“I wonder how long it will take me to hop in a car and take off without checking it for a bomb?” Luke mused as Gil paced around Faith’s car, the mirror slid underneath.
“My recommendation is that you don’t consider it until we figure out who’s behind all this.” Gil cleared Faith’s car, then moved to his own. “We’re good to go.”
Luke waited as Gil ran the mirror back inside. By the time he returned, Faith had the doors unlocked and was sliding behind the steering wheel. “Thanks, man. See you tomorrow.” The words were part command, part promise.
Gil acknowledged Luke’s words with a lifted chin, then climbed into his car. Luke took his spot in the passenger seat beside Faith, and she waited until he had buckled his seatbelt before she followed Gil from the parking lot.
Gil turned left, and Faith turned right.
“I have a suggestion,” she said after they were on the highway.
“I’m all ears.”
“Let’s order the food to go.”
“To go?”
“Yes.”
“Where would we eat?”
“I have an idea. Trust me. You’ll like it.”
He did like it.
She’d picked up the food and driven them a few miles out of Raleigh before pulling up to a gated driveway. Luke barely kept his curiosity in check as she entered the code, then wound around the drive and parked beside a small boathouse on a wide river. A luxurious pontoon boat was stored underneath the dock, along with several single sculls.
“Where are we?”
“A friend of my family owns this place. They’re almost never here, but they let me use it anytime I want. This is where I row.” She pointed to the single sculls on the dock. “Those are mine. And this river flows into a lake about a mile from here. I thought...” Her voice trailed off, and she frowned. “I think you could still be a target, and eating in public probably isn’t the best idea. And I thought you might appreciate the privacy of this place. I’m guessing our conversation won’t be one you would want overheard.”
She was right about that.
“Is this okay?” There was something vulnerable in the way she asked the question, and Luke realized that more than giving them a private place to talk, she’d also revealed a piece of herself. This place was important to her, and he doubted she made a habit out of bringing people here, but she’d shared it with him.
“It’s perfect.”
She smiled at his response. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold, and then you can tell me about Thad.”
She led him away from the dock and around the side of the boathouse. “Gil is going to be so mad that he didn’t come,” he said with a laugh. “This is something else.” A stone chimney stretched into the sky, surrounded by a low stone wall. Comfortable chairs were arranged around it, and on one side was the largest grilling station he had ever seen.
With practiced movements, Faith lit the gas logs in the chimney and pulled the chairs around a low table. Luke set the food out and bowed his head before digging into his burger. Faith took four bites of her French mac—a mac and cheese loaded with ham, swiss, and mushrooms—before turning her attention to him.
“Are you comfortable enough out here?” She eyed the chair he was sitting in. “It wouldn’t surprise me if you left the hospital against medical advice.”
He ignored the second observation. “I’m good, and this place is fantastic. Do you row often?”
She swallowed before answering. “I try to get out here at least three mornings a week. Sometimes four. I’ve always loved being on the water. My grandfather had a boat that would make you cry it was so beautiful. The deepest brown wood, shined to a high gloss. When I was little, we visited my grandparents every summer, and we’d spend days, sometimes nights too, on the lake.” She cleared her throat. “We moved to Charlotte when I was in middle school, and I learned how to row through a kids’ rowing program. I never looked back.”
Her face softened as she talked about the water, about rowing at UVA, about the differences between rowing with a partner, a team, or single. He’d known she could row since their offices had teamed up for a dragon boat race to raise money for breast cancer, but he’d had no idea how deeply she was connected to the sport.
He didn’t miss the way she avoided mentioning her family andoffered no details about why she’d moved to Charlotte or how she’d come to be in Raleigh. He didn’t press. There was time.
He hoped.
He finished off his burger and guzzled down the last of the bottled water he’d brought with him as she polished off her mac and cheese with obvious delight.
“Be right back.” She disappeared around the corner, and the sound of the car door opening and closing carried on the air. When she returned, she had her iPad and fancy pencil. She settled back into her seat. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
