Moving through the lines at the long tables, she was amazed at how much food everyone managed to pile onto their plates. Especially Callan and his friends. She was glad the paper plates were sturdy or else she would have been afraid that they would have crashed under the weight.

  “Are you getting enough?” Callan asked.

  She glanced over her shoulder and up and laughed. “Not all of us eat our body weight in one sitting.” Jason was across the serving line from them, and she saw that he had even more than Callan had piled up. Hunter and Brogan were the two largest men, and she lifted an eyebrow at them carrying two plates each.

  While in the line, Callan introduced her to more people. His Coast Guard buddies, José and Jarrod, and his Chief, Jeff. The Sheriff of North Heron, Colt. All of the names were beginning to run together, but one thing remained the same with each person she was introduced to—they all seemed to have great respect for Callan, something which did not surprise her at all.

  Making their way back to the table, they squeezed in, ready to taste the food that had been tempting them since they arrived. The microphone at the front of the room squawked, drawing everyone’s attention to a small platform on the opposite end.

  “I should have known we wouldn’t be able to get past a community gathering without hearing from the Mayor,” Callan said, drawing chuckles from those around.

  Sophie twisted in her seat to watch the portly man dressed in a suit and tie, unlike all the others that were more casually attired, continue to tap on the microphone. Finally, someone in the crowd yelled, “It’s on! We can hear you!”

  Someone from their table said, “And it won’t matter if we can’t,” to the laughter of everyone around.

  “As Mayor of this fine town, I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out tonight and supporting the American Legion. Their tireless efforts benefiting our fine community are well known amongst all of us. Please make sure you thank the sponsors of this event—their names are displayed by the door—and the American Legion Auxiliary who provided the delicious side dishes. I want you to know that I and the town council are working on your behalf in complete transparency and we hope to have more events like this. So enjoy your meal, and thanks again for coming out.”

  Turning back to the others at her table, brow lowered, Sophie asked, “What on earth was the transparency that he was talking about?”

  “A few months ago, Lia uncovered a huge financial theft that involved the man who used to be the town manager,” Callan explained. Nodding toward the man sitting across from them, he said, “I know you’ve met Lia, but here’s one of the other accountants in town. This is Scott Redding.”

  She smiled at the handsome man before looking around the table, giving a tiny shake of her head. Catching Katelyn’s questioning gaze, she mouthed There are so many gorgeous guys in Baytown. Katelyn nodded while laughing before turning her attention back to her baby.

  As she finished her food, Sophie observed all the people sitting at the tables close to them. The original Baytown Boys. All of them now with beautiful wives or fiancées. Their parents, all friends with her parents. Callan’s coworkers at the Coast Guard. Members of the American Legion. A small grin played about her lips as she thought of Philip. He would so love this.

  She looked over at the table where her parents sat, watching them laughing and chatting with their friends. She knew that they must look at each of the Baytown Boys, and while loving all of them as they watched them grow up and mature, had to deal with their son never getting that chance. But once again, this thought did not make her sad, just reflective. The saying life goes on was so very true.

  Looking back at the original Baytown Boys sitting near them, it hit her that Callan was the last single one. Sliding her glance to him, the idea that he could have settled down with someone else sliced through her.

  “Hey, what was that frown for?”

  Blinking, she felt the heat of blush crawling up her face as she realized Callan was staring at her, his brows lowered in concern.

  Giving her head a quick shake, she said, “Nothing.” Seeing him continue to stare questioningly, she added, “I was just thinking about how nice it was here with everyone. I never had friends like this in Richmond.”

  His face gentled, and he reached over to cover her hand with his. “This is why I don’t want to reenlist in the Coast Guard,” he admitted. “Baytown is home. It’s always been home, but with you here again, it’s even better.”

  Before she could smile, he bent toward her, his lips meeting hers in a soft kiss. He leaned back and winked, seeming to not notice everyone at the table staring at them. Her cheeks heated once again, but as she glanced around, she noticed the wide smiles of all of their friends. Sucking in her lips, she ducked her head and continued to eat, grateful when the conversations started around them again. Well, it seems like no one has a problem with us being together.

  Looking across the crowded room, she noticed Roger and Travis standing together, their heads bent toward each other, deep in conversation. Off to the side, slightly behind them, was Sue, whose narrowed gaze was pinned directly to the two men. Carlotta was sitting at the Mayor’s table, chatting with both him and his wife. She had seen Ann standing outside near one of the roasters and wondered if she was just working for the evening and not enjoying the dinner.

  Her thoughts slid to the events from the morning, and she turned to Callan and asked, “Do you ever go back into the inlets that are behind The Dunes Resort?”

  Her question seemed to catch him off guard as his forehead crinkled in thought. “Inlets?”

  “Yeah, the ones that go behind the residential area that isn’t developed yet and the golf course. I don’t really know how else to describe them, but they’re on the back side of the golf courses and residences.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been back there. Why?”

  Before she had a chance to respond, a shout of laughter from the other end of the table rang out, and their attention was diverted. Callan stood and grabbed her empty plate along with his and kissed the top of her head, saying, “I’ll get rid of these and grab some dessert.”

