"I don't know. It just doesn't make sense. How can you simply look past all that?"
"Allie, I care about who you are, not what you did or didn't do. I'm far from perfect. It would be hypocritical of me to expect you to be."
He slid his hands down her arms and laced his fingers through hers.
She gave an almost imperceptible nod. "True. You're not perfect."
He felt a chuckle deep in his chest. Well, at least she was joking with him.
Moisture filled her eyes. "It's just that when I think about us, I think about that night. And I can't think about that night without feeling horribly guilty. I should have—"
"Okay, I get it." He rubbed his thumbs across the backs of her hands, giving himself a few beats to organize his words. "Can we just start over? I've missed you, Allie. And I—" He cleared his throat of the uninvited emotion swelling up.
"I've missed you too." She let go of his other hand and swiped away a tear. "I don't know where we go from here. I obviously . . . well, I think you know how I feel. But I'm still so confused about everything. Just because I feel this way tonight doesn't mean this is going to work. I—"
"Hey. Slow down. We don't have to figure everything out right now. Can we just admit we both still care for each other and take it one day at a time?"
Her mouth hinted at a smile. "Yes. That sounds like a plan."
"C'mere," he whispered. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. Oddly, it wasn't even awkward, likethey hugged every day. She felt perfect in his arms. Like she was created for him.
Relief coursed through him. He'd worried for three months that he would never hold her again. He'd had no idea she'd felt so guilty. He'd been too wrapped up in his own guilt for not protecting her.
Now, her content sigh against his chest gave him hope—a hope he didn't deserve.
Chapter 6
"Coconut pancakes?" Jason asked, eyeing Knox's plate.
Knox accepted his coffee from their waitress with a "thank you." The bustling bistro, just off The Mandeville's lobby, swirled with the tantalizing aromas of hot breakfast offerings and espresso.
"Why not?" Knox asked. "I like coconut. And I like pancakes." He watched Allie spread something on her toast. "What's that?"
"A house-made cherry jam. The menu said they harvest the cherries right here on Isadora." She took a bite and gave an approving thumbs-up while she chewed. "And it's delicious," she said, with her mouth half full. "Want some?"
"Yes."
She slathered a generous amount of cherry jam on a half piece of toast and handed it to him. He used it to point at Jason. "You said you had news. Rowan find anything?" He took a bite of the toast, and he may have groaned in delight. He looked at Allie. "You're right, this is really good."
"Are you done?" Jason asked.
"Not done eating, but go ahead. I can eat and listen."
Jason tried to look annoyed. It wasn't convincing. "Yes, Rowan ID'd two of the four guys on the drone footage. One has known ties to a drug cartel in Colombia. The other was arrested for assaulting a woman in the Bahamas."
"Nice guys," Knox said.
"Yeah. He didn't get a hit on the other two, but at least we have clean images. If they show up anywhere else, we'll know. The only other information he confirmed from that footage is that there wasn't a structure on that property. Meaning, no one is likely living there. And Byron probably isn't present 24/7."
"So, we just got lucky?"
"Or unlucky, if you ask Rowan's opinion." Jason sighed. "They came armed, so they weren't there to picnic. My guess is they were hiding something out there in the jungle." He took a bite of bacon. "I'll admit, the food is good here. I may eat here every morning."
Knox held up a forkful of pancakes. "Try the coconut pancakes next time. They're delicious."
Jason laughed. "Okay, I might." A new seriousness set in his expression. "The other thing I wanted to tell you is that the guy from Byron, Kendall—"
"The one who met with Drakos and offered to buy The Mandeville? And then supposedly doused Drakos's suit with blood?"
