Page 87 of At the Heart of It
“I figured you’d like the name.” She hoped he didn’t take it as a come-on. Or hell, maybe that’s exactly how she’d meant it. “Is the apostrophe a typo or something?”
Jonah chuckled. “Only if you’re talking about balls. It’s a reference to the earthquake scientists predict will someday wipe out the West Coast.”
“That’s grim.” Or maybe just clever. “Where’s Big One’s located?”
“This cool little town on the Oregon Coast called Cherry Blossom Lake.” He pulled two of the cans from the pack and cracked one open. “The brewmaster is Mason Spencer-King. He took home gold in the small brewery category last year at the National Craft Beer Awards.”
“Impressive.” Kate nibbled her lip. “I wasn’t sure about the cans. Are bottles supposed to be better?”
“No, this is great. Canned beer is better in a lot of ways.”
“Really?” She learned something new every day.
“Aluminum preserves the freshness of the beer better than glass does. Something about light and the way the cans are sealed.”
She smiled. “Plus I can crush it on my forehead when I’m done.”
Jonah laughed. “I would pay a lot of money to see that.”
Kate took the pile of paper plates and napkins he handed her and set them up on the coffee table while Jonah arranged plastic forks and a can of beer for each of them.
“Want a glass?” he asked.
“Nah, I’m good.” She popped the top on hers, and something about the click and hiss gave her comfort. It made this whole thing seem more like a platonic meeting between two colleagues instead of a clandestine rendezvous between two people who’d slept together and might wish urgently to do it again.
Maybe that was just her.
Kate glanced to her right and spotted Marilyn looking at her with intense skepticism.
Kate could see her point.
She tore her eyes off the cat and took a sip of beer. “It’s really good,” she said. “More floral than the Boneyard one the other night.”
The second the words left her lips, she wished she could take them back. The last thing she should do was remind Jonah of their visit to the swingers club. Of what happened after that.
But Jonah didn’t seem to notice. “You have a sharp palate,” he said. “The Big One’s beer has more of a mosaic hop flavor to it.”
He held up the can to study it again, which gave Kate the chance to study him. He was still wearing the green shirt from earlier, though he’d undone several buttons at the top. He wore a white undershirt beneath it, but she could make out the light dusting of chest hair at the neck of it. She remembered what that felt like pressed against her bare breasts, soft and springy and?—
“Okay, Kate.” Jonah set his beer down on the coffee table. “What did you want to talk about?”
Kate licked her lips and rested her beer can on one knee. “What makes you think I wanted to talk about something?”
Jonah studied her for a moment, and Kate tried not to squirm. There were definite downsides to spending time with a guy trained by the military to ferret out spy secrets. It felt like he could read her mind.
He said nothing, which Kate knew damn well was meant to get her talking. To prompt her to volunteer more information.
She shrugged and took another sip of beer. “I was hungry for dinner, and your place was close,” she said. “And being here instead of a restaurant keeps us from being spotted by crew members or Amy or?—”
“We’re coworkers, Kate. Is it really that suspicious we’d have dinner together?”
“I don’t know.” She fiddled with the tab on top of her beer can. “I’m leery about what people read into things. What shows on my face. I may have studied acting, but I’m actually not a very good liar.”
“That’s a plus.” He grabbed two coasters and set one on the table in front of each of them, giving Kate the chance to take the beer can off her knee. “I’m glad you suggested this,” he added. “It’s nice to be able to let my guard down a little. Not to have to keep up some sort of front for Amy or the crew or—anyone else.”
There was something in that pause, a name they were both avoiding. Kate could see it hanging in the space between them, Viv’s name in big block letters. It was as noticeable as Viv’s voice echoing in her head all the time.
“I love him. Again. Still, I mean—I don’t think I ever stopped.”