  Jason slid over into Callan’s now-empty chair, and she looked at him questioningly. He was handsome with his long hair, beard, and tats, and she wondered why he was single.

  “This probably isn’t the most appropriate time, but I just wanted to tell you how happy you’ve made Callan. I might not be one of the original guys, but he and I have gotten to know each other over the last couple years. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and, well, I’m glad for him that you’re here.”

  Her heart warmed, but at the same time, his words made her nervous. She had no idea what she was going to do when her time at The Dunes Resort was up, and he had not fully decided about his plans.

  As though Jason could sense her unease, he hastened to add, “Hey, this wasn’t supposed to make you feel weird. I know it’s early days now. I guess I just wanted to let you know that I’ve never seen him so happy.”

  Her heart just a tad lighter, she smiled and nodded. “Thanks, that means a lot.”

  Callan returned, shooting Jason a pretend glare as he placed a plate full of homemade pies, cobbler, and cake down in front of Sophie.

  She gasped, saying, “Oh, my God, Callan! What do you expect me to do with all this food?”

  He kissed the top of her head again as he slid into his seat, now vacated by Jason. “I expect you to share it with me.”

  She noted that he did not bring a separate plate for him and pushed the plate back between them. “Then I hope you’re still hungry because all I can do is taste each of these.”

  Laughing, he dove in, and together, they quickly made the food go away. As the event came to a close and the Mayor made another speech, calling up the officers of the AL to receive the proceeds check from the benefit, people began to stand and slowly make their way out the door. Sophie once again found herself engulfed in more hugs by all their friends and family. All welcoming. All warm. All giving her the feeling that Baytown was, and always would be, home.

  23

  Several hours later, lying in bed with their arms and legs wrapped around each other, Callan was idly stroking Sophie’s curls away from her face. Her slow, even breathing indicated she was almost asleep, but as his sated body relaxed his mind, he suddenly thought of the question she had asked earlier, and his curiosity had him give her a slight shake.

  “Sophie, babe. Why did you ask me about the inlets near The Dunes Resort?” She stirred slightly, her eyes blinking open, an adorable crinkle between her brows.

  “Oh, um…I was just wondering, that’s all. There have been a few strange things that have happened over there that just made me wonder what they were used for.”

  His interest piqued, he shifted back slightly so that he could see her face in the moonlight. “What kind of strange things?”

  “I’ve gone over to that side of the golf course a couple of times. It’s behind some woods where there are lots to be sold for homes, but they haven’t sold yet, so it’s super private.” Yawning widely, she added, “I went back there to just look at some of the plants that I might want to decorate with. You know, like pinecones, evergreens, berries.” She closed her eyes, snuggling against him.

  “And?” he prodded.

  Blinking again, she sighed. “One day, at the water’s edge when I was looking for cattails, I came across a canvas bag, I pulled it out of the water and looked inside—”

  His body jerked as he bit out, “Jesus, Sophie. You have no idea what could have been in there. You find something like that, you bring it to someone else to look into.”

  Her eyes fully open now, she said, “Why on earth would I do that? I just thought there might be some ID inside in case I could return it to whoever lost it. But the only thing that was in it was bags of crab meat.”

  “Crab meat?” He sat up in bed and twisted around to turn on the nightstand lamp. Looking back at her, he repeated, “Crab meat?”

  Sitting up as well, she shoved her mane of hair off her face and huffed. “Seriously, Callan? I admit when I first saw plastic bags in there, I thought that maybe I’d stumbled across some drug find—”

  “Jesus.” He dragged his hand over his face, shaking his head slightly.

  “Yeah, it was pretty stinky. There were some of those freezer packs in there as well, but they were completely thawed, so the whole thing was super icky.”

  “What did you do with it?”

  “There’s a dumpster near the condos, so I took it there on my way back to the house and threw it away.” Cocking her head to the side, she asked him, “Why?”

  Sighing, he said, “I don’t know. Curious, I guess. I don’t like things that don’t make sense, like a puzzle that needs to be solved.”

  “I just figured that somebody had gone crabbing, and one of their bags must’ve fallen over the boat.”

  “That still doesn’t make sense.” He reached his hand out to flip off the light when she spoke again.

  “I wouldn’t have really thought anything about it if it hadn’t been for the men I saw on the boat the other night.”

  Turning slowly, his dark eyes pinned her to the bed as he asked, “What men? What boat? And what the fuck do you mean by the other night?”

  “I don’t really mean night,” she backtracked, her arms crossing her body defensively. “I just mean right after sunset.”

  “Sophie, get to the men and the boat.”

  “Jeez, Callan,” she grumbled. “I’d gone back out to see the sunset through the woods instead of just across the Bay. It was peaceful. I sat in the middle of some tall grass and just watched the sun in the sky through the trees. I closed my eyes for a few minutes because I just felt…good.” She leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm as though begging him to understand. “I haven’t had that kind of peace in so long, and I realized I was desperate for it.”

  He sighed and nodded, encouraging her to continue.

