Page 15 of Dead in the Water

“Yeah. It just seems unfair. I was chatting with him last night and he was excited about going home today. It’s weird that life can end so quickly, with no warning.”

“It’s shit.” He crouched next to her – his black boots and police uniform entirely out of place on the sunny beach.

“Itisshit,” she agreed, then inhaled a deep lungful of the salty air. “Did you have to…” She paused, searching for the right words.

“Pull him out of the water? Yeah.”

“I guess that wasn’t pleasant.”

“No.”

Finally, she lifted her eyes to look at him properly. “Are you okay?”

He nodded.

“Busy day for a change?”

“Yeah. Though it’s not the kind of busy I’d ever wish for. We had his friends in the station to go over what happened. One woman couldn’t stop crying. That’s harder to deal with than the dead body. Grieving friends and family are the worst thing about a death.” He shifted his weight, then gave up on crouching and shifted onto his bum. “What time did you speak to him yesterday?”

“Sunset,” she said. “I guess around nine thirty, quarter to ten, something like that.”

He nodded. “The sergeant spoke to his son, who said he’d been on the phone to him shortly before ten. He’d been walking to the harbour.”

“I saw him make the call as he left me.”

“We think he probably fell immediately after that phone call. The doctor estimates he’d been in the water around six to twelve hours.” He paused for a moment. “What did you speak to him about?”

“His boat and his retirement plans. He’d wanted to sail the world, but his wife died a year ago and now he just wanted to be home with his son and grandson.”

Flynn hooked his arms around his bent legs. “It’ll be hard for his son. Losing both parents in the space of a year.”

“Yeah.” Lily’s chest felt tight as she remembered what Seren had said about how precious life was. And how quickly things could change. Her heart rate increased as she examined Flynn’s profile.

Maybe it was her unstable emotional state, but she suddenly felt so connected to him that she didn’t even contemplate it before leaning into him. With a hand on his jaw, she turned his face.

Surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t pull away when she tilted her chin and brushed her lips over his. She closed her eyes, savouring the softness of his lips and the familiar scent of him.

The beach seemed to fall quiet.

While she was kissing Flynn, the world made a lot more sense.

“Lily,” he murmured, hooking her hair behind her ear when he pulled back.

“Oops,” she said flatly.

“I’m on duty.” He cringed slightly. “And while you know I don’t take my job here overly seriously, I do like to maintain some basic standards…”

She glanced around. “No romantic trysts on the beach while in uniform?”

“That’s about where I draw the line, yes.”

“Sorry.” She wasn’t at all remorseful though, and she felt surprisingly calm. Ever since the first time they’d kissed, she’d wanted a replay. She refused to overthink it.

“Come on,” he said, standing and pulling her up. “I have to get back to the station, but walk with me for a bit.”

He kept hold of her hand for a moment as they set off. Just long enough for her to know that she didn’t need to feel conflicted about kissing him. They were on the same page, she was sure of it.

Walking to the sound of the waves and the suddenly soothing cries of seabirds, she didn’t feel the need to speak. Flynn kept quiet too until they reached the promenade.

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