Page 11 of Protecting Vera

Ben nodded. “Yeah, she’s with Trip. She’s really nice.”

She had no reason to say no, and honestly, getting out of the house would be nice. “Okay. I’ll go.” She could read something on her phone or maybe take a nap. “Do we need to pack any food or drinks?”

Q shook his head. “We’ve got you covered.”

Ben flashed a smile. “Go change into shorts and come on. We’ll have fun. We can stop and pick up some flip-flops for you. There’s a store on the way. It will be fast.”

She shrugged. “You’ve sold me on it.” Excitement built as she changed clothes. They were on the road in minutes, her sitting in the back of Q’s car between Ben and Bud. The guys seemed to have accepted her. They weren’t flirting with her, which she appreciated. They weren’t trying to treat her like one of the guys, but the tension wasn’t there either, except with Ben. But he wasn’t flirting with her either. Just sometimes, she swore she caught him looking at her, though it wasn’t too awkward now.

Maybe there was something there, or maybe not. She wasn’t sure, but if he made a move, she wouldn’t have a problem with it. No, she would welcome his interest, which honestly shocked her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The beach looked busy. Worry filled her but Ben bumped her shoulder. “He’s still in Texas. We have someone keeping tabs on him. You’re fine.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

“It’s a retired military guy. He’s not following Logan, but he lives near there and is just picking up conversations. Tex talked to the dude on Wednesday, and the guy said he would happily support the efforts to collect intelligence on Logan. He says it gives him something fun to do.”

“Wow. I had no idea anyone was watching him.”

“I was going to talk to you about it this weekend. I’ve been late from work a couple of times, and I wanted to see if the guy would stick with it. He will. He was military intelligence. He thinks it’s fun. He also set up an alert, so he knows if the guy books an airline ticket.”

She shook her head. “Is that legal?”

Ben shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“I don’t want to get any of you in trouble.”

“Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

She nodded, hoping she wasn’t too big of a bother for them. “Thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay you all back.”

“Honestly, the retired guys love this stuff.”

“It’s just weird. I spent so much time alone. I’ve never had people looking after me.”

A couple seemed to be heading their way. “Is that Ellis?”

Ben lifted his chin. “Yes. Ellis and Trip.”

“Hey, Hop, this must be Vera,” Trip said.

Ellis shook her hand. “I’m Ellis. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Time for fun,” Ben said as he came up behind them.

They made their way to the volleyball nets, and she glanced around, taking in the atmosphere. The place was busy, but everyone seemed to be happy and minding their own business. She’d never been to see the Pacific Ocean, so excitement filled her as she stood there watching the waves roll in. In Texas, the waves weren’t this high unless a storm was rolling in. A couple came over while Trip was setting up the umbrella. Ellis hugged the woman, and for a second, Vera wasn’t sure she was going to be introduced. She felt awkward because she didn’t know how much to explain her situation.

“And this is Vera. Vera, I’d like you to meet Remi.”

“Remi. Nice to meet you.” She shook the woman’s hand, really studying her. She looked amazingly down to earth, someone Vera thought she would be friends with if they’d met in college.

“Hi, Vera. Are you new here?”

“Yes. Actually, I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean before. So I feel like a dork staring at the big waves.”

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