“I heard they used to give limes to sailors to prevent scurvy,” he said as she handed him the glass. “But I bet their drinks weren’t as pretty as this.”
“I’m a former bartender.” She clinked her glass against his, then took a sip, closing her eyes as the alcohol hit her bloodstream.
He took a drink, then coughed and spluttered. “Not the kind that watered down the drinks, I see.”
“Never. The drunker the customer, the bigger the tips.” She winked at him. “I even got a husband out of it. I was working at a marina when I met him.”
“A rich one, too.” He glanced around the luxurious cabin, with its subtle lighting and teak walls.
“Oh, my ex-husband could never afford this yacht. This belongs to someone else. He very kindly offered me this safe haven when he heard about my divorce. He owns one of the top security firms in the world, among other things.”
“I guess that explains the bodyguards.”
“Those are all mine. Private security is the ultimate status symbol.” She winked at him. “My ex-husband has to pay for it. I found a clause in our prenup that says so.”
He raised his glass to clink it against hers again. “Congrats to your lawyer.”
She giggled, then lowered herself to the couch and crossed one leg over the other. “Now why don’t you sit down and tell me why you think I know anything about your sister?”
He chose an armchair with a direct line of sight to the outside deck in case he had to make a run for it. This was tricky because he didn’t know what Tina had told her, if anything. They’d spoken for a while as he’d been sneaking onboard the yacht. But since he was pretending he wasn’t working with Tina, maybe it didn’t matter.
“I believe that my sister was dating your brother. Since I can’t reach her, I thought you might know where I could find him. I’m hoping they’re together having the time of their lives. I don’t want to interfere, but there’s some…news I need to give her.” He allowed an expression of sadness to come over his face. Celine could fill in the blanks herself.
“I see.” Her expression was still wary. “My brother and I aren’t especially close. How did you make the connection to me?”
Luckily, he’d already worked out an answer to that. “Jessie told me. Before she disappeared, she told me her new crush had a sister who was married to a Carmichael. I know the Carmichael family. We used to spend summers on Sea Smoke Island when we were kids. John Carmichael is the only one who’s married, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Luke and Barnaby were next up.”
Her face tightened at the mention of her stepchildren. “That’s not my business anymore. I told you I’m divorced. ”
He echoed her own words back. “That’s not my business. All I want is to locate Jessie. Do you have any clue where your brother might be these days? Jessie didn’t say too much about him. I searched the cottage he was renting, but he didn’t leave anything behind in that cottage when he left. Where is he based when he’s not vacationing on Sea Smoke?”
“Oh, all over the place. My brother moves around a lot,” she said lightly. “I hope your sister knows what she’s getting into. He likes to go around helping people, like with their emotional issues. That’s why women love him. But he doesn’t stay in one place much.”
Or stick to one name. He’d noticed that she hadn’t said his name once. She probably wasn’t sure which one he’d used with Jessie. “Yes, I picked that up from what Jessie told me. She likes to help people too. I guess they have that in common. What do they call that, trauma-bonding?”
Her lips tightened, and a worried expression crossed her face.
“Jessie mentioned that Seth had a very difficult childhood,” he said. “Something about a stalker father and a fire…” He trailed off, hoping she’d take over. She didn’t. In fact she looked stunned. He searched for another soft spot to probe. “She said he barely speaks to his mother, but sometimes reaches out to her. Maybe you can give me her number?”
Her eyes went dark and she tossed back the rest of her gin and tonic. “Sorry. Sometimes Seth goes no-contact and resurfaces when he wants to. I don’t interfere.”
“Even if he’s in trouble? That’s what I’m worried about. When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“He’s fine,” she snapped. His mention of her mother had drained all the friendliness from her expression. “I’m sure they both are. Just relax. Let them have their fun and we’ll see them when we see them.”
“Can I at least show you a picture of Jessie in case you see her?”
“Of course,” she said grudgingly.
He pulled up a photo and handed his phone to her. She studied the photo of Jessie and Seth, cheeks pressed together, looking blissful.
“Does she always look this happy?” she finally asked.
“Not really, no. She’s more of an introvert.”
For some reason, her eyebrows drew together in a worried frown. She opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it. He waited patiently, but got nothing more.
“Can I give you my number in case you see her?”
