Perilous Homecoming

by Sarah Varland

  “Marine biology is a respectable field, Dad.”

  “And you think you’re just going to find a job as easy as that?” His dad’s laugh had no humor. “Come back to working for me.”

  “I don’t really want to talk about this tonight.” Sawyer was impressed with his own ability to stay relatively calm.

  “Fine, we’ll talk about something else. I’ve barely seen you since you’ve been home. What were you up to tonight?”

  “I was just out.”

  “On a date?”

  “No, sir.”

  “I know. I just wanted to see what you’d say. Kelsey Jackson is trouble, Sawyer.”

  Sawyer pictured Kelsey’s slight frame, her sweet smile. Oh, yeah, she was trouble personified. Except not at all. He laughed a little. “I think that’s overstating things a little, Dad.”

  “Not where my son is concerned.”

  Everything about his dad’s body language showed how serious he was. Sawyer shook his head. “She’s a friend from high school who’s in trouble. I’m just giving her a little bit of help.”

  “It’s not your job to do that.”

  True, it was the Treasure Point Police Department’s, but they were understaffed and Kelsey probably would have refused personal protection from them even if they’d offered it. The woman was frustratingly stubborn, but at least she was letting him help her, be another set of eyes. The unofficial backup to her unofficial investigation.

  “It’s not. But it’s a nice thing to do.”

  “Sawyer, you need to remember you’re different from other people in this town.”

  Not this speech again. He couldn’t picture his Aunt Mary ever saying such things, and his grandparents never would have, either. The Hamiltons had always been a fixture in Treasure Point, and a wealthy one at that, but his parents were the ones who had been determined to turn them into some sort of Southern aristocracy. Maybe Kelsey was right to view them the way she did—he just hadn’t wanted her to be.

  Sawyer argued back, “We’re only different in the sense that our family has been here forever and may have some more responsibilities to the town, like showing up at these museum events and speaking.” He half hoped that referencing those duties would go a little way to making peace with his dad, just to remind him that he was here in town for the purpose of doing those sorts of family things.

  “That’s not all I mean.”

  So much for trying to give his dad the benefit of the doubt.

  Before Sawyer could think of any sort of appropriate reply, his dad spoke up again. “She’s not our type of people, son. You’ve seen her house. Simple. She’d have no idea how to handle the sort of responsibilities that come naturally to you.”

  “Well, we’ve seen how I handle those, haven’t we?” Sawyer knew his dad would catch the reference to his last business deal, the one he’d tried to do his own way that had gone up in smoke.

  “You can do better. She can’t. She is who she is.”

  Weren’t they all? And yet, wasn’t God capable of using the parts of who they were that He wanted to use to accomplish his purposes in them? And didn’t He help them change the parts that needed to be different?

  “I’m not having this conversation, Dad. It’s ridiculous—first, because Kelsey is perfectly worthy of dating whoever she chooses in this town—she’s probably a better person than I am. And second, because I am not dating her. I am helping her out, being a friend. That is all.” Sawyer shook his head, wishing that staying and talking would work anything out, but knowing that it wouldn’t. Rather than try for no reason, he turned back to the stairs and headed up. No wonder Kelsey had something against their family. His parents hadn’t been quite this bad when he was in high school, had they? If they’d gotten worse once he’d left for college and she’d had some sort of run-in with them and they’d treated her this way, he didn’t blame her at all for wanting nothing to do with him.

  Too bad he was starting to care so much about her.

  * * *

  The sunlight streaming through the windows somehow made the day feel more positive to Kelsey. Through the blinds, which she kept mostly closed for safety purposes, she could see snatches of deep blue sky, the shade of blue that only seemed to exist on a perfect summer day.

  It was a good day to dive.

  Sawyer had told her he had his own equipment, but since her equipment was at her place in Savannah, she needed to rent from a dive shop near the beach. Kelsey didn’t love how obvious that made their investigation—it would take very little effort for the killer to discover they’d been exploring out in the ocean, and from there make the leap to realizing they were investigating those shipwreck areas. But there was no way around it.

  Kelsey had been just about to make a list when a knock at the door interrupted her. Her heartbeat immediately ratcheted up from where it had been, and she moved to the dresser where she’d locked her handgun in a small portable safe, and moved it to a holster at her waist.

  She wasn’t taking chances.

  “Who is it?” she asked when she was sure her words would sound steady enough.

  “Sawyer. Sorry, I should have texted first.”

  Kelsey smiled and opened the door. “Good morning! I’m not quite ready yet, didn’t we say eight?” It wasn’t quite seven.

  “Eight is good. I just didn’t figure there would be any coffee here, so I brought you some.”

  “Thanks.” She could live without breakfast, but a day without coffee? Not an idea she wanted to consider. Not when she was sure today was not going to be a lot calmer than yesterday or the day before.

  She took a sip. “So good. Really, thanks. Do you want to come in?”

  He shook his head. “Nah, I don’t want to get in the way of you getting ready.”

