Page 8 of The Sunken Truth
Amid the banter and excited chatter in her little group, she felt another burst of anticipation about the dive.
Her eyes went to Flynn. Apparently, he was immune to the atmosphere.
Staring out at the horizon, he looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Chapter Four
Beingout on the water should have been a pleasant distraction for Flynn, but his mind was still on the superintendent’s visit when he leaned casually against the edge of Ted’s fishing boat. Blinking his thoughts back to the present, his eyes went to Lily. Then he whipped his head away, averting his gaze.
Lily in a bikini was more distraction than he needed.
The laughter on the boat went mostly over his head, but he managed a gentle smile at the sight of his friends’ comical attempts to get into their wetsuits. Actually, it was only Lily and Keira who were making a meal of it.
After slipping his on without a problem, Kit went to help Keira.
“Help me!” Lily said, giggling as she stepped in front of Flynn.
Amused, he shook his head, but took hold of the suit at her thighs and dragged it upwards. Her joy drew a proper smile from him as she bounced and wriggled into the tight neoprene.
She turned for him to zip her in, and his fingers trailedover the smooth skin at her neck when he moved her hair aside.
Far too distracting.
“Thanks,” she said, her excitement at her imminent dive almost palpable, and utterly mesmerising.
It kept him smiling while Kit talked her through the diving equipment and reminded her of hand signals. The smile she flashed him before she dropped into the water made his chest flutter.
“PC Grainger!” a friendly voice called from the next boat over. “Drink?” The guy who he recognised as the hotel owner lifted a bottle of beer.
“I’m afraid I can’t.” Which was a shame because he had an inkling that alcohol would solve all his current problems. At least for a little while.
“Do the usual rules still apply on the water?” the man asked jovially.
“Sadly, they do.”
Ted reached into a cooler and pulled out a bottle of water and held it out with a questioning look.
“Thanks,” Flynn said, taking it.
“You must be sweltering,” Ted remarked. “I’m off to mingle. Make yourself at home.”
Flynn thanked him again, then watched him move from boat to boat until he stopped at another fishing vessel.
A couple of divers surfaced nearby and Flynn checked his watch, making a note of the time. Kit had said they’d be forty minutes, and he was sure he’d be clock watching until Lily resurfaced.
Under normal circumstances, he’d probably mingle himself. He should have a wander through the boats and make his presence known. Small talk felt like a massiveeffort, though.
Staring out at the water, he wondered if the superintendent had already arrived. He’d had a knot in his stomach ever since he’d heard about the visit, and it tightened now. Anytime Flynn was around him, there was some kind of drama, and he couldn’t imagine this time would be any different.
Why was he even visiting? He must have a motive. As far as Flynn could tell, the man never did anything without an agenda. He wasn’t only there to check how the Scilly police force operated – Flynn would put money on it.
A female voice called out to him and he snapped his gaze to the three middle-aged women on the next boat. They sat at a table on the top deck of their motor yacht, the hotel guy no longer in sight.
“Hi,” he said weakly.
“We’ve got plenty of sandwiches,” the blonde woman said. “Come and join us.”
He hesitated. Maybe he wasn’t feeling like making small talk but it was difficult to say no to sandwiches.
