Page 25 of To Steal a Heart
“Uh, huh. I’m starting to think that you weren’t as afraid of the water as you let on.”
He grinned like a Cheshire cat. “I’m petrified … just too manly to show it.”
She shook her head, grinning.
He drew in a deep, appreciative breath. “I really like this. Thanks for bringing me out here.”
“You bet.” The two shared a long look that energized her senses.
“I’ll go below deck and get the cooler.”
“Sounds good,” she murmured.
When he returned a few minutes later, her phone rang again. She pulled it from her pocket and let out a long sigh. It was Jenna … again. She cut her eyes at Crew. “You know what? I think I’ll answer this. Just to show you that I can.”
He laughed easily, shaking his head.
“Hello.”
“Finally,” Jenna harped. “I was beginning to think you’d tumbled off a cliff.”
“Nah, just out sailing.” Arden trailed her fingers through her hair. She loved how free and unencumbered she felt out here.
“W-what?” Jenna sputtered. “How’s the writing coming?”
“Good.” She glanced at Crew. His back was to her, and he was pulling items from the cooler. Crew had picked her up this morning since her car was out of commission at the moment. They’d stopped at a grocery store on their way to the marina and had bought chicken fingers, potato salad, baked beans, and slaw from a deli. Arden’s gaze traced along the angles of his broad shoulders before lingering on the definition of his lithe back muscles visible beneath his t-shirt.
Jenna’s voice took on a firm edge. “I trust that you’ll have those chapters to me by your deadline.”
“Yep,” Arden said casually. “I will.” Yikes! Jenna was holding her feet to the fire. Apprehension snaked over her. She should be working instead of out playing. No, she wasn’t going there. Getting away from the stress was a good thing. Her brain needed the rest.
“Good,” Jenna punched out. She paused. “Anyway, the main reason why I’m calling is to let you know that I’ve set up a signing for you at one of the bookstores there in Carmel.”
The air left Arden’s lungs. “You what?” she guffawed.
Crew turned and gave her a questioning look.
She smiled like everything was great.
“We’ve been talking about you doing more events. I figured that while you’re there, we’d might as well take advantage of the situation. I set everything up with Millie Stanford, the store owner. She’s elated that you’re doing a signing. Peg will send Millie all of the promotion info. We’re overnighting her posters to put up around Carmel.”
Horror trickled down Arden’s spine. The minute Crew saw posters of her around town, the jig would be up. She tried to think how to navigate this. “I’ll call you back this afternoon, and we can talk more about it.” Basically, she’d tell Jenna that there was no way she was doing a book signing. However, right now, she couldn’t say a word without implicating herself. She forced a chipper tone into her voice. “I’ve gotta let you go.”
“But I’m not finished—”
“Bye,” Arden chimed and then ended the call.
Crew studied her. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, she got the impression that he was seeing straight into the darkest corner of her soul. “Is everything okay?”
She forced a smile. “Yeah.” She waved a hand. “That was my boss … wanting to load me up with more work.”
He frowned. “I thought you were a freelancer.”
A noose tightened around her neck. “I am, but I still have to answer to the person who sends me work.” Her throat thickened as she swallowed.
Several beats passed before he spoke. “Ah, makes sense.”
Guilt stabbed through her. This was getting dicey. Crew’s expression suggested that he knew she wasn’t telling him the truth. Or maybe she was projecting those assumptions onto him because her own conscience was screaming so loudly. Arden had never been good at lying. Her thoughts went to Jenna. She would be ticked when she learned that Arden didn’t want to do a book signing. Well, that was just tough. Jenna had no right to schedule a signing without Arden’s approval. She got that Jenna was only trying to help, but still …