasure?”

  His sidelong glance confused her. “Lyle hasn’t visited Mossy Bog. Our agreement was he owned anything I salvaged, up to the value of the loan, then we split the remainder fifty-fifty. Why would he steal them? The journal was my collateral for the loan.”