  “I was startled when I heard a voice and opened my eyes to see a small, flat-bottomed boat being rowed into the inlet. They couldn’t see me because I was sitting down and hidden by the seagrass. I also couldn’t really see them because they were bundled up against the cold weather. Big coats, caps pulled over their ears, gloves, plus, it was just after sunset.”

  He thought for a moment, then said, “There are lots of reasons why someone might be back there if they were out fishing. As far as I know, there are no residential properties that back onto that inlet. Well, at least not ones where people are living. I’ll take a look and see what I can find.”

  “I went back the next morning to see if I could find anything but—” Her words halted as he cursed under his breath, and she said, “Do you want me to tell my story or not? If so, stop getting pissy.”

  His ire shot up a notch, and he barked, “I’m not getting pissy. I’m getting irritated when my girlfriend tells me she’s doing things that could be dangerous.”

  Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Girlfriend?”

  The word girlfriend had just slipped out so naturally he had not given it a second thought. Sighing, he looked at her shocked face but was pleased to see that she did not appear upset, merely curious. Her bottom lip was pulled through her teeth, and her aqua eyes never left his face. She was staring intently, and he needed to explain.

  Reaching over, he took her hands and held them between his own. “I can’t lie to you, Sophie. The word girlfriend just came out, and I know I should apologize that I haven’t actually asked, but it seems like that’s the word that fits. I know we both have a lot going on in our professional lives, but reconnecting with you has given me a new purpose, a new focus. I don’t want to be with anyone else, and I hope you don’t either.”

  The pounding of his heart eased as her lips curved into a smile. She whispered, “Girlfriend,” as though trying out the word. If her smile was any indication, she was happy with the title.

  Still sitting on the bed, facing each other, they leaned forward, sealing their unspoken vow with a soft kiss. Muttering against her lips, he said, “As much as I would like to keep doing this, I want to get back to what happened after you saw the men.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she said, “That’s not very romantic.”

  He cocked his eyebrow, and she nodded, rolling her eyes. “Okay, okay. The next morning, I went back to see if I could find the small wooden pier that I had noticed the day before. But suddenly that area was Grand Central Station. Roger Thorpe, the general manager, showed up and warned me that I really shouldn’t be there. Then Travis Mars and Sue Connor, the golf pros, showed up separately and said the same thing. I ran into Ann Berkeley, the chef at The Dunes Resort Restaurant, and she said she was just out walking. But by then I thought it was a strange occurrence that everybody was in a section that nobody was really supposed to be in. By the time I got back to the house, my phone was ringing and Carlotta Ventura, the realtor, said she had heard I was there and wanted to warn me away as well.”

  Continuing to hold her hand, he rubbed his thumb over her soft knuckles, but his mind was racing with possibilities. Shaking his head slowly, he lifted his gaze to her, finding her quiet, giving him space to think. “I don’t know, babe. Could be nothing. Probably is nothing. But I confess it sounds suspicious enough that I’d like to do a little checking. We’re in charge of securing the waterways around here, so I’ll talk to my Chief, Jeff, and go out with Jarrod or José to take a look around.”

  “I feel kind of foolish, Callan. I mean it seemed so suspicious at the time, but as I just said the words aloud to you,” she shrugged, “it doesn’t really make a lot of sense. I’ve already figured out that golf pros are super particular about the courses, although since I don’t play golf, it seems like you have a lot of people walking on them all the time anyway. I get Roger was being finicky, because as the general manager, I know he’s in charge of everything and probably figured I was whacking away at his plants. And the men on the boat? Probably just out fishing.”

  Nodding, Callan agreed. “You might be right, but I’d feel a lot better going out and checking. But you need to avoid that area. Just in case there’s something going on over there, I don’t want you in the middle of it.”

  “I’ve now got deliveries coming in every day, so I’m busy taking care of the house. I have another couple weeks to get it finished, and then I’ll start working on the condo design. Believe me, I don’t want to have everyone at The Dunes fussing at me!”

  They slid back under the covers, and he flipped off the light on the nightstand. Tangling together once more, his mind continued to race as he felt her succumb to sleep. It was another hour before he was able to follow her, the odd events replaying in his mind.

  24

  Jeff had listened to Callan explain what Sophie reported, nodding as he took notes. “She said there was a wooden pier back there?”

  Nodding, Callan said, “Yes, sir. She said it was very small and only extended about ten feet from the land.”

  “I know that Roger Thorpe had requested that The Dunes Resort be allowed to have a dock for resort members who wanted to launch kayaks into the inlet. But the last I heard, that was going to be closer to the Bay and not back where you say Sophie was. Also, I know that project had not been approved yet by The Dunes’ management.”

  “If there’s nothing else on my duty roster today, I was hoping to take one of the RB-S and patrol back there to take a look for myself.”

  Jeff had stood and walked over to a map on the wall that showed all the waterways in the area around Baytown that fell under their protection. Shaking his head slightly, he turned around and said, “I agree, it’s worth looking into.” He sat back down and added, “I’ll call Ryan and ask if the VMP have come across anything.”

  “Thank you, sir. Is it okay if I take Jarrod?”