Her Undercover Defender

by Debra Webb

  “Hey,” David said. “You okay in there?”

  “Sorry.” She felt the heat climbing into her cheeks. The elevator chimed at her floor. “Just distracted...” The doors parted, and she stepped out, pausing in the doorway for a second. She needed to voice her new resolve. “I won’t be distracted tonight. I’m looking forward to it.”

  David’s mouth tipped up at one corner. “Me, too.”

  She held his gaze until the doors closed between them, feeling her mouth curve in an answering grin. She turned toward the staff area, her salad suddenly looking more appetizing. Tonight was as good a time as any to move forward with her life, and who better to take that step with than a nice new guy-friend like David?

  No matter what her friends would say, he hadn’t invited her out on an actual real date. They were just friends. Right now it was enough to think of herself first for a change. David was attractive, thoughtful and fun. Tonight would be great, no specific definition required.

  Chapter Three

  7:10 p.m.

  David set the laminated menu down and waited for Terri’s reaction. He’d chosen a small, quirky restaurant on King Street for dinner. He wasn’t quite sure how to play it—as a date or another outing with a friend. Typically they saw each other at work when her hair was pulled back and she wore shapeless scrubs and he was in the requisite logo-crested apparel. Tonight, she looked beautiful in dark jeans that hugged her fit body and a sage sweater that made her green eyes pop. She’d left her caramel-brown hair down, and the lights pulled out all those golden tones in the glossy, shoulder-length waves.

  However she might be defining tonight, this place kept the mood light and easy for both of them. With nearly two dozen variations on classic mac and cheese, he’d wanted to give it a try for some time. Based on her smile and eager expression, he’d made the right call. “What do you think?”

  “It’s like comfort food with a gourmet twist.” When she met his gaze, her eyes were dancing with mischief. “Anything I order will render my workout absolutely useless and I can’t wait. It all sounds delicious.”

  “Good.” The dining area was small and casual, but David had felt weird about eating here alone. It was a quirky by-product of being the youngest of four kids. He’d been raised with loud, boisterous conversation around a dinner table loaded with food every night. Although he enjoyed quiet meals alone at home, eating out was somehow different. “Have you heard the Battery Lane band before?”

  “Yes!” she said as her soft green eyes lit up. “Suzette and I caught them when they played one of the beach bars on Isle of Palms this summer.”

  “They’re down at Benny’s tonight. I thought we could swing by for a bit after we eat.”

  “Sounds great,” she agreed. “Be warned I turn into a pumpkin around midnight this week.”

  “No problem. Shift work can be a bear. I did plenty of that in the Coast Guard.”

  The waitress came by, and they placed their orders, each of them choosing a different gourmet combination.

  “I took every shift I could get my hands on just out of nursing school,” she said when the waitress walked away. “Usually I adapt quickly. Or maybe my body’s resigned to getting fewer hours of sleep.”

  He liked that she could laugh at herself. “Must have been hard times starting your career in the midst of losing your parents.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” she admitted. “Trey’s injuries and the survivor guilt issues complicated things.” Her smile was a little sad. “But he’s fine,” she said, putting air quotes around the word. “Somehow we made it.”

  David didn’t want to prod a sore spot, but with the holidays coming up, everyone concerned was hoping Trey would make contact with his sister. Human intel in Arizona had dried up and they really needed to figure out if Rediscover intended to make good on veiled threats against Dr. Palmer’s work. “That’s what counts. These past years couldn’t have been easy. I’m not sure how I’ll cope when we lose our parents.”

  “I hope it’s a long ways off for you,” she said, her eyes going misty. “I miss them every day.” She traced the rim of her water glass with her fingertip. “Can we talk about something else? This close to the holidays...” Her voice trailed off and she wrinkled her nose.

  “Sure.” His task of keeping an eye on Terri was progressing smoothly. He enjoyed her company, but Casey had alerted him this morning that Dr. Palmer would be moving a trial patient into MUSC for the final adjustments and testing. It would be a prime opportunity for Rediscover to strike. “Do you have your Christmas tree up yet?”

  “No. You?”

  He shook his head. “I’m trying to decide if I’ll go artificial or real or skip it altogether this year.” He shrugged. “I’ll be going to Georgia, so the tree would be just for me, y’know?”

  “Don’t skip it,” she said. “Which were you raised with?”

  “Artificial. My mom squeezes out every minute of the holiday season. She puts the tree up bright and early the Friday after Thanksgiving. The high could be eighty and she’ll have Christmas carols cranked up and a vat of hot cocoa going all day.” He leaned forward. “I nearly resigned when my department gave us all a four-day weekend. I had no excuses. Everyone who’s home for more than Thanksgiving Day gets sucked into her decorating vortex.”

  As he’d hoped, Terri laughed along with him. “You love it,” she accused.

  “I love my mom,” he agreed. “I’ll admit the holiday chaos is more fun now that there’s a few nieces and nephews underfoot.”

  “I bet.” Her gaze drifted away and her smile faded.

  “Hey.” He waved his hand in front of her face. “Did I bum you out?”

  “Not at all. I was just imagining how it must be for you.”

  She tried to cover it, but her stiff, stubborn smile was proof the conversation was a downer. The expression was too similar to the one she wore in the photo on her employee badge. The picture had been taken just ten days after her parents died. Though he wanted to know about her traditions and holiday plans, he didn’t want to ruin the entire evening just because he had a job to do. Information collecting was, unfortunately, necessary.

  “When will Trey be home for the holidays?”

  “Well.” She tilted her head side to side and took too much interest in the placement of her fork. “I’m not exactly sure.”

  “He is coming home?”

  She cleared her throat and reached for her water, her gaze roaming over the eclectic decor. “He tells me he really likes Arizona and he’s making friends. I think the distance is good for him this year. Maybe for me, too.”

  She still didn’t trust him enough to share her concerns about her missing brother. “You should be together,” David said.

  “We’ve been almost inseparable thanks to our circumstances. It’s possible he’s trying to help by staying out there.”

  “How so?”

  “By not expecting me to come up with airfare.”

  “That makes sense, I guess.” Except money wasn’t the real issue. David wanted to find Trey and jerk him up by his ears and tell him to treat his sister with more respect. Too bad he couldn’t reveal his protective streak as her newest friend. Even without the background and intel, he’d heard plenty about Terri’s rough time with Trey. The stories of her devotion to his recovery and her never-quit work ethic were common knowledge around the hospital.

  David made a decision on the spot. Assuming his assignment didn’t change, he promised himself that whether or not Trey posed a threat to Dr. Palmer’s research project, he wouldn’t let him take advantage of Terri or continue to run roughshod over her feelings. After everything she’d been through, everything she’d overcome, she deserved better.

  Like a spy pretending to be her pal? The annoying little voice in his head had been nagging him almost since the beginning. The trouble was, he liked Terri more with every passing conversation. She was a kind person and a damn fine nurse. If anyone needed a break from trouble, it was her. Too
bad her brother wasn’t on the same page.

  David told himself he and Trey were nothing alike. Neither of them was being completely honest with her, but David wasn’t running around with a bunch of extremists who spouted peace and delivered violence.

  “It sounds like you have a great family,” Terri said as their salads were delivered.

  “Believe me, there were plenty of days I wished I was an only child,” he said with a wink. He’d told her about his older sisters and the blind date fiasco they’d arranged during his Thanksgiving visit.

  She’d laughed long and hard at that one. “You know your sisters mean well.”

  He rolled his eyes and groaned. “The matchmaking meddlers need to find a different hobby. Maybe you could give them a course in minding their own business. You never talk about setting up blind dates for your brother.”

