Uncharted Waters

For the first time her being here made sense. “I’m sorry to hear that. If there’s anything I can do...”

She smiled, but he didn’t miss the flash of sadness in her eyes. “There isn’t. But thank you. Hopefully, the doctors at the clinic will be able to get him on a regimen of medication that will allow him to lead a relatively normal life.”

Drew figured the least he could do would be to check out the clinic himself. He would start by giving his adopted brother, Marcus, a call in Washington D.C. Marcus, a Navy SEAL, was one of the so-called Extraordinary Five—now Extraordinary Six—one of six genetically engineered children. Marcus’s sister, Faith, had been genetically engineered to develop extraordinary skills as a physician and diagnostician. She was formerly an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She would know if the Waterton Clinic was as good as Alison had been told.

“What about your job with the Defense Department?” he asked.

“I resigned. I need to be able to concentrate on caring for Kevin right now. I couldn’t do both.”

“You doing okay financially?”

For a moment she looked surprised, then nodded adamantly. “Of course I am. The Navy provided for us after Rick’s death.”

“I used to be in the Navy, Alison.”

She put on a too-bright smile he saw right through. “We’re doing fine. Really.”

Drew recalled the old Mustang he’d seen in the driveway and realized he didn’t believe her. Damn it. The last thing she needed were financial problems.

“I’m looking for a job, actually,” she said. “Parttime, maybe.”

“What kind of work are you looking for?”

“Something with flexible hours, so I can take Kevin to his doctor appointments.” She shrugged. “Something temporary for now. Administrative maybe.”

An odd sense of responsibility settled onto his shoulders. He hated the thought of her having to struggle financially after everything else she’d been through. He knew making ends meet couldn’t be easy for a widow and a young child with special needs. His first instinct was to help, and he thought of the administrative position open at Evans Yachts, which was operated by his cousin, Seth Evans. Simultaneously, the more cautious side of him knew that if he offered her a position with Evans Yachts—even a temporary one—he would be involving her in something that could ultimately put her in danger.

“If I hear of any jobs, I’ll let you know,” he said.

“Thank you. I appreciate that. But I’m sure something will come up soon.”

He contemplated her, feeling a lot more than he should, a lot more than was prudent. As he gazed into the guileless blue of her eyes, the reality of the situation sank in a little deeper, hit home a little harder, and Drew actually felt a moment of panic. Alison wasn’t just visiting; she was going to be here awhile. He was going to have to deal with her. He was going to have to deal with her son. He was going to have to come to terms with how he felt about them.

The problem was Drew didn’t have the slightest idea how to deal with any of those things. He wasn’t ready to pick up where they’d left off. He couldn’t, knowing the role he’d played in Rick’s death. Worse, after the way he’d reacted to her this morning, he no longer trusted himself to do the right thing. The smart thing. The honorable thing.

Damn it.

“I’ve got to go,” he said abruptly.

“You sure you won’t stay and have some breakfast?”

“I just remembered something I have to do.” Dumb lie, but he didn’t care. He had to get out of there. Before he did something stupid. Something irrevocable. Something that would shame him and destroy a friendship that had once meant the world to him. Setting his cup of coffee on the counter, he started for the door.

He heard Alison behind him, but Drew didn’t stop. In the living room, he barely spared Kevin a glance as he crossed to the foyer. His voice sounded curt when he bade the boy goodbye. “See you tomorrow, Kev.”

“Bye, Drew. Hey!” Kevin scrambled off the sofa and rushed over to him. “Did you want to see my Zoomer 57 Skyeagle before you leave?”

“Maybe next time.” Because he felt like an ogre, he added. “I’m late for an appointment.”

Drew opened the door and stepped onto the porch. The balmy South Florida morning embraced him, and he took his first deep breath since walking into the house just fifteen minutes earlier.

He was halfway to his truck when he heard his name. Turning, he spotted Alison standing on the porch in her robe and curlers, a dish towel in one hand. In the other, she dangled his truck keys. “Hey! I think you forgot something!”

For several heartbeats, Drew just stood there looking at her, feeling a familiar tug he didn’t want to acknowledge. Wordlessly, he turned and started toward her. He tried to keep his expression light, but he could tell by her faltering smile that he wasn’t quite succeeding. Damn, he was bad at this stuff. Bad for her and her kid. Hell, he was even bad for himself.

He wished he hadn’t come to see her. Wished he hadn’t invited them to fly with him tomorrow. Spending time with her was only asking for trouble. He would never be able to live with himself if he acted on the impulses racing through his brain.

Stepping onto the porch, he stuck out his hand palm up. “Thanks.”

She dropped the keys into his hand, then cocked her head and glanced up at him. “Are you okay?”

He laughed, but the sound was fraught with tension. “I’m fine.”

“You seem...tense.”

“I’m just in a hurry.”

“You’re late for an appointment.”

“Right.”

She didn’t look convinced, so he glanced at his watch as if to prove he wasn’t lying. “Gotta run.”

“See you tomorrow morning,” she said.

Drew’s hands were shaking when he turned away from her. As he made his way down the sidewalk toward his truck, he realized he would never be able to put enough distance between them to avoid what he’d feared most since the terrible day they’d buried Rick. The only question that remained was what he was going to do about it.

Nothing, he assured himself.

Not a damn thing.

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