“Grew up with it.”
Nate was frowning. “What about you?”
“You mean, am I one of the Players?” Her smile disappeared. “Of course. When you’re not here, I grab my big flashlight and run off to the cabin of whoever is available. I’m not in the least particular.” She started to get up, but Nate put his hand on her arm.
“I apologize. Please don’t leave. I need a bit more time to digest all this food before I can move. What have you decided about me?”
“Dad wants to adopt you so he can get free labor forever. How did you fix those boat motors so quickly?”
“Put gas in them.” He was staring at her, waiting for her answer.
“If you pay rent, you don’t have to work. Certainly not clean out entire buildings.”
With a smile of satisfaction, Nate leaned back in his chair. “I like it here. Uncle Kit said I was part Montgomery because I like water so much.”
“Don’t Berbers live in deserts?”
“The desert is where you learn to truly appreciate water.” He was quiet for a moment. “Terri, I’m sorry about the mix-up. My uncle hasn’t answered any of the eight messages I left for him, but I think he put me here because he knows I need this. After Uncle Kit retired, I had a hard time working for the government. So hard, that I left.”
Terri could hear the understatement in his voice and she waited for him to go on, but he didn’t. “What about Stacy? Will she mind that you and I stay here alone? Just the two of us?”
“She’s not the jealous type,” Nate said quickly, then heaved himself out of the chair. “I can’t stand the smell of myself any longer. You said your aunt used to invite people here. You mind if I have a few people over? I’ll cook.”
“I guess not,” Terri said as she stood up, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
He seemed to know what she was thinking. “But no silver or fine china. I promise.”
She could hear the laughter in his voice. “Good because my tux is in the cleaners.”
Nate grinned. “Rats! I brought my best ball gown and heels, and I really wanted to wear them.”
“Mind if I borrow one of your high heels? I’ve always wanted to try kayaking.”
Laughing, they picked up the cooler, the empty bottles and bags, and went into the house.
Chapter 4
Nate took a twenty-minute shower, but then it required that long to get clean. He smiled all the way through it. Terri had certainly won that round!
The truth was that he’d enjoyed himself. For the last year he’d been stuck at a desk. The only exercise he got was the artificial kind in a gym. He’d had years of following Kit around, bumming rides with soldiers on seaplanes, hiding in tents when they didn’t want to be seen, on and on. It had nearly killed him, but he’d loved it.
But all that ended when Kit retired. Nate had been assigned to a desk and—
He broke off his thoughts when his phone rang. The ID said it was Stacy. Smiling, he answered it. “Hey, baby, I was just thinking about you.”
“Miss me?” she asked.
“Totally. What about you?”
“I think about you every second. Did you get the boxes I sent?”
“What address did you use?”
“My parents’.”
“Oh,” Nate said. “Sorry, but no, I haven’t seen them. I’ll go tomorrow. Are you having a good time?”
“It’s wonderful! Giovanni is brilliant. The way he sees color is something I can only hope to achieve. He puts shades of purple with strips of old gold and...” She took a breath. “You have to see it to believe it.”