  “Do you have more things to do at home?” She eyed his board shorts and T-shirt. He looked ready to her.

  “I’m good, but really, I didn’t meant to interrupt your morning.”

  “Just come in.” Kelsey laughed.

  He stepped inside. She locked the door behind him and put her gun back in the safe. “I’ll admit, the knock on the door so early had me a little jumpy.”

  “Can’t blame you.”

  “So—” Kelsey paused, took another drink of coffee “—are you a talker in the morning or more quiet?”

  The grin he gave her was distinctly sleepy. “I could use a little bit of quiet.”

  She nodded. “Works for me.”

  Kelsey continued moving around the apartment in silence, drinking the rest of her coffee, then reading a quick chapter from her Bible before digging through the suitcase she’d packed for her swimsuit and something she could wear over it until they got to the rental place and put wetsuits on. Sawyer appeared to be asleep on the couch, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  She let her mind run through all the things overwhelming it at the moment. There wasn’t much to work through with the case—she already felt they were making good progress, and there wouldn’t be much else they could figure out until they took the next step, which in this case meant investigating some of the shipwreck areas today.

  On the subject of Sawyer... Well, she didn’t know what to think there. All Kelsey knew was that ever since she’d admitted why she’d been holding a grudge all these years, it seemed God had started freeing her from the anger attached to the loss of the scholarship. In fact, she was seeing through the experience with this investigation that there might have been some hidden blessings in that. What if she’d found herself in this situation and she didn’t have the knowledge or training to protect herself and help with this case?

  It was funny how things worked out sometimes. Kelsey just needed to keep reminding herself of that.

  She glanced at her watch. Seven thirty. They could always leave
early. The rental shop opened at seven in the most heavy tourist months.

  She put on a little waterproof mascara and then went back to the living room. Sawyer was awake now.

  “What do you think about leaving early?” she asked him.

  “Sounds good to me. I figured we’d head straight to the rental shop to pick up our gear so we don’t risk them being out of something, and then grab breakfast.”

  “Breakfast?” That hadn’t been in the plan. And, as much one-on-one time as they’d spent together over these last few days, Kelsey and Sawyer hadn’t eaten at a restaurant together. Somehow that thought intimidated her a little bit, like if they did this it would be almost like a real date...

  Which was something Kelsey couldn’t let herself imagine, even when she had trouble looking away from Sawyer’s light eyes that were always sparkling. That look he usually had—like they shared some sort of inside joke—she was actually starting to like it. Instead of seeing it as arrogance, which she abhorred, it was beginning to look more like confidence and genuine friendliness.

  “Kelsey?”

  He was raising his eyebrows and Kelsey realized she hadn’t answered him.

  “Breakfast would be good.”

  Kelsey grabbed a duffel bag with things she thought she might need, including her gun, and they went outside, making sure to carefully lock the door behind them.

  “Morning!” They waved to Lieutenant Davies and Officer Dalton, a newer officer—though not as new as Officer Ryan—who were apparently on duty that morning.

  “Will they think it’s odd we’re dressed for the beach when I’m supposed to be trying to stay safe? I mean, they won’t suspect that we’re going diving to investigate, right?” Kelsey looked to Sawyer for reassurance. He was already nodding.

  “I think they don’t suspect anything.”

  They drove straight to the dive shop and told them what Kelsey needed. The worker went to the back to retrieve the gear and Kelsey noticed it seemed to take an unusually long time, longer than it had ever taken before. She thought it was odd and was just about to say something to Sawyer when the man returned with the gear and apologized for the wait. They took the equipment, loaded it into the back of the truck with Sawyer’s gear and put the cover back down on the truck bed. Scuba equipment wasn’t cheap, so it wasn’t uncommon for it to be stolen—sort of like bicycles in other places.

  “You know...” Kelsey started, “I really don’t need breakfast. I can have a big lunch when we get back.” All of that was true, but the real truth was that she was getting entirely too comfortable around Sawyer Hamilton. Going to breakfast with him would only make that worse.

  “Whatever you want.”

  Did he have to be so easygoing and nice?

  They hadn’t been back in the truck for more than a minute when Kelsey’s stomach growled loudly.

  “That doesn’t sound like you can wait.” He laughed. “Let’s stop and get something for you to eat.”

  “No, don’t worry about it.” Kelsey knew she shouldn’t argue. She was being beyond foolish—diving on an empty stomach wasn’t something that ever worked well for her. But she couldn’t shake the mix of nervousness and discomfort she felt at the idea of going out to eat with Sawyer.

  “Let’s just go eat and then we’ll get out there,” Sawyer said. “There’s plenty of day. Besides, this way we make sure we’re late enough that all the fishermen have left from the docks, and don’t see us leaving and ask questions.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think I should have?”

  “Nah. Even if people see us, they won’t think we’re investigating because it can always look like...”

  Like a date. Kelsey nodded. “Oh, yeah, I get it.”

  “Not that it...”

  “No, of course.”

  “Not that I...”

  “Let’s go get some breakfast, okay?” Kelsey nodded. “Breakfast would be great.”

