Page 79 of Crocodile Tears
Chapter Forty-Two
Deacon
Dove walked across the pebbly front garden with a towel around her shoulders, her ocean-wet hair curling at the ends. The water was still warm even as the leaves began to turn and the breeze carried an autumnal chill. Before we’d even gotten to the house, Dove had stripped off her sundress and run into the sea as if it were welcoming her home.
“I see now why you packed a towel in your carry-on,” I said with a shake of my head as I rose from where I perched on the boardwalk.
She wandered up the rocky beach, her hips swaying in a distracting way that had my eyes glued to them. Her sundress clung to her wet skin, accentuating her curves.
“Look what I found on the beach,” she said, holding up a silver coin in a currency I couldn’t identify.
She closed the distance, offering out her palm for me to inspect the coin. “You are honestly a magpie for shiny treasure.”
“I think it’s an arcade token,” she replied, turning it over and studying the markings. “I think there used to be an arcade on the boardwalk in the seventies, but it couldn’t be that old. It’s in too good condition.”
“Another coin to add to the jar.”
She grinned at me mischievously. “It’s in my suitcase.”
“Of course it is.” I let out a surprised laugh. “Leave it to you to pack our coin jar for our vacation.”
Within the old mason jar were dozens of coins that we’d found on our travels—the beaches of Malta, the hotel in Rio de Janeiro, the jungles of Indonesia. Each coin held a million memories—my European tour with Rusty Sky Reverie, the premiere ofCrocodile Tears, and the beach cleanup during the first round of reintroductions of skinks to the Almadran Isles.
I mindlessly placed a comforting hand to the coin hanging against my chest, and Dove lifted her hand and covered mine with a smile. I sighed, spinning her back to my front and wrapping my arms around her as we stared at the Sea Pearl beach house. I dropped a kiss to her wet hair.
“Our home away from home.” Dove sighed, looking at the house with the periwinkle painted door, the rocky garden, driftwood path, and giant hydrangea bushes growing from the white picket fence.
We rented the beach house whenever we came to visit. And now, after finishing the last leg of the tour, we were both looking forward to settling down in one spot for a while. There were still many corners of the world yet to explore, but we’d take our time. I was ready for my things to live in a dresser drawer for a while.
“I was thinking . . .,” I hedged. “This might be a good place to put down some roots when we’re not traveling. Maybe nine months out of the year, this could be the place we call home?”
“I like that idea.” Dove pursed her lips. “But you’d have to ask the owners.”
I pulled the house key out of my pocket, a little red bow tied on the key chain. “We’re the owners now.”
Dove’s mouth fell open as she looked between the key and the door. “This isours?”
I brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Everywhere you are is home. The apartment in New York, the hotels, the tour bus . . . but I think here will be the best one of all. I love all of our travels, but after living on the road for the past few years, I think it’s time for a long break.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
“Good,” I said, giving her another quick kiss. “Because there’s one more thing I think we need to make this house officially a home.”
“Does that have something to do with why Heron is hiding in the bushes?” she asked, nodding to a suspiciously shaking hydrangea bush.
“You spotted that, huh?”
“I grew up with six siblings,” Dove teased. “You’ve got to be sneakier than that, Harrow.”
“Heron!” I called with a laugh. “You can come out now.”
“What are they holding?” Dove spun around to see Heron standing from behind the hydrangeas and walking over with a tiny orange kitten. “Oh my god.” Dove’s voice jumped up an octave as she cooed at the kitten. She took it from Heron and held it to her chest. “How did you manage to keep this a secret?”
“Only I was looped in,” Heron said. “None of our other siblings can be trusted.”
“Very true,” Dove agreed with a laugh. “Okay, fine, I redact my sneaky comment.” She kissed the top of the kitten’s head. “This is the best kind of sneakiness.”
“Now that we’re going to be in one place for a while, I thought it was time,” I said. “Think we can manage the responsibility?” Dove shot me a look, and I barked out a laugh. “Do you think being a zookeeper your entire life has prepared you for this little hellion?”
