She looked back at him with a slight squint to her eyes to avoid being blinded by the afternoon sun. “Sounds lovely.” She smiled. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I’ve got it.” He shook his head, walking past her on his way to the other end of the boat. “Sliced turkey okay with you?”
“Of course.” Kam sent another flash of a smile his way. But he’d already passed by her, so she wasn’t sure if he even noticed.
Taking the man at his word, she settled back against the white vinyl cushion, soaking in everything she could from the glorious day.
The view. The slight bite of an early summer sun. The comfort from an almost constant, soothing breeze.
In a word, the moment was perfect. Too bad it wouldn’t last
Not that she was fearful of Van going back on his word. If he’d wanted to cause her harm, he’d had plenty of opportunity to do so.
No, Kam knew in her heart the danger to her wouldn’tcome from him or his team. The threat was out there, somewhere. An unknown enemy lying in wait.
The only question remaining was how long would it be before they decided to strike again?
“I wasn’t sure what you’d want to drink, so I just grabbed a couple bottles of water.”
Her lips curved at the corners as she turned Van’s way. “Water’s fine.” She smiled up at him, taking the bottle and one of two paper plates from his hands. “Thank you.”
A low grunt was all she received in response, and Kam had to hide her growing grin with a small bite from her turkey sandwich. She was beginning to find the man’s stoic disposition rather charming.
It was refreshing to meet a man who didn’t seem to care what others thought. He was himself and unapologetically so.
“So what do you think?” Van asked as he sat a few feet away in what he’d referred to earlier as the captain’s chair.
She swallowed the bite of bread, turkey, and cheese. “About the sandwich?” She gave her lips a quick swipe of her tongue. “It’s delicious.”
Simplistic in its creation, but tasty all the same.
“Not the food,” he clarified with a deep rumble. “I was talking about your first boat ride.”
“Oh.” Kam chuckled. “Sorry. It was amazing.” She glanced around at the unbelievable view. “It’s absolutely stunning here. So peaceful and quiet. It’s all so…”
“Serene.”
The word was unexpected coming from a man like Van. But when she saw that he, too, appeared to be mesmerized by the stunning waterscape that surrounded them, Kam was reminded once again that there was so much more to the former SEAL than what she’d read in the files that had mysteriously appeared inside her family home.
“That’s the perfect way to describe it,” she agreed. “It is absolutely serene.”
Those shaded eyes turned her way, holding her captive a moment longer before returning his attention to the food in his hand.
Several minutes passed by with the two eating in comfortable silence. Kam couldn’t help but to smile at the thought.
“Something funny?” Van’s question seemed to come from nowhere a few seconds later.
Blinking quickly, she shook her head but kept the curve of her lips in place. “Not funny. Just…surprising.”
“You gonna share, or do I have to guess?”
Her shoulders bounced with a soft chuckle, and she glanced away for a breath before returning her gaze to his. “I was just thinking how funny life can be sometimes.”
“Yeah?” He took a big swig of his water before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “How so?”
“Oh, for so many reasons. But specifically, I was just thinking how, if someone had told me a few days ago that I would be having lunch on a boat in the middle of the ocean with one of the men whom I’d been led to believe was responsible for my mother’s death…after having slept under the same roof as that man…I would have said they were positively and certifiably crazy.”
The long-winded comment seemed to amuse Van as well, and for the second time since having met him, she saw the slight stirrings of a genuine smile.
