Page 67 of Dead in the Water

“It’s what he’d been ordering during his stay. He expected me to give you that.”

“What were you actually drinking?” Seren asked, peering at the bottle when he set it on the table.

“Non-alcoholic wine. I wanted to stay sober while Russell got drunk.”

“You’re sneaky,” Seren said. “I like it.”

“Thanks again for walking me home,” Lily said to Sean.

“No worries.” His eyes sparkled as his lips stretched into a smile. “You do owe me a drink, though, remember?”

She twisted her lips, then reached for the bottle on the table and held it out to him. “There you go.”

“No!” Seren hissed. “That’s a crazy expensive bottle of wine.”

“Save it for a special occasion,” Lily said to Sean.

“Not sure when I’ll have one of those.” His lips twitched at the corners. “Although, if someone as lovely as you would agree to go on a date with me, I’d call that a special occasion.”

“I’d call it a miracle,” Seren muttered.

Lily frowned, taken aback.

“Come on,” Sean coaxed. “We’d have fun.”

“You’re asking me on a date?”

“Yeah. I think we have chemistry.”

“Oh.” Lily didn’t dare catch Seren’s eye. “I’m flattered, but I’m not dating at the moment.”

“Seeing someone?”

Her stomach dropped. “No, but … it’s complicated.”

“Got it.” He pointed a finger at her and held her gaze. “If it’s ever not complicated, just let me know.”

“I will.”

He set the wine back down. “You should keep that.”

“Thanks,” she said as he backed away.

“That was interesting,” Seren said once he was out of earshot.

“He’s not the friend you’ve been wanting to set me up with, is he?”

“No.” She grimaced. “Give me more credit than that.”

“Sean seems okay.”

“He’s a good guy at heart, I guess. But he’s kind of an acquired taste.” Seren lifted her face to the sun. “So what’s your next move with the yacht people? Will you track down the guy’s son?”

“And say what?”

“I don’t know. Just do your investigating thing…”

“I think I’ve hit a dead end with this one.” Lily stood and glanced inside. “Besides, Jessica is probably sick of me dashing off and leaving her alone.”

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