Page 45 of Whispers at Seaside
“I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her softly. “I like my writing schedule of getting up early and hammering out a few hours of research, sometimes seeing you for lunch, and being with you and Hagen in the evenings.”
She quieted her hopeful thoughts, knowing he was referring to the remainder of his sabbatical, not his entire future, which made her heart hurt a little.
“I meant now. Selfishly, I want another day alone with you.”
“Me too, sunshine. Don’t worry, when there’s a will…We’ll find time alone. What else is going on in that pretty head of yours?”
She shrugged. “Just work stuff.”
“Thinking about the co-op?”
“Yeah. I want to start calling companies tomorrow.” She explained her dilemma about timing.
“That’s easy to fix. I’ll take Hagen to camp tomorrow while you make the calls. That’ll give me more time with him. Maybe he’ll open up about why he asked about being a nerd.”
He kissed her again. He was always kissing her, and she loved it.
“But you just said you like to do research in the mornings.”
“That’s the great thing I’m discovering about being a real writer instead of a teacher whoalsowrites papers. There’s no one to report to. I make my own schedule, and tomorrow I’ll drive Hagen to camp and work a little later.”
“Matt, I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you as a babysitter, or—”
He silenced her with another wonderful kiss. Maybe she should always ramble around him.
“I don’t feel that way,” he assured her. “I offered, and I’m totally okay with youusing meas a boyfriend. There’s a big difference between a babysitter and a boyfriend. Boyfriends and parents don’t babysit. They take care of children they care about.”
She tried to swallow past the emotions clogging her throat. Most people had no idea there was a distinction. “You can’t possibly know how much it means to me to hear that.”
“You can’t possibly know how much it means to me that you’re letting me into Hagen’s life.”
They sat in comfortable silence as the Cape came into view. Mira got up to go to the ladies’ room, and Matt went with her, a protective hand securely in place on her lower back. She hadn’t needed to be taken care of or walked to the bathroom since she was a little girl, but Serena was right again. She took comfort knowing Matt cared enough to do the little things she didn’tthinkshe needed.
As they approached the ladies’ room they passed a couple in a heated argument. They were whispering, but there was no mistaking their tones. Mira raised a brow to Matt, as if to say,Glad that’s not us, but it was lost on her overprotective man. His hand tightened around her, his eyes never leaving the angry couple. Mira didn’t know what he was so worried about. Couples fought. It was part of life. And it wasn’t like the guy looked like a derelict or the type of man who would fly off the handle. He looked like he’d walked off the golf course in a pair of nice khakis and a polo shirt. Although, after taking a second look, Mira noticed the woman slowly stepping backward.
“Go on into the ladies’ room, sunshine. I’ll be right here when you come out,” Matt said, nudging her toward the entrance.
She went into the ladies’ room imagining him standing with his arms crossed like a bodyguard waiting for her to come out. She pushed open a stall and heard a shriek. Mira ran out of the ladies’ room, and her heart lodged in her throat. Matt held the arguing man prisoner against the wall with one hand on his throat. His other hand was stretched out behind him, a barrier between the man and the woman, who was now crying.
The veins in Matt’s neck and arms bulged like pregnant snakes. His narrow-eyed stare was lethal as he seethed through gritted teeth, “You lay a hand on one man, woman, or child and I will make sure you canneverdo it again.” He seemed oblivious to the gasping of the crowd gathering around them.
The guy cursed at him. His eyes shifted to the woman with a stare that made Mira’s blood run cold, but it was the bruises appearing on the woman’s arm that had her sidling up to the frightened woman and putting her arm around her.
“Shut. Your. Mouth,” Matt said too calmly. The restraint in his voice told Mira he was acting that way for the sake of the spectators. “The authorities will take care of you, but one more foul word out of your mouth and you won’t be able to tell your side of the story.”
Mira focused on the trembling woman beside her. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I don’t”—she sobbed—“know. We had a blind date, and I…” She shook her head and swiped at her tears.
Mira embraced her, telling her it was okay and watching Matt with awe and concern as the authorities broke through the crowd and took over.
By the time the authorities released Matt, the ferry had docked. Matt’s arm circled her waist as they walked to the car.
“Sorry, sunshine,” he said casually. “Are you okay?”
“Me? Matt, you just put yourself in danger for a stranger. What if that guy had hurt you?”
He smiled down at her. “Then I’d say my years of self-defense training were pretty worthless.”
