“Absolutely.” Miles raises his glass once more. “Tell them both I said hi.”

“Yeah, me too,” From Chance.

“Will do.”

Taking my glass with me, I head into the kitchen for a bit of privacy and make the call.

“Hello?” Carly says in my ear.

“Hey, baby. You okay?” It’s only been an hour since I dropped her off, but hell, I need to know. Did her dad say something since to make her feel bad? Has she changed her mind about being with me? Has she—

She sighs audibly. “It’s not every day you find a dead body at work, for sure. But honestly? I think I’m doing okay.”

Her voice, though slightly shaky, radiates honesty. God knows she’s been through worse. “I’m glad. Everything going all right at home?”

“As well as can be expected. Dad and I have a date to talk at breakfast.”

“Another breakfast, huh?”

“Right. And I won’t miss this one, because I won’t be in your bed.”

“We can remedy that, you know. I’m really good at sneaking in. Got a trellis I can climb?”

She laughs through the phone, and it is such a joyful sound.

“As much as I’d like that, Austin, I think it might defeat the purpose of what I’m trying to do here.”

I want her father to like me, not kill me with a shotgun. “I know. But I sure miss you.”

“I miss you, too. But we’ll see each other at lunch tomorrow.”

“I’m glad everything’s going okay.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say okay, but it’s going to be fine. Eventually. What about you?”

“What about me?” I ask.

“Your mom got hurt. And that dead body? It’s on your land.”

She does have a point. I raise my glass and breathe in the heady fumes. “I am having twenty-five-year-old scotch with my brothers. They say hi, by the way.”

“Tell them hi back. Do you like it? The scotch?”

“It’s damned good.” I smile into the phone. “I’m pretty sure the only thing tastier is that heaven you’ve got between your legs.”

She’s silent for a moment.

I can almost see her blushing through the phone line.

“Have I truly rendered you speechless?” I finally ask.

“I wasn’t sure I could miss you more, but now all I can think about is… your tongue. There.” Her last words are whispered so it feels like we’re in a bubble of intimacy. Just the two of us.

I adjust my groin. “Damn, baby.”

“Maybe tomorrow we can…you know? During lunch?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” I’d be happy to you know during her lunch break.

“Wonderful. I should go. I have to get up early and have breakfast with my father at six, and I’m not missing it this time.”

“I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow. And Carly?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t wait.”

29

CARLY

I jerk out of my sleep—which was a nightmare, but not about my time on the island.

No. This one was about those sightless gray eyes staring at me yesterday morning. Remembering how it felt to trip over the body. Hard, but soft, too. A person, but…not.