  Anything to distract them both from this awkward conversation, and even more importantly, from the feelings simmering just beneath the surface in her—and presumably him, too—that were causing it.

  “So where did you want to get breakfast?” she asked, ready to change the subject.

  “Where else?”

  “Stephens Crossing?”

  The old diner-style restaurant was a few minutes outside Treasure Point, but it served the best biscuits in all of southern Georgia, and that was quite a title since good biscuits were far from rare here. It had been a favorite hangout of Kelsey’s back in high school and during her years on the police force. She wouldn’t have expected Sawyer to have spent much time there, but now that she thought of it, she might have seen him there before.

  “Sounds great.” And like a blast from the past. This could work in her favor. Even though Kelsey was relieved not to have any more bitterness about what had happened in high school, maybe going back to a place associated with that time would remind her that this feeling of closeness she felt with him now was new, and it was just because of the case. Nothing lasting.

  Kelsey reached to turn the air conditioner down—it was getting too cold—and as she did so, so did Sawyer. Their fingers brushed and she shivered.

  Yeah, nothing lasting. In fact, nothing at all.

  She spent most of the drive looking out the window, reminding herself of how close she was to achieving everything she’d set out to do in her career. She would have to travel—that was half of what appealed to her about the job—and Sawyer wasn’t the kind of man who’d want a relationship with someone who was never around.

  “I don’t think you’ve told me what’s next for you, have you?” Kelsey asked, keeping her tone light.

  “After this case is solved?”

  “Well, that, or just after you’re done with your family obligations here.”

  “I’m looking into jobs using the degree I care about. I sent a couple of résumés out to aquariums, research facilities, places like that, in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.”

  “Florida?” Kelsey laughed. “How would you handle that during football season?” Like her and most Georgians, the loyalty to the University of Georgia Bulldogs ran deep, and the Florida Gators were among their more hated opponents.

  Sawyer laughed, too, and shook his head. “It’d be tough, but I’ve got to take what I can find, I guess. We’re at the age now to be working our way up in our jobs, right? We can be pickier about our location later.”

  Kelsey smiled, but quickly looked away from him. Working their way up in their jobs, yes. She needed to repeat that over and over to herself as a mantra. Because the longer she worked closely with Sawyer, the more she wasn’t just afraid of danger for her life. She was afraid of it for her heart—and the ten-year plan to which she held so tightly.

  TWELVE

  With the breakfast debate settled, Sawyer drove his truck in the direction of the best breakfast in the state. He kept his eyes on the road and off Kelsey, because the way she’d smiled at him shyly earlier...

  Suddenly he didn’t think he was the only one to whom this felt...well, a little like a date.

  Except today wasn’t about dating, Sawyer reminded himself as he drove. Today was about this gut feeling of Kelsey’s. Personally, it felt a bit like a wild goose chase to him, pursuing rumored locations of ships that had sunk and were rumored to have items of some value on board. If he were the one running this very unofficial show, he would look at those books, see if nosing around through someone else’s research would help. Why get out in the field for information someone else might have already found for you?

  He sounded like his dad, pushing for safe action, wanting to step back and minimize the risk. The realization bothered him. He sounded like the kind of business man he’d been—the kind of businessman his father had always want
ed him to be—before he’d lost the Pellerno deal in the grandest catastrophe of his short career. A marine biologist, in contrast, knew it was important to be hands on, to get information right from the source.

  Sawyer thought about his applications, partially completed employment profiles online. Maybe today was important for him, too, to brush up on his investigation skills. Marine biology was a science, but also an art form with a bit of detective work thrown in, just underwater.

  “So today should be right up your alley, huh?”

  Kelsey broke into his thoughts, almost literally it seemed. He turned and attempted a smile, though his line of thinking was still bothering him a little.

  “Yeah, it should be.”

  “Have you worked marine biology jobs before, or will this be your first?”

  Will. Sawyer liked her casual confidence, like there was no doubt in her mind that he could do this. The talk with his dad last night still haunted him. This wasn’t what he’d been trained to do for the majority of his life. Maybe it was arrogant to expect that a degree and a little experience—the field work required for his degree—would help him break into what was a competitive career in this part of the country.

  “If I get a marine biology job, it will be my first.”

  “Oh, of course you’ll be able to get a job. Come on, like everything you’ve ever touched hasn’t turned to gold?”

  Yeah, everything he’d touched with his dad’s blessing. The Pellerno deal had been his dad’s idea, but Sawyer’s approach hadn’t matched his father’s, and he’d managed to convince the other man to let him do it his own way, confident he’d be able to impress his dad with his business skills.

  If it hadn’t flipped his whole life upside down, disappointed his dad, landed him back in Treasure Point on this Hamilton Obligation Tour, Sawyer would laugh. See where confidence had gotten him?

  “Yeah, not exactly. So, you know the coordinates you want to check?” he asked Kelsey, hoping the change in subject would stick.

  She looked at him for a moment, eyes curious, before she answered. “Yes, I do.”