  Oops. He noticed immediately he’d taken the wrong tack. He gave himself a mental kick as her eyes clouded with worry. She poked at her salad for a few minutes and changed the subject. He didn’t know if he should apologize or just let it go.

  She pushed her half-eaten salad aside with a sigh. “The truth is I may never have that chance.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My brother dropped out of college.” She bit her lip before continuing. “He hasn’t contacted me at all in months. I don’t have any idea where he is or if he ever plans to come home.”

  David didn’t have to fake the surprise. He couldn’t believe she was telling him this. Despite what it meant for the case, he hated that she suffered over it. “Terri, I’m sorry.”

  She swallowed. “Me, too. I won’t bore you with all the gory details and I don’t want to dwell on it tonight. I just thought you should know in case... I don’t know.” She sucked in a breath. “In case I seem sad over the next couple of weeks.”

  He nodded, wishing he felt as though she’d welcome his touch. She looked like a woman who could use a hug. They’d shared coffee breaks, lunches and various activities around town, but they’d kept it completely platonic. “Come spend Christmas with us.”

  “Pardon?”

  Good Lord, had he really just said that? Casey wanted him to get close to her, not adopt her. “I’m serious.” He had to be. It was too late to back down. “We’re crazy, sure, but we’re fun. You’ll have a blast.”

  “Your sisters will really ramp up the matchmaking attempts if you bring a woman home.”

  “Let’s burn that bridge when we get there.” He wasn’t about to let this go, but he waited while the waitress delivered Terri’s choice of steak and bleu cheese and his bowl of lobster mac and cheese in front of him.

  “Oh, wow.” She picked up her fork and assembled a bite of cheesy pasta and sliced beef. “This smells delicious.”

  “I second that.” He scooped up lobster mac and cheese from his wide bowl. “This is amazing. How’s yours?”

  “Fabulous,” she said. “Try a bite.” She nudged her bowl his way.

  He indulged her before returning to the previous topic. “What would you tell a patient facing the holidays alone?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve never worked the psych ward.”

  “No, but you’ve worked every other ward.”

  “Almost.”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “Eat your dinner,” she countered, leading by example and closing her lips around a bite of her cheesy pasta. She pointed to his plate when he hesitated. “Eat.”

  He did as she said, and all thought of conversation halted while they enjoyed the excellent food. “This has ruined me for normal mac and cheese,” he said after a few minutes.

  “Definitely.” She ate a few more bites of her food, then leaned back and blotted her lips with the napkin. “I’d tell a patient to go be with friends,” she said abruptly. “That doesn’t mean I’ll go to Georgia with you. It’s not the same thing. But I do appreciate the invitation.”

  “It’s exactly the same thing.”

  She rolled her eyes. “What if your sisters think I’m more than your friend?”

  He exaggerated a contemplative expression. “That could have some happy side effects. Think of all the blind dates I wouldn’t have to endure.”

  She laughed. “I’m thinking of all the heartbroken women who were looking forward to an evening out with you.”

  “Well, you can write up a report of our evening and my sisters can distribute it. Those heartbroken women can live vicariously.” He signaled for the check. “We have a band to catch.”

  She reached for her purse to help with the check, but he took care of it. “Chivalry may be dead in some places, but my mama would kill me if I let you pay.”

  She held up her hands, surrendering. “I don’t want to be the cause of your demise,” she said, chuckling.

  After he’d paid the bill, they headed down the street toward the bar. One of his favorite things about this part of the country was the reliable weather. They had a clear night, with a moon just past full hanging in the sky and an interesting woman at his side. Life was good.

  “Thanks for a fantastic dinner,” she said as they walked down King Street toward the bar.

  “My pleasure. I’m glad you came with me. It bugs me to eat alone in public,” he confessed.

  She glanced up at him. “You must do a lot of cooking, then.”

  “I’ve learned a few skills. A guy’s gotta eat.”

  “A girl, too,” she said with a grin. “Cooking for one can get old in a hurry, though.”

