Page 33 of Help Wanted

“No problem. When will you be in? I have two people who want to meet with you. Lawyer and insurance adjuster.”

“Friday?”

“I’ll see if that works for them and send you an email to confirm.”

“Great. Talk to you later,” he said before they hung up. She scanned the photo and sent it to him immediately, like the neurotic employee she was.

She took the photo back to his office and frowned at the mess, her OCD flaring up slightly. No way could she just shove the door picture back into the box and close the drawer.

“Damn it!” she huffed and took the whole box out to her desk to organize it. These were obviously pictures of things that were salvaged from boats to be used to restore other boats. She’d seen the racks of items on the far wall of the slip.

Over the next few days she scanned all the photos into a computer file and sorted them by tabs. Engines, hulls, windows/glass, navigation, brass, etc. She entered any notes from the backs of the photos. Then she loaded them all on the server. She spent her evenings at home learning how to create an app.

If nothing else, it gave her an excuse not to go with Officer Porter when he showed up at the door. For all the promises she’d made to herself about getting out there and trying to find a connection, she already knew she wasn’t interested. She wished she did find him appealing. It would keep her from daydreaming about her boss, which she still found herself doing occasionally.

After finishing her project, she drummed her fingers on her desk and sighed. Now what?

* * *

“Hello.” Zane answered Paul’s call as he walked into his office. It was good to be home.

“Did you hear from Josh? He says he’s looking for a new nav system for his boat.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Did you want me to take a look and work something up?” he asked.

“No, I’ve got it. I’ll look for something while I’m at the boat show. I’m taking Kenley with me so I can show her the ropes.”

“Show her the ropes? She’s into that kind of thing?” Paul teased.

“Very funny.”

Paul was still laughing at his own joke. “Seriously, though. The two of you in a boat? Alone?”

“Yeah. So?”

“Overnight?”

“I’ll stay on the boat and she has a room at the convention center.” Why was Paul acting like this was a big deal? Maybe because it was a big deal. Huge. He and Kenley together. Alone, as he’d pointed out. This would be the ultimate test of his control.

“You know what they say about being at sea with a woman.”

“It’s bad luck?”

“That’s only if you’re crossing the sea. They say it’s romantic.”

“It’s a boat show, not a tropical cruise.”

“I took Taylor out on my boat one time and bam. We were in love.”

“So you’re saying if I take Kenley with me, we’re going to fall madly in love and get married?” If only it could be that simple. He could see Kenley in a white gown, smiling at him. Tiny flowers in her hair, and—

Paul’s laughter ruined his little daydream.

“No. You’re probably safe.”

“Thanks,” Zane said with a frown as he employed the chanting again. Employee. Employee. Employee.