Page 23 of Building Courage
“Did you get blowback from it?”
“It was a close call. And it could’ve been a shit show for my career. The only thing that took the heat off me was that one of the others she interviewed did some follow-up interviews for another publication and spilled the same beans he’d already done in her interview.”
“After that, why would you agree to work for her?”
“I’m not working for her. I’m working for you. She may be footing the bill, but you’re the boss when it comes to your training. I made that clear to her. And I told her not to call me and ask me how you’re doing. That’s between the two of you if you want to share that information.”
Natalie must have really screwed up for him to still be pissed. “Why did you agree to give me lessons?”
“She showed me your photographs, showed me your podcast. If you’d been embracing extreme sports for the adrenaline rush, I’d have turned her down.”
So, he’d probably already surmised something had happened to take her in a different direction. She was surprised he wasn’t probing for answers and was relieved he didn’t push. Once he found out about the whole mess, it might change the way he looked at her.
Had he already done a media search on her? She waited for him to ask the questions, her body growing increasingly tense.
“The things you’re advocating would be good for some of the retired guys I know.”
Cautiously, she turned her head to look at him. “Send me a list of what you think they may be interested in, and I’ll message you contact information for the different companies and people I’ve worked with.”
“Roger that.” He cleared his throat. “When is your next free day? We can do a short dive at La Jolla and let you experience what it’s like in the ocean without being too deep.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. You handled yourself really well today. And we’ll go through all the prep stages here before we drive to the beach.”
“Okay.” She brought up her calendar and looked at it. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when I’m leaving the base, and we’ll meet here.”
“Sounds good.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to go. I have some work that has to be done by tomorrow morning.” She got to her feet.
“I was going to throw some burgers on the grill if you want to eat before you leave.”
“I’ve already taken up most of your afternoon.” Was he making a move to extend their time together because he was interested in her, or was he just being nice? As much as she’d talked about trusting her instincts about people to Martin, she doubted every decision.
“There’s still daylight to burn,” he said.
She smiled. The phrase triggered memories of her father’s addiction to old Western movies. “You said you liked to cook. Are you any good at it?”
“Throwing burgers on the grill isn’t really cooking. Anybody can do it.”
“Not so. There’s a knack to it. Trust me, I’ve tried. The result was not good. But I’m an expert at using the microwave.”
He laughed. “It just takes practice, Brynn. Like everything else.”
He seemed so good at so many things—scuba diving, house repairs, landscaping, cooking—that a girl wondered how good he was at other things. She breathed an inner sigh.
She asked the question she’d been burning to voice since she’d pulled up in the drive. “Who gave you the flowers on the front porch?”
“My next-door neighbor. It was a welcome-to-the-neighborhood thing. I’ve been trying my damnedest not to kill them. Why?”
“It was just a touch of feminine in an otherwise masculine landscape. I thought it might be a girlfriend, and I didn’t want to cause you any drama if I stayed for a burger.”
He shrugged. “No girlfriend, so no drama.”
She tried not to show too much emotion. “Okay, I’d like to stay for a burger. I don’t cook, but I’m an excellent slicer and dicer.”
He grinned. “I’ll light the grill.”