“The police want to talk to Sam when he gets back too. Can you pass the message on?”
Sam nodded. “Sure thing.”
So easy-going. It was strange. Could his calm reaction be due to his military training? If so, they built them hard. “Roger that. I’ll let you know when I’m heading in.” She clipped the radio back to her belt.
They resumed walking in silence, and Penelope scrambled for something to discuss. What was she supposed to say to a man whose livelihood her decision had affected?
Maybe she should have been more lenient. He’d saved her life. She rubbed at the goosebumps on her arm and flinched when he spoke.
“Georgie tells me you’re new in town too,” he said. “How are you settling in?”
“Fine,” she lied. “The people I work with are nice, and the work is varied.” She cringed inwardly. Such a banal thing to say. She glanced at him. “What made you move here?”
Sam shrugged. “I was trying to figure out what to do when I left the military,” he said. “My plan was to move back east and help my youngest sister with her new baby. But a month after I handed in my resignation, she fell in love with a guy who’s going to take care of her and her child, and she doesn’t need me.”
He seemed kind of sad. “Has she had the baby?”
“Yeah, a girl – Josie.” He grinned. “She’s so sweet. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“You haven’t been?”
“Timing hasn’t been right. I’ll go in summer after the tour season has finished.”
“So why Retribution Bay?” Penelope asked.
“When I visited for Brandon’s wedding, I discovered Rob was selling his boat. I didn’t want an office job, and I liked it here. Being close to my best friend was also a draw card. Seemed like a no brainer.”
He made it sound easy. Not for her. She’d agonised over applying for the job. She’d never even been to Retribution Bay. Ceiveon’s dare had pushed her to submit the application. She’d had plenty of time to rue the decision.
Penelope shook her head. It wasn’t like her to be so dour, though having a gun pointed at her head was a decent excuse. She didn’t dare ask if Sam thought he’d made the right decision about coming to Retribution Bay, knowing the answer was probably no, and it was her fault. Instead she stuck to easier topics of conversation. “Georgie said you and Brandon started in the military together.”
“Yeah, we were paired up on the first day. Brandon was so serious and I was irresponsible. We didn’t like each other much at first, but it didn’t take us long to bond.”
She knew almost nothing about the military. “Did you enjoy it?”
He was silent for a long moment. “Yeah, there’s a camaraderie in your team which will never die. You rely on each other to stay alive.”
She couldn’t imagine it. “Did you see much action?”
“My fair share.”
“Do you miss it?”
He chuckled. “What with an orca the other day and the gun today, I’m getting my fair share of action right here.”
She smiled. He had a point.
“You should smile more often,” he said. “It makes you much more approachable.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “I’m serious when my job requires it.”
He sighed. “It was a compliment,” he said. “I can’t seem to say the right thing to you.”
She held up a hand in apology. “It’s a touchy subject. Men don’t generally get accused of not smiling enough.”
“Fair point. Sorry.”
She nodded, and stopped walking. “I should get back.” The nausea was gone and though she was enjoying his company, it would be wrong to make the police wait for their answers.
