Page 71 of Austen

He sighed, not sure how he’d gotten here.“Actually, it’s rather lonely.I’m not unlike you in that sometimes it’s hard to find someone to trust.I thought Steinbeck and I were friends, for example.Guess I got that wrong.”

She leaned forward and touched his hand.“I don’t think so,” she said.“But Steinbeck—well, he’s been betrayed too.And he’s got an even touchier trust meter.”She met his gaze.“He’ll come around, Declan.He’ll see that you’re a good man.”

Declan stilled, his chest tight as his breath caught.He didn’t know why he needed to hear those words from her, but yes.“Thank you,” he said softly.“I am trying.”

She nodded, sat back.“And for the record, I really love the dress you bought me.I think it needs a decent twirl on the dance floor, don’t you?”She winked.

And something inside him released, set free.He smiled.“Oh, indeed.”He got up and held out his hand.

She followed him out to the dance floor and stepped into his arms.“You do know how to salsa, right?”

“Oh, honey,” he said.“Hang on and try to keep up.”

She laughed, and it was like glitter to an already beautiful night.He cradled her hand, settled his other at her waist, and started to move.They circled the dance floor, him twirling her in and back out again.He did a couple of quick moves and then pulled her back into his arms.She stood maybe six inches shorter than him, andoh,she fit perfectly into his embrace.

The song ended and segued into a slower and more sultry beat.She hung her arm around his neck as he pulled her closer to him.The blues rhythm had their bodies tight, moving around the dance floor as one.

“You are a pretty good dancer for being a lonely guy,” she said.

“You can blame my mother for that.She would come home from a shift, and it would be late at night, but if she’d had a good day, she’d turn on the radio or put on a Sinatra CD or even country western, and we’d dance.”

“Sounds like you two were close.”

“Very,” he said.Austen smelled so good.She’d showered after they’d arrived at the hotel, clearly, and the scent of her soap rose up, twining around him.

“How old were you when your brother died?”she asked, her head on his chest.

“I was twelve,” he said.“We had just gotten a paper route and were trying to help Mom make some extra bucks.”He closed his eyes, losing himself in the rhythm, making the story easier.“We were crossing a slick street, right about at dusk, and a car took a corner and didn’t see him.”

“Oh no.”She looked up at him.“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah.He was right behind me.And then...his papers were all over the road and he’d been thrown into the ditch.He died instantly.”

She stopped dancing.“I’m so sorry.And your poor mother.”

And now he’d wrecked the night.He took her hands.“She never got over losing him.There was always a sadness in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it.”

Austen stepped close again, put her arms around his waist, and laid her head on his chest.He settled his cheek against her head, moving with the music again.

So maybe the night wasn’t in tatters.“You mentioned your sister getting lost.How old were you when that happened?”

“I was about twelve too,” she said, lifting her head to look at him.“She got lost on a camping trip and was gone for three days.My brother Jack helped find her.But it really affected the entire family, especially my grandmother.It was the first time she ever collapsed.”

“The first time?”

“Yes, she had cancer and she was in a lot of pain, but she didn’t want to tell anyone.When Boo went missing, my mom left me, Stein, Conrad, and Doyle with her.My grandpa took the boys out to work on his sailboat while my dad and mom and Jack hunted for her with the local community.Grandma stayed in the kitchen with me, and we were baking—a common ploy she used to get my mind off things.That’s when she collapsed.So one tragedy led to the next, and pretty soon we were at the hospital with her.My mom came to the hospital, and I remember her pacing the floor, praying for Boo and my grandma.”

The music stopped and switched to something peppier.Declan took her hand and led her off the floor.“You ready to head back to the hotel?”

“I guess so,” she said.The way she said it, though...

As they walked toward the door, he handed the server a couple of big bills, then motioned to the driver.He came over, and Declan said, “We’re walking back to the hotel.”Most likely, the man would follow them in the car.

Declan laced his fingers through Austen’s as they headed out into the street.Stars sprinkled the night sky overhead, the heat of the cobblestones rising around them.A few dogs barked, but other than that, the streets were quiet—nothing but the sounds of their feet and the swish of wind in the towering palm trees as they strolled along the street.

“The crazy part of the whole Boo story is that after she was found, my mom was so grateful not just because Boo was found but because Grandma had collapsed.”

He glanced down at her.“Really?Why?”

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