Page 69 of Shallow Remains

Maddy was watching him when he ended the call. “Lost hiker up the mountain.” It was raining again and would be dark soon. “I don’t know when I’ll be back. Could be gone all night, and then I’ve got a trip booked first thing in the morning.”

She nodded. “I understand. Blaine invited me over earlier. Xanthe’s away at a conference.”

Good idea. “You can take my truck. I’ll have Grey pick me up on his way.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I don’t want you sitting around here by yourself all night.” He rose, came around the table to kiss her, a whisper of dread coiling in his gut. Kathy had hated his schedule and how much it had cut into their time together. “I’m sorry about this.”

“Don’t be,” Maddy said with a frown. “It’s your job.”

“A volunteer job.”

“Doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t be you if you left that poor hiker to fend for himself up in the hills all night. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

He would worry about her because he cared. And she had no fucking idea how much her words affected him. He’d been married to someone who hadn’t understood who he was and resented him for answering the call to save lives.

So Others May Live. The rescue swimmer motto was embedded into his DNA.

Every day, he lived with the bitter irony that he’d spent his career risking his life to save others, yet hadn’t done enough to save his own wife.

THIRTY-FIVE

Pulling through the elaborate wrought iron gates at the end of Blaine’s driveway in Lachlan’s truck felt a bit like coming home. The beautiful oceanfront estate had become a place of refuge for her when she’d needed it most.

Except she was already missing Lachlan.

She parked next to Blaine’s black Audi and entered the combination into the pad on the front door. “I’m here,” she called out as she walked in, though he would’ve received an alert on his phone when she’d pulled up to the gates.

Blaine emerged from the kitchen with a smile. “Hey. I’m glad you changed your mind. I’m bored as hell.”

“You’re welcome. What do you feel like doing?”

“It’s too windy to sit on the deck even with the heater on. Movie and snacks?”

Hell yes. “That sounds perfect.”

“Great. You go pick one out, and I’ll get the snacks.”

“You sure you don’t want a hand?”

“I can’t cook, but I think I can handle making microwave popcorn unsupervised. Avocado oil and low salt,” he added, knowing her preferences.

“Excellent. You care what we watch?”

“Nope. Whatever you feel like.”

There was a huge flat screen TV mounted over the fireplace in the living room. It was a good spot to watch a movie, but the room felt huge and too open with the vaulted ceiling. She preferred the enclosed feel of the theater down in the basement.

She smelled the popcorn before Blaine came through the theater door, and her mouth watered. “I thought I was full, but that smells amazing.”

He handed her a bowl of her own and sat beside her with his popcorn, aware that she didn’t like to share because it meant someone else’s fingers in her food. Ick. Though she wouldn’t mind if Lachlan did it. “What else’ve you got there?” she asked.

“Peanut M&Ms.” He dumped half of them into the front pouch of his hoodie and handed her the rest of the bag so he wouldn’t touch her candies. “And a sparkling lime water each. It was all we had in the fridge other than almond milk and white wine.” He handed her a can. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” she said with a grin and tossed the other end of the fuzzy throw blanket over his lap. She didn’t mind sharing that.

“So, what are we watching?”