She rubbed her eyes before opening her door and grabbing her bags out of the back.
Movement out the back window caught his attention before he set his bag down inside.
“This is unnecessary,” Letty said, dropping her computer bag onto the counter. “I’ve lived alone in worse places.”
“Maybe.” Wyatt moved to check the back door. “But not with someone watching you.”
She crossed her arms. “We don’t know that.” She stared at Wyatt. “Are you planning on lecturing me all morning, or can I finish my work?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “You work without sleep?”
“I work when the data’s hot, and I had a nap on the way over.”
He considered that. “Fair.”
They fell into a strange rhythm after that. Letty sat at the table with her notes, Wyatt posted nearby, cleaning his gear, eyes flicking to the windows, the water, the shadows.
An hour after they arrived, Wyatt walked to the door and opened it. “Hey, thanks.”
“No problem.” Jackson lifted his head to Letty. “I hope you don’t mind, but I grabbed your stuff from the hotel. The manager knows Cal.”
Letty pushed back from the table. “Oh, you’re awesome. Thank you. I need a shower.” She grabbed the bag from his hand and headed to the back of the cottage.
Mid-afternoon, Letty stepped out of the bedroom, yawning. She smiled. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have slept so long.”
Wyatt raised his head from where he sat at the table. “You needed to sleep.”
She cringed. “I know, but there is only one bed and you…”
He flicked his hand at the sofa. “I grabbed a few winks. I’m good.”
She glanced at the material on the table as she grabbed a pan from the rack. “Did you find anything I missed?”
“Not really. I did a little research into the Palmetto. I added the info to your page.”
Letty grabbed bread from the cabinet and items from the fridge. “Want a grilled cheese?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
A few minutes later, Letty set a plate in front of Wyatt and took a seat. “Has Cal heard from the investigator?”
Wyatt took a drink from his soda can. “I don’t think so. Cal said they still have the area roped off.”
Letty nodded as she grabbed her laptop. “I think I’m going to do a little more research.”
A few hours later, Wyatt stretched, casting his eyes from watching Letty through the window to down the shore. Sunset on the water reminded him why he loved being near the ocean. He’d only seen the ocean a few times before he enlisted in the Navy. Resting his arms on the banister behind the cottage, he turned as Letty got up from the table to grab a bottle from the cabinet. “Whiskey?”
Wyatt arched his brow. “You offering or negotiating?”
“Both,.
They stepped out onto the dock. The warm evening was alive with marsh sounds. Letty poured and handed him a glass.
He leaned on the railing, which raised his shirt, giving her a view of his skin. The light highlighted the scar along his back. She stared before she could stop herself.
Wyatt noticed. “Go on,” he said softly. “You’re already cataloging.”
She stepped closer, fingers hovering, before touching with care. First, the scar on his back along his ribs, and then she moved to the rope burn on his forearm.
