“Do you want to go to the brewery when I’m done?” Penelope asked.
“Love to,” he answered. “I’ll call Brandon about the island.” At Penelope’s nod, he called Brandon and explained the situation.
“We left one of the Ridge’s radios with her. I’ll radio her and call you back.”
Sam hadn’t been out the back of the PAWS building, but Penelope led him through to where there was a small laboratory. She divided the larger bag into two, placing the smaller division on the bench and the larger one in a big chest freezer. The waft of dead fish turned his stomach.
“I need to run a few tests to see if I can identify what killed them.” She opened the smaller bag.
“Any thoughts?”
“Normally something like this is associated with coral spawning, but it’s the wrong time of year.”
Sam’s phone rang. “What did Dot say?”
“She’ll call Penelope when she gets back to town,” Brandon said. “Depending on the time they finish here, they might go out to the islands in the morning.”
“Thanks, mate.” Sam hung up.
Penelope was on the phone reporting what she had found to someone. When she hung up, she said, “I need to send some samples to the Department of Fisheries. What did Brandon say?”
“Dot will call you when she gets back.”
Penelope nodded as she prepared samples of fish and water. Sam leaned against a bench to watch.
She was focused, muttering things under her breath as she worked, talking through what she needed to do. Did she even realise she was doing it?
He waited until she looked up and blinked at him. “Are you staring?”
“Admiring,” he replied. “Did you know you talk to yourself when you work?”
She blushed and ducked her head. “It’s a bad habit of mine. It used to really annoy Emelia.”
“I think it’s cute, and the way you handle those samples is very sexy. Intelligent women turn me on.”
Her cheeks grew redder, but she smiled. “I find heroic men really attractive.”
“Then we’re a perfect match.” He shifted away from the bench and moved towards her. She took a half step towards him and then glanced at her gloved hands.
“Hold that thought. I need to finish this.”
Damn.
He went back to the bench and watched her work as she cut samples and labelled things. Efficient and competent. Would she go with it if he lifted her onto one of the clean benches over there and kissed her senseless, or would propriety get the best of her?
She would have an office somewhere, so maybe that was a better location, more private. He checked for security cameras. Clear.
“What are you looking for?”
He jumped at Penelope’s voice and grinned. “Security cameras.”
“Why?”
“I figured you wouldn’t want it recorded when I kiss you.”
“You’re incorrigible.” She shook her head with a smile.
“I know what I want.”
