Brian chugged half the beer bottle before answering. “Nothing.” That was the second lie he’d told in the last few minutes. The truth was that he thought far too much of the pretty M.E.’s assistant lately—more than he would admit to anyone. He was also counting down the hours until he’d see her again tomorrow. For the first time in eons, Brian couldn’t get a woman out of his head—and it was pissing him off.
Chapter 7
It was late in the afternoon when Tess pulled into the driveway of Dan Malone’s beach house and parked next to Brian’s truck. “Oh, this is so cute!”
Beside her, Andy scowled, not even looking up from his cell phone. “Yeah, cute. It better have Wi-fi.”
“Agent Malone said it has everything we need, including Wi-fi. Now stop with the attitude and be nice to him. He didn’t have to do this, and if he hadn’t, we would have to share a tiny motel room that might not even have Wi-fi.” It was doubtful, since there was internet access practically everywhere nowadays, but she’d wanted to drive her point home.
“Whatever.”
Shaking her head, Tess opened her door and climbed out. While she loved Andy with all her heart, she couldn’t wait until he left his brooding teenageyears behind him. She wondered if she’d been that bad at his age, when their parents were still alive.
Brian met her at the front of the car and held out two key chains, handing them both to Tess. “Here you go—one set for each of you. The bigger key opens both the front and back doors. The other one is for the storage room. Feel free to use anything in there.”
Like most houses along the shoreline, this one had been built on stilts to help prevent flooding during storm surges and hurricanes. The storage unit was under the north side of the house and probably held tools, beach chairs, and other items. Below the south side of the house was an unoccupied parking spot.
With a sullen Andy reluctantly trailing behind, Tess followed Brian toward the back of the house to the patio, which was protected from the water by dunes. A path between two of them led to a private stretch of shoreline. An outside shower stood beside the patio, so no one needed to traipse sand and salt into the house.
The house was in the perfect location. Apparently, the beach was only open to local homeowners and their guests, who had to show a pass to authorities upon request. A public beach was set about a quarter of a mile down the road.
A fire pit sat in the middle of the patio, encircled by outdoor furniture, and Tess wondered if Dan Malone would mind if she used it a few times. Although it was the first week in June, the evenings were still cool enough to enjoy a fire.
Brian started up a staircase leading to the back porch and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Pretty much everyone uses this entrance. I can’t remember the last time I went in or out the front door. Watch the banister here, though. I noticed it was loose yesterday. I’m working every day this week, so you’ll just have to be careful until next Saturday, when I can come by and fix it.”
“Okay.”
While she and Andy waited, Brian used his own key to unlock the door. He then held it open and let them walk ahead of him into a large living/dining room combination. It was nicely decorated with comfortable-looking furniture. Photos of the Malone family lined the length of a fireplace mantel. A large-screen TV hung above them, and Andy immediately went over to check out the titles of some video games sitting on the shelf of a nearby bookcase.
“You can use the Xbox if you want—there’s a wide variety of games. Oh, and the Wi-fi password is on a card in the drawer over there.” Brian gestured to an end table next to the couch. He didn’t seem offended when the teenager failed to acknowledge him, but instead, he turned back to Tess.
“The main bedroom is down the hall to the left and has its own bath. Andy can use the bedroom right across from that and the hall bathroom. The sheets were just washed, and there are plenty of clean towels. The laundry room is at the end of the hall. Upstairs is mostly unfinished and is used for storage.”
He pointed to his left. “You can eat inthe kitchen or use the dining table out here, or the one on the deck. My sister-in-law froze some of the leftover food from Dan’s birthday party for you—lasagna, chicken marsala, and other stuff. Hot dogs and hamburgers are in the fridge too. Whatever else is in there, just help yourself.”
His expression told her not to object, so she didn’t. “Your sister-in-law didn’t have to do that, but please thank her for me. And I thank you and your uncle again—for all of this. It means a lot to me... and to Andy, even if he won’t admit it to you.”
The corners of Brian’s mouth ticked upward. “No worries—my brothers and I were teenage boys once too. I’m sure I was just like him back then.” He snorted. “Hell, I was probably worse. I’m not sure if you know this, but my folks died in a plane crash when I was sixteen, so I get what you’ve both gone through.”
“Oh, my God. No, I didn’t know that.” She paused, then asked, “It sucks, doesn’t it?” It wasn’t a rhetorical question, not to someone who’d also experienced the grief of losing both parents at the same time.
“Yeah, it does. Thankfully, Uncle Dan—my dad’s brother—stepped in and kept us out of foster care. I’m glad you were able to do that for Andy, too, but it must’ve been rough on you—giving up your freedom to raise him.”
Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. She glanced over her shoulder to see her brother still engrossed in several stacks of video game boxes, thenlowered her voice so he wouldn’t overhear. “Yeah, it’s been hard—some days more than others—but there was no way I could let Andy go into the system. I postponed med school and took the job at the M.E.’s office, but once he’s in college, I’d like to become a doctor. I want to apply to Whitmore.”
Whitmore School of Medicine in Elizabeth City was only about a twenty-minute drive from the house, so she could commute. She could also do her residency at Elizabeth City Memorial Hospital. If she went anywhere else, she might have to sell the house, which was the last thing she wanted.
“That’s good. I think you’ll make a fine doctor. Do you know what field you want to go into?”
She smiled. “If you’d asked me that five years ago, I would have said neurology, but now, I want to go into forensic pathology. I’ve found working with the dead can help the living too. Dr. Hansen has become a great inspiration to me, and I’d like to become an M.E.”
“Awesome. From what I’ve seen, you’ll be a good one. Working for Hansen will probably give you a step up in school too. You’ll have experience that many other students won’t have in the beginning.
“Are you going to stand there all day, BS-ing or what?”
Before Tess could admonish her brother for being rude again, Brian answered, “No, actually, we’re not. Neither are you. While your sister takes a look around,you and I will bring in all the suitcases and boxes from my truck. Let’s go.”
He stepped back and indicated for Andy to precede him out onto the deck. Rolling his eyes, the teenager stormed out the door as if working with the agent was the last thing he wanted to do. Brian winked at Tess. “Don’t worry. I can handle his surliness. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt to prove it, although I was the one with the attitude back then. Anyway, take a look around, and let me know if you need anything.”
