He set the card down next to the bank statement and wondered if opening up that box was another mistake. Because if what he was thinking had even a shred of truth to it, this secret wouldn’t only devastate his mom; it would devastate Louisa.

No matter how angry he’d once been with her, he never, ever wanted to hurt her.

Letter in Louisa’s mailbox the morning after the dinner of disaster:

Louisa,

The master chief informed me of your hourly rate. Enclosed is a check to cover the cost of last night’s meeting. I apologize for wasting your time. In giving it more thought, I’ve decided some things are better left buried in the past.

Cody

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CODY STOOD ON THE DECK OF THE LARGE CUTTER, overseeing the maintenance of the ship. Most of the guys understood that maintaining their equipment was part of the job, and as such, these kinds of workdays could draw the crew closer together.

So far, the only one complaining was Seaman Aaron Jessup.

This guy might be the perfect person to take his frustration out on. After yesterday, Cody needed to blow off some steam.

He was just about to make a strong point to the seaman when someone called his name from behind. He turned around and saw a young seaman recruit named Carlos standing on the dock with a gorgeous redhead who looked seriously out of place.

“Someone here to see you, sir,” Carlos called out.

The other guys whistled, and Cody ignored them. “Take a break.”

“I got a feeling our break isn’t gonna be as good as your break,” one of the guys hollered.

Cody shot the guy a look that shut him right up, then met Louisa on the dock, dismissed Carlos, and did his best not to meet her eyes. She saw straight through him, and right now, he wanted to keep his thoughts to himself.

He especially didn’t want her to know that he’d had a dream about her last night. He’d pulled her from the water, and the moment she recognized him, she wound her arms around his neck and he’d kissed her without a single moment’s hesitation. The kiss had been enough to wake him—breathless and disappointed when he realized it wasn’t real.

Those weren’t feelings he could allow.

He made a point of looking over her head.

“Sorry to bug you at work.” She leaned around him and waved to the guys, who were undoubtedly staring at them.

“Do you need something?” It was painful to be so short with her, but it had to be this way. He couldn’t risk letting her in.

“I came to clear the air.”

He raised a brow. He’d forgotten this about her. She had this overwhelming need to say every thought that popped into her head, regardless of the consequences.

It was seriously cute.