  They joined the line of music fans waiting to enter Benny’s. “Is that a subtle way of inviting me to dinner at your place?”

  Her smile stretched wide. “Maybe.”

  “Thought so. I eat anything and everything except Brussels sprouts.”

  “Even if I roast them in coconut oil?”

  “Veggies scented with suntan lotion.” He winced. “That doesn’t sound like a good plan.”

  “Then I’ll come up with something better, I promise.”

  “Thanks,” he said as they entered the bar and joined the fans eager for Battery Lane to get started. He caught her watching him and asked about it.

  “Sorry. I pegged you for more Beach Boys and less Garth Brooks.”

  “You think you’re the only one allowed to have eclectic tastes? I like a lot of things,” he teased as he smiled into her pretty face.

  The comment brought a warm blush to her cheeks, or maybe that was just the crowd packed tightly all around them. Regardless, it looked good on her. The band took the stage to an enthusiastic roar from the crowd. David was able to relax and enjoy the music and the woman beside him.

  Knowing she had an early shift, he kept an eye on the time. He paid their tab and led her outside after the second set. “Want to take a walk down by the water?”

  “I’d like that,” she said, turning with him toward the Battery. “It’s a nice evening.”

  They strolled past historic mansions glowing with holiday lights until they reached the park at the peninsula. The sound of the water and the gentle breeze coming in off the harbor put a nice cap on what amounted to a perfect evening.

  “Did you have fun?”

  “I must not have shown it well if you have to ask.” She paused, leaning back against the rail and gazing up into the sky. “I’ve had the best time, David. Thank you. Next time, dinner is on me.”

  “That depends,” he hedged.

  “On what?”

  “On whether the next time we go out it’s a date.”

  “Oh.”

  He waited for more of a reaction, but she walked on in silence, her face turned away from him, looking at something out in the harbor.

  “Did I make you uncomfortable?”

  “No. It’s just me,” she said quietly. “Between work and Trey, I haven’t taken much time to socialize.”

  “You and I have socialized quite a bit,” he pointed out.

  “As friends,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed it.”


  “Fair enough.” He let it go, for now. “We don’t have to decide anything tonight.”

  Her footsteps slowed, and she pulled her jacket tight across her body. He suddenly wanted to wrap her in his arms and shelter her from the cool breeze and anything else taking aim at her. He shook off the feeling. Friendship was one thing. If he started believing the role he was playing, he was doomed to fail the mission and the woman.

  Except this wasn’t just a role, this was his new life. “It should be a date,” he blurted. They stopped again and he studied her face in the moonlight, wishing for some insight.

  “It can’t be,” she said.

  The depth of his disappointment surprised him. “Why not?”

  “Because if this was a date, I’d be nervous and that would ruin it. It’s been ages since I was on a date. Out with a friend is better.”

  “All right.” They walked on in silence as he contemplated her logic. “Would you agree that we’re two unattached people taking a stroll that might be interpreted as romantic?”

  “By whom?” She glanced around, and the wind caught her hair. She shook it back from her face. “Stop teasing. Let’s just enjoy the moment.”

  “I don’t know if I can.” He liked teasing her, liked the sparkle it put in her soft green eyes. “Not having a precise definition for tonight might ruin the evening for me.”

  She laughed, giving him a light elbow jab to his side. “That ballad in the last set warped your brain.”

  He denied the accusation and changed the subject. “Would you like to go out with me on the boat sometime?”

  “As friends?”

  That definition was better than pushing for something more that appeared to be destined to backfire. Having spent so much time avoiding serious relationships, he’d never had a girlfriend on his boat. Only guys and family had joined him for fishing or diving. “Friends bring the bait,” he warned as they turned back toward the garage on King Street where he’d parked his car. “That’s my rule.”

  “You just made that up.”

  He draped an arm over her shoulders. “You’ll never prove it.” They both chuckled. “Do you like